The Brave and the Bold #15 Review

The Brave and the Bold has been a fun comic from the start. The concept (two heroes teaming up) lends itself to light hearted action packed adventure. The original writer, Mark Waid, is still here but George Perez has left. Current artist Scott Kolins has a very different style. The Revolution is looking forward to a fun issue with Nightwing and Hawkman.

Creative Team
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Scott Kolins

Art Rating: 6.5 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7.25 Night Girls out of 10

Synopsis: The story begins with Nightwing telling a combination of Justice Leaguers, Justice Society members, Outsiders and Teen Titans to go. They are going through a portal.

Green Lantern and Superman are the last 2 to go. Green Lantern asks if Trigon is really that dangerous. Nightwing responds that Trigon has a hundred thousand troops waiting to invade our dimension unless we do a pre-emptive strike. Superman comments that Nightwing is the best one to coordinate the attack. Nightwing signals the second wave of heroes to go.

Hawkman steps out from the shadows. He says that the others bought Nightwing’s story. Next to Superman, Nightwing is the one guy that the other crimefighters trust. He says that Nightwing saved the lives of every super-hero on earth and all it took was a lie.

Deadman leaves Hawkman’s body and enters Nightwing’s body. He fills in Hawkman. Trouble started in Nanda Parbat when a dragon-priest named Siva Anuttara came and captured Rama Kushna(the goddess of life who rules the land). Anuttara created an army of ghost assassins to spread his evil. Unlike Deadman, when the assassins inhabit a body it kills the person in the body.

Deadman took Green Arrow to Nanda Parbat to fight Anuttara. When Green Arrow saw the overwhelming odds, he shot Deadman(who is mortal in Nanda Parbat). Green Arrow knew that they could not escape so he counted on Deadman returning to life once he was out of Nanda Parbat. He threw Deadman’s body over a cliff. Anuttara thought he was dead, so he did not become suspicious.

Deadman went to the Batcave looking for Batman. Batman was away on a mission but Nightwing was there. He planned on Nightwing rallying the superheroes to take on Anuttara but was surprised with his reaction. Nightwing determined that Anuttara would possess the bodies of the heroes. This would give him super-powered assassins.

That is when Nightwing came up with the plan of sending the heroes on a fake mission. He would need one other for a back-up. Someone with a knowledge of ancient civilizations. Hawkman would be perfect.

Hawkman recognized the amulet that Anuttara used to capture Rama. The being trapped in the amulet can not be released while it is in the hand of the maker(Anuttara). Deadman, Hawkman and Nightwing take off for Nanda Parbat.

In Nanda Parbat, Anuttara is torturing Green Arrow in an attempt to find out the locations and identities of the other heroes. Green Arrow responds with smart-alec replies. Anuttara looses his temper and decides to torture Green Arrow for fun. Outside the building, Hawkman and Nightwing are dropping down on the assassins.

Deadman appears and the three heroes fight their way through the assassins. They break into the room where Green Arrow is being tortured. They track down Anuttara. Anuttara tells Deadman that he can hear Rama begging for him. All he has to do is come and get her.

Anuttara shoots a spectral fireball at Nightwing and Deadman. Nightwing uses an acrobatic move to dodge the blast. Deadman tells him that he taught Nightwing’s parents that move. Nightwing is surprised that Deadman knew his parents. Deadman says that every acrobat knew the Flying Graysons. They taught him some moves.

Hawkman frees Green Arrow. The assassins leave to help Anuttara. Hawkman follows to help Nightwing and Deadman.

Nightwing attempts to jump across the chasm to reach Anuttara. Deadman yells that it is too long to make it. Nightwing does not make it and falls into the chasm. Anuttara laughs and says that this was the master plan. They pinned their hopes on an acrobat that is named after a bird but can not fly.

Nightwing flies up out of the chasm and grabs the amulet from Anuttara. Nightwing had palmed Hawkman’s anti-grav device during the battle. Nightwing yells for Green Arrow to shoot the amulet with an arrow. The arrow busts the amulet freeing Rama.

Rama goes for Anuttara. Anuttara begs for forgiveness. Rama says she does not do forgiveness or punishment. Her job is to keep the balance between good and evil. She blasts Anuttara. Rama heals Green Arrow’s injuries.

Green Arrow tells them that since Nightwing bluffed the entire Justice League, he is no longer welcome at poker night.

Deadman says there is one last thing he needs to do before they leave. He decks Green Arrow. That was for gambling his life on a long-shot hunch. Nightwing and Hawkman laugh.

Comments
The Good: Waid has mastered the summer spectacular style story. This was a good wrap-up to last issue’s story. The story was fast-paced and kept the plot moving. The trick with Nightwing palming Hawkman’s anti-grav device was a well planned deception.

Nightwing and Deadman were a natural team-up. Both come from a circus background. The revelation that Boston(Deadman) Brand and Nightwing’s parents trained each other added to their connection.

The effects for the ghost assassins were well-drawn. Kolins does a good job with the acrobatic fights. His version of Hawkman was excellent. One of my favorite drawings was the cover. It was probably the most realistic art in this issue.

The Bad: One of my favorite artists for Rama Kushna and Deadman is Neal Adams. He did a great job with both. Kolins patterns his version of Deadman after the newer version. It does look more like a rotting corpse but I still prefer the Adams version. Kolins’ Rama comes off very cartoony. His Anuttara also looks more cartoony than threatening. His style did not do this story justice.