Batman: The Brave and the Bold #11 – Karl Kerschl, Christos Gage, Delilah S. Dawson, Michael W. Conrad, Zac Thompson, Writers; Karl Kerschl/Norm Rapmund, Danny Kim, Serg Acuna, PJ Holden, Ashley Wood, Artists; Msassyk, Diego Rodriguez, Matt Herms, Mike Spicer, Colorists
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Three new stories join two continuing ones this month, including the continuation of a fan-favorite DC series.
The second part of “Batman: Mother’s Day” by Karl Kerschl finds Maps Mizoguchi continuing her adventures as Robin by tracking down her Man-Bat friend Tristain—who’s acting a lot more batty these days. Feral, in fact, as he’s not the only one—the city is plagued by Were-bats who are acting much more viciously than Man-Bat usually does. This unconventional partnership between Batman and Maps is a blast, if very out of continuity, but the story is just as compelling when it shifts to Bruce. He’s balancing a new relationship with Gotham Academy professional Ilsa, but is torn between her and his double life—and his connection to the woman he rescued after the attack last issue. A visit to her seeking clues plunges him into a surreal horror show where he encounters the seeming mastermind behind the plague—and emerges changed, as it becomes clear that this isn’t about Man-Bats so much as something more ancient.
“The Sweet Science,” a one-off story by Christos Gage and Danny Kim, turns the focus on a very different Bat—Bat Lash, aka the wild-west gunslinger. He’s attempting to free a woman employed as a hooker at a shady saloon, and an unfortunate (or planned) series of events leads to him being forced into a bare-knuckle no-holds-barred boxing match against a much larger man for the entertainment of a shady proprietor. This is a surprisingly brutal story, but with a wisecracking, highly entertaining rogue of a hero at its center. It reminds me a lot of the great work the Palmiotti/Gray team did on Jonah Hex.
The second chapter of “Artemis: The Poison Within” by Dawson and Acuna finds Artemis struggling from the effects of a snake’s venom—and that’s where things get WEIRD. She starts hallucinating her horse talking to her, as it asserts its rights as a thinking, living being—as well as transforms into a mer-horse, and then into a giant snake with a much more hostile personality than its original form. This leads to a sort of communication with the spirits, or a very elaborate hallucination, as she heads further on her journey.
“Private Stein” by Conrad and Holden takes us back in time again, to World War II—to the legend of Sgt. Rock. The iconic enlisted man is the subject of a brutal interrogation of one of his soldiers, the Private Stein of the title, as the Nazis try to get anything they can out of him. They fail, leading to a great reveal that brings the short story to a satisfying close. This one looks great, but also reads a little rushed—I think it could have used a few more pages than the eight it got, the shortest of the issue.
Finally, Zac Thompson and indie cartoonist Ashley Wood deliver the black-and-white “The Crown of Twelve Tails,” which finds Batman investigating a horrible case—a twisted ritual involving the bodies of multiple different supervillains. This leads him to a strange rat cult obsessed with the phenomenon of King Rats, as they try to build a new monstrosity out of defaced corpses both human and rat. This is deeply creepy (and very fitting for Thompson’s usual style) and the art is very moody and well-suited to the story.
Another great issue, with some interesting divergences from the usual fare in this book and a phenomenal lead tale.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
