Comic Review #75: The Brave and the Bold #184 (1982)

 

Well here we are back with the Christmas Comics! This and the next few will be DC comics because I really like the next few comics and want to discuss them. They were fun Christmas stories. Two are team ups. One is a Western comic (something that isn't a superhero boy howdy!) and after that it's a comic I haven't read before but looks like a lot of fun. Anyway as I've mentioned before I've wanted to talk about at least every character that appeared in DC or Marvel comics. Every last one will get at least one mention on this blog. Which is why Team Up comics are great. If the hero themselves never had their own comic (The Huntress in this era never did have her own comic and I find this version who lives on Earth-2 and is the daughter of the Earth-2 Batman and Earth-2 Catwoman a lot more interesting then the one who happens to be a gang boss daughter or something. I dunno. You know me I mostly like the older stuff anyway.) 

So I really should start talking about covers to these comics because there's an art to a comic book cover that gets you excited to read the comic, makes you go "Yeah this is in the pile that I'm buying for fucking sure." and this sets the case there. First off It's drawn great but to be fair sometimes the cover artist and the book artist are different but I have no real qualms with any artist from this era of comics but that's just me. Secondly it's Batman ripping off his cowl and screaming at his parents graves that they deserved to die. How do you not want to see how that works out. You also got the Huntress over in the corner so you're also wondering how she came to be on Earth-1. It creates a great little mystery and is something you know you want to own. 

Now our story starts up with Batman giving gifts to the children in an orphanage. He's thanked by the lady who runs the place. He then goes to Gordon and they talk about Spurs Sanders and how there's someone on the run with files that would put him away. This causes Batman to start searching for them. He finds a guy in a Santa Claus suit and realizes its the hood. I'm not sure how because it's Christmas but It's Batman. He knows all. He sees all. HE KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST NIGHT AT 8 O CLOCK YOU DIRTY BIRD.  Anyway Batman takes this guy down and finds a file that says his Father gave money to a gangster! OH SHIT! This is where the Huntress shows up from Earth-2. I like how she refers to Earth-1's Batman as Uncle Bruce. It's very cute. I'm a fan. 

Anyway they decide to search this by checking out Amos Randolph's files. Amos has been disabled horribly by nerve damage and has aged decades past his actual age of barely over sixty. Amos shows him HIS file and goes "I didn't know about this!" and Batman is too caught up in the whole thing to think about it. They then go to Spurs Sanders and he turns on a damn tape recorder and Batman is sure as hell it's his father. This causes him to do the cover and freak the hell out. He renounces being Batman but it's only for a little while as he sees the Huntress save the guy who was in the Santa suit at the beginning of the comic. He's around with his son. Batman realizes that he needs to keep doing this because it's not only about vengeance it's about making sure no one ever feels the loss he did.

They go back to STATELY WAYNE MANOR where they talk about stuff and Bruce remembers the last Christmas he had with his parents. He realizes that it was Amos Randolph all the time because of his habit of nervous tapping. That was on the tape! He goes to tell Amos Randolph he knows everything. Amos says he'll never be put in a prison! Batman responds he's already in a prison. Damn Batman that's kinda harsh towards the disabled. Anyway The Huntress is fighting Spurs Sanders and tells them that the person behind the tape was faked and they have ways of figuring that out. It will end up in the Gotham Gazette. She also tells Spurs that he's going to prison because she took all the evidence the cops needed and just gave it to them as a nice Christmas gift. 

FINAL VERDICT: I very much enjoyed this. It's works in Christmas very well, it's a very compelling story about Batman's parents. I enjoyed the interactions between all the characters, Huntress, Spurs, Batman, Gordon. The art was fantastic and I must say that it's a great Christmas comic. Highly Recommended baby!