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Batman: The Brave and the Bold Bronze Age omnibus vol. 1

Despite being labelled as a Bronze Age book, this collection actually picks up in late 1967 when The Brave and the Bold became a Batman team-up book. And until it gets to the point where Neal Adams takes over the art, all the crazy Silver Age tropes are on full display, with some of the Batman tv series bleeding through.

#74 - Rampant Run the Robots
Batman/Metal Men

A convention is held in Gotham to demo the latest in robotics, but it has to be called off when robots start committing crimes, with only event organizer Dr. Daedalus's robot Icarus and the Metal Men unaffected by whatever is controlling the other robots. Batman doesn't trust the Metal Men, or any robot really, though he learns the error of his ways by the end of the story. It's no surprise to learn that Daedalus is behind the robot crime wave.

#75 - The Grasp of Shahn-Zi!
Batman/The Spectre

A supernatural being, Shahn-Zi, the "Lord of the Yellow River" seals off Chinatown in Gotham and demands to be obeyed. Batman is inside Chinatown when it happens and tries to help, but it takes the Spectre's intervention to really match Shahn-Zi's powers. The friendship between Batman and the "mayor' of Chinatown reminds me of the early Golden Age stories where he's similiarly friends with the "mayor". For a team up between the Spectre, one of the most powerful DC characters and a street level character like Batman, the story works reasonably well.

#76 - Doom, what is thy shape?
Batman/Plastic Man

This one is less than impressive, as "The Molder" a crazy guy who thinks it's the "Age of Plastic" plots to take over Gotham and then the world with his plastic creations. Not a fan of this one, a story in all-out Silver Age zaniness mode.

#77 - So Thunders the Cannoneer!
Batman/The Atom

Eh, middle of the road as the Cannoneer plots to steal a train full of priceless art, and Batman requires the help of the Atom to put an end to his plot.

#78 - In the Coils of Copperhead!
Batman/Batgirl/Wonder Woman

I guess this story justifies Wonder Woman sharing the cover with Batman. In a truly dreadful and juvenile plot, Batman's plan to put the Copperhead off his guard and capture him is to have Batgirl and Wonder Woman publicly fight over which one loves him more. To make things worse, both ladies really do fall in love with Batman, almost ruining the whole plan. In the end, they all come to their senses, and Copperhead is captured in his lair beneath a local swamp.

#79 - The Track of the Hook!
Batman/Deadman

There is a massive uptick in writing and art quality this issue as Neal Adams takes over. Stories like this are why I wanted this collection. Batman and Gordon are working to solve the case of the murder of crook Whitey Marsh, and they learn that the killer had a hook for a hand. Deadman had come to Gotham searching for his murderer, and he assumes the two are one and the same, so he inserts himself into Batman's investigation, demanding help in finding his own murderer. Between the two of them, they break up the crime syndicate beind Marsh's death, but do not find Deadman's killer. Batman tells him that if he finds any more leads, come to him for help and they'll do what they can.

#80 - And Hellgrammite is his Name!
Batman/The Creeper

I'll give writer Bob Haney some credit here: Hellgrammite is a lot better name than "Insect Man" or some variation. That's essentially what we have here, a man who experimented on himself and turned himself into a half-human, half giant insect. I vaguely remember this guy from post-Crisis Superman comics, but this is apparently his first appearance, and he's busy kidnapping mob bosses in Gotham so he can turn them into creatures like himself to serve him. The Creeper is a wanted criminal (even though that's just a front), so after some difficulty in convincing Batman, the two of them team up to hunt down Hellgrammite. Batman asks him at one point if he's related to the Joker, given the Creeper's habit of cackling all the time. It's a decent story made better by a creative villain and strong art.

#81 - But Bork can hurt You!
Batman/The Flash

The division of labor between Batman and guest is well done in this story about a small time thug from Gotham, with the last name of Bork, who finds that he's invulnerable, and decides to go on a blatant crime spree. While Batman holds down the fort in Gotham and tries to stop Bork, the Flash (pre-Crisis Barry Allen) runs all over the world, tracking Bork's movements as he worked on various freighters. He ultimately finds that some natives carved a likeness of Bork from some unknown material, and it is this that makes him invulnerable. Destroy it, and Bork is back to normal. The Flash can find nothing that will mark it except heat, so somehow he slingshots himself off the Earth, passes through the sun and drops the statue there, destroying it, then uses the asteroid belt to turn himself around and head back to Earth. I don't think the Flash could pull that off, even while "vibrating all his molecules".... remnants of the insane power levels of the Silver Age still creep into these transitional stories, and this is a prime example. But glimpses of what Batman would become are also seen, as one scene shows min at a distance watching some crooks, all in silhouette, crouched down on a high pole with his cape draped around him and only the white eyes visible. We're rapidly moving away from friendly 60s Batman toward the "back to his roots" 70s version.

#82 - The Sleepwalker Fron the Sea!
Batman/Aquaman

It's Ocean Master versus Aquaman, with Ocean Master having manipulated Aquaman into working with him. Batman can't understand how his friend Aquaman can be a criminal, and the story follows his efforts to get to the bottom of the mystery and free Aquaman from Orm's influence.

#83 - Punish Not My Evil Son!
Batman/The Teen Titans

The cover and over the top title make this look like it's going to be some crazy imaginary story, but it's actually a solid story about Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson trying to help the son of one of Bruce's old friends who had recently died. Turns out his son, Lance, is a juvenile delinquent, who abuses the trust Bruce has placed in him, but Bruce and Dick are still determined to try and help him, if they can, much to the rest of the Teen Titans' chagrin. All of this is played out against an oil smuggling plot in Gotham harbor, making for a good crime story played out against some personal drama for Bruce Wayne, who feels like he owes his deceased friend. In the end, Lance has a change of heart that is a bit too sudden to be credible and dies when one of the criminals shoots him, but that's the nature of these done in one stories. This is also Robin's first appearance in this reprint book.

#84 - The Angel, the Rock and the Cowl
Batman/Sgt. Rock

In an example of fairly loose continuity that makes no distinction between the Golden Age and Silver Age versions of the character, Batman relates to the reader a story when he was younger and had an adventure in WW2 with Sgt. Rock and Easy Company. Keep in mind the story was published in 1969, and the flashback would have to have been in the early 1940s, making Batman at least in his late 50s, when he's clearly younger than that. But the issue of his age is totally ignored in favor of telling a good story, and that's fine. A young Bruce Wayne ends up present in London when his friend, who is in wartime British intelligence, is shot in front of him and gives Bruce a message to pass along. Bruce meets Winston Churchill, who commissions him to complete the mission. Bruce works with Sgt. Rock and Easy Company to stop a Nazi plot to smuggle poison gas in wine bottles to stop the invasion of Normandy. The framing sequence has the Nazi commander as an older man trying to steal a fake angel statue which has gold hidden in it, with an older Sgt. Rock stopping him and saving Bruce's life in return for Bruce saving his life during the war.

I'm way behind on reviewing the Brave and the Bold, but I wanted to put down some thoughts about Batman's character at the time these stories take place. He's very much the sixties Silver Age Batman at first, but it doesn't take long at all for him to get a bit more down to Earth and serious as the tone of the series shifts. However, he's still a long way from the modern Batman who is so stand-offish and outthinks everyone. Early 70s Batman is very human, and very approachable. He's fallible, he gets tired, he smiles, he makes friends easily, and he doesn't have the moral superiority complex that has so often defined Batman in recent decades. Traces of the 60s "public citizen of Gotham" still exist, with Batman as a well known public figure who openly works with Gordon, talks to the press and walks around in costume in broad daylight, which always bothers me, but I find that I like this very competent yet fallible, very human Batman quite a bit.

Upcoming omnibus volumes from DC that I'd like to have. There's some good stuff coming soon.

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/03/16 ... 2017-2018/

This one's a surprise. Not my first choice for Golden Age material (that would be Flash or Green Lantern), but I'll be picking this one up. GA's first appearance was in 1941 and the latest issues in this book were published in 1947, so this is six years of early Green Arrow in one book. Not bad at all.

Green Arrow: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1
7th November $125.00 700 pages

For the first time, DC collects the early 1940s tales that introduced the crime-fighting archer known as Green Arrow, who today stars in the hit CW TV series ARROW. In these original adventures, millionaire industrialist Oliver Queen battles crime with the help of his young ward, Speedy, taking on corruption and crime in Star City, including villains like Bull’s-Eye, the Voice, the Skylark and many more.

Collects MORE FUN COMICS #73-107, WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #7-28 and ADVENTURE COMICS #103-117.

The next two are a given, and I think with volume 5, Superman moves beyond material that had already been reprinted in the Archives, so DC is getting into never before reprinted material here.

Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 5
12 December 2017 $75.00
A massive hardcover collecting Superman’s exciting adventures!

Superman’s earliest adventures are collected in a single volume covering the mid-1940s.

Moving beyond the archive editions

Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 4
21 November 2017 $75.00

Batman’s first adventures are collected here in an oversize omnibus edition, with BATMAN: THE GOLDEN AGE OMNIBUS VOL. 4!
A comprehensive collection of the Dark Knight’s Golden Age adventures from some of the creative titans of the comic book industry.

And for some post-Crisis Captain Marvel:

Shazam: A New Beginning 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
12 December $24.99

Spinning out of the 1980s event “Legends”, DC’s Captain Marvel, a.k.a. Shazam!, starred in his own miniseries that led to magical new adventures in the pages of ACTION COMICS WEEKLY. In these stories, Billy Batson rediscovers his powers as Shazam! and discovers the secrets of his old foe, Captain Nazi.

Written by industry legend Roy Thomas, this new hardcover is a must-own for any fan of Captain Marvel. SHAZAM: A NEW BEGINNING 30TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION collects SHAZAM!: THE NEW BEGINNING #1-4 and #623-626.

And there are a couple of Justice League omnibi solicited. I particularly want the JLI book.

Justice League: The Detroit Era Omnibus. 800 pages, out on 16th January 2018

Justice League International Omnibus Vol. 1 is $99.99 and out on 3rd October…

Batman leads a team of unlikely heroes in these satirical 1980s adventures co-starring Black Canary, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Martian Manhunter, Mister Miracle and more. Can an unlikely new Justice League lineup work as a unit to stop terrorists at the U.N., the Royal Flush Gang, and other threats—or will they succumb to squabbling and bad jokes?
Pairing humor with hard-hitting action and heartfelt emotion, Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, along with frequent illustrator Kevin Maguire, created one of the greatest iterations of the Justice League ever!

This oversize omnibus graphic novel series collects their run in its entirety for the first time ever, beginning with JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL OMNIBUS VOL. 1! Collects JUSTICE LEAGUE #1-6, JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #7-25, JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #26-30, JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL #1-3 and JUSTICE LEAGUE EUROPE #1-6


DC has reprinted the entire Silver Age run of JLA in two volumes. I have the first, and just ordered the second. A Bronze Age has been solicited. The Silver Age books run through JLA #76, while the solicited Bronze Age volume prints 77-113. With the end of the run in the Justice League Detroit book, it's entirely possible that the complete original Justice League run will fit in six or seven of these books. DC has finally figured out the best way to collect these old series, in my opinion. Not a bit at a time, but in big collections that span years at a time.

I was browsing through the JLA omnibus and was pleasantly surprised to find that among the last few stories in the book are a couple of key issues for Green Arrow and Black Canary, with character changes for both that carry on to the present day.

- for most of the book, Green Arrow is still the beardless guy with trick arrows that he had been since his introduction. And then just like that, he appears with his goatee, and he's being swindled out of all his money by his business partner. Oliver knows it, but can't prove it and can't do anything about it, and just like that he's poor and out on the streets, and his outlook on life begins to change.

- the two issues before that are one of the many JLA/JSA crossovers, and among the other things that happen, Black Canary's husband Larry Lance is killed by the villain of the story. This happens on Earth 2, since Black Canary was originally a Golden Age character and originated there. At the end of the story she leaves Earth 2 for Earth 1, where she's been ever since. She doesn't start her long-running relationship with Green Arrow here, but the two of them are both hurting and form a bond that will eventually lead to something more.

It's always nice to actually have the chance to read these stories, even though it's not hard to learn about these characters and their past from flashbacks in the books, or from the internet.

At a story a night, give or take, I've finished the second JLA Silver Age omnibus. Now that I've now read the entire Silver Age Justice League, which I enjoy having the opportunity to do. I had a few general thoughts.

- the first few issues of Brave and the Bold/JLA are a lot like the last few issues of All-Star Comics when it comes to the format. The opening and closing chapters highlight the team as a whole, while the middle chapters focus on smaller groups or individuals.
- Gardner Fox finds ways to keep Batman and Superman out of the plot quite a bit early on, so the cast is a bit smaller and not quite as powerful, making it easier to come up with threats.
- The 'big seven" (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman) are the only members of the league for maybe seven or eight issues, and then new members start being added. Green Arrow is the first, then the Atom. After that it's years before anyone else becomes a member, with Hawkman being the next addition.
- As long as Gardner Fox is writing, the book is very plot-based, without a lot of intra-personal character conflict. Fox wrote and Mike Sekowsky drew just about 65 issues, which at the 8 issue a year schedule of the 60s amounts to six or seven years. That's a great run by today's standards.
- None of the Justice League members know the secret identity of the others. I had no idea. There's one issue where they learn, and then agree to erase the knowledge at the end of the issue. It's not until the late 60s where the Atom is forced to reveal his identity, and even then the rest of the members still keep their secret. When Wonder Woman loses her powers and comes to resign, the Justice League all wonder who she is and how she found out about their secret headquarters, so they still didn't know at that point. At the end of volume 2, issue 76, the League members still don't know anyone's secret id with the above exceptions.
- A lot of the well-known JLA villains first appear in these issues. Starro is the first villain (with only one appearance), but among the others are the Key, Kanjar Ro, the Crime Syndicate of Earth 3, the Lord of Time, Dr. Destiny, and the Royal Flush Gang. A lot of minor one-shot villains turn up as well.
- There are the annual crossovers with the Justice Society, which are almost always two-part stories. And just like the JLA, you rarely see the entire team in action. It's also clear that this is the JLA's book, since they usually save the JSA from some disaster, though occasionally the reverse is true. It's good to see the various Justice Societyturn up on such a regular basis, and it could be truthfully said that this book was the home of these characters during the 60s.
- Red Tornado is introduced as an Earth 2 character, which I didn't realize. The JSA even reference the original Ma Hunkel Red Tornado. Red is a bit of a klutz who causes as much trouble as he solves, a character arc that will continue for some time.
- It's not until Denny O'Neil takes over as writer in the late 60s that the characters begin to show more personality and to experience more interpersonal conflict, though it's still fairly mild by modern standards. He definitely injects more character drama into the book. It's O'Neil who kills off Black Canary's husband Larry Lance, has her leave Earth 2 for Earth 1, develops her sonic scream, and who strips Oliver Queen of his fortune, giving him the famous goatee and mustache in the process.
- Denny O'Neill is also better at finding challenges for Superman that don't involve some improbable use of Kryptonite, a crutch that Gardner Fox would often rely on.

The book has its weaknesses, mainly the light storytelling of the Silver Age with too many contrivances and convenient character weaknesses that everyone seems to know about. How many times can a villain pull out some Kryptonite for Superman, or set a fire to weaken the Martian Manhunter, for example? And of course there's always something yellow to trip up Green Lantern. But it's a fun book with a lot of creativity, despite some cliches, and it feels like the core book for DC in the 1960s, given how all the major characters appear in it, and how some major developments happen to certain characters in this book. The changes to Black Canary and Green Arrow are still a part of both characters to this day, and Red Tornado makes his first appearance here. The iconic "big seven" are established because of the initial lineup of this book (sorry Cyborg), and many of the villains continue to appear. It's always enjoyable to turn a page and think "so that's so and so's first appearance. Nice to finally read it." And of course, all the Golden Age characters of Earth 2 live here, making JLA feel epic and expansive as universe and reality-spanning events take place here.

I never manage to do this, but I'm going to try and keep up with reviews as i read through this volume. I always read much faster than I write, and I never go back and catch up, so we'll have to see...

Batman #16
April-May 1943

The Joker Reforms!
After a robbery in Gotham City in which the Joker and his gang escape with millions, the engine on their plane starts having problems. The three gang members, Kite, Sparky and Nitro, bail out, while the Joker decides to try and land the plane, reasoning that if he can do that he won't have to split the loot. The plane crashes, and the Joker ends up with amnesia, becoming for a short time an honest person. He's landed near a small town in the Ozarks who have never seen a photo of the Joker, so they don't know who he is (though you'd think his appearance alone would give him away!) and accept him as a member of the community. Both his gang and Batman and Robin track him down, and over the course of the story he of course regains his memory and becomes his old criminal self. Interestingly, the Joker refers to himself as "sane" when he's his normal self.

A decent story, and it's interesting to see the Joker as a decent human being for once, but it's just impossible to believe that no one recognizes him given his bizarre appearance. This story might have worked better with a less distinctive villain.

The Grade-A Crimes
A series of early morning robberies and murders plague Gotham, and after some investigation and run-ins with the robbers, Batman is able to work out that the common element is a milkman delivering milk at that hour, and the mastermind behind the robberies is John Winthrop, president of one of the larger dairies in the area. I always enjoy these little mysteries that involve more down to earth villiains. They're a nice contrast with Batman's more colorful enemies.

The Adventure of the Branded Tree
After an intro by the paper the Batman magazine is printed on (!), the story begins as some lumberjacks are chopping down trees to send to the paper mill. They find a tree with a dagger-shaped mark on it and briefly wonder what it means before cutting down the tree. Some crooks are watching, and decide that the lumberjacks know too much and shoot them both, killing one and wounding the other. Unfortunately for them, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson are nearby doing some fishing, and they dash into action as Batman and Robin. There's a lot of back and forth and the crooks fight Batman and Robin, get away briefly, stash a cylinder they recover from the fallen tree in some paper rolls, and then return later to retrieve it, only to finally be captured. Turns out they'd stolen some industrial grade diamonds and hidden them inside the tree, which they marked so they could find it again. It's just their bad luck that Batman was nearby when they started firing guns. Batman really rubs it in, telling the crooks that since those diamonds are needed for the war effort, they're guilty of treason as well as murder, and they'll really get what's coming to them.

Here Comes Alfred!
It's Alfred's origin story. He arrives by boat from England, talking to a foreign official who had taken the same boat. Alfred looks different here than we're used to, being somewhat short and heavyweight, as well as clean-shaven. He's accosted by criminal Manuel Stilleti who want his suitcase, but Batman and Robin have been watching the crooks, and they step in to break up the robbery. Alfred offers his help in tracking down the crooks since he's an "amateur detective", but Batman brushes him off. He and Robin head home, ready to call it a night, when the doorbell rings. Alfred is at the door, and at first they think he's figured out who they are, but it turns out that Alfred's father Jarvis worked for Thomas Wayne, and on his deathbed he made Alfred promise to go back to work for the Wayne family. Bruce doesn't really want a butler, but he figures he'll have to figure out some way to break it to Alfred later. The crooks are still after the suitcase and break in, having followed Alfred. Batman and Robin turn up of course, claiming they followed the crooks. During the fight, one of Manuel's thugs is knocked out, and the others run, with Batman and Robin following them. Alfred ends up in a fight with the recovered thug, and during the fight he once again subdues him, only to accidentally trip a hidden switch, opening the door down to the hidden underground lab and Batplane hangar (not yet the Batcave at this early stage) thus learning that Bruce and Dick are Batman and Robin. The story wraps up with the reveal that Alfred's suitcase was marked by some of Manuel's associates overseas to lead Manuel to the official. The gang is rounded up, and Alfred reveals that he knows Bruce's secret. He stays on as butler of course, and apart from brief intervals here and there, has been a member of the cast ever since.

This version of Alfred turned up in Zero Hour, as I recall, and this story has surely been reprinted elsewhere (other than in the Archives and Chronicles of course), because I'm pretty sure I've read it before. Given what a major character Alfred is in the Batman books, I'd be surprised if his origin hadn't been reprinted at some point. As always in these old stories, there are coincidences and contrivances that keep the plot moving, but it's still a fun little story.

Detective Comics #75
May 1943

The Robber Baron
The story opens with Batman being attacked and shot to death. Turns out it's a dummy, used for target practice by a gang working for the Robber Baron, a man who robs seemingly safe locations in Gotham City. He and his gang do this by means of a giant grapple mounted on the roof of the Bryte Brothers Brassworks, which they'll fire so they can get into upper story rooms and penthouses. Batman has already worked it out by the time the story gets to him a few pages in, and the majority of the story is spent with him trying to capture the gang, going from the rooftop to a suspension bridge (where Robin plunges seemingly to his death in the river) where Batman is shot in the arm and captured. The crooks intend to fire the grapple at police headquarters with Batman's dead body attached as a message to the police, but Robin turns up in time to help Batman turn the tables on the crooks, who are delivered to a waiting Commissioner Gordon via the grapple.

It's amusing that for a story appearing in Detective Comics, the detecting has all been done by Batman off-panel, and the story focuses on action. It's some good high-altitude action with some genuine peril for Batman and Robin, and a villain with a reasonably interesting gimmick for his crimes and a genuine vicious streak. I liked this one quite a bit.