Review of Batman: The Brave and the Bold #18 Comic Book by The Batman Universe

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In Batman: The Brave and the Bold #18, John Constantine teams up with Streaky the Supercat, Miss Martian teams up with Aquaman, and Robin teams up with Robin.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #18 main cover by Simone Di Meo. Image: DC Comics

Title: Batman: The Brave and the Bold #18Writer: Christian Ward, Zipporah Smith, Jeremy Adams, Marguerite Sauvage, Brendan HayArtists: Patric Reynolds, Mike Norton, Laura Braga, Marguerite Sauvage, Marco SantucciColors: Luis Nct, John Kalisz, Arif Prianto, Marguerite Sauvage, Luis GuerreroLetters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Josh Reed, Becca Carey, Carlos M. MangualCover Artist: Simone Di MeoVariant Cover Artists: Christian Ward & Carmine Di GiandomenicoRelease Date: October 23, 2024

This comic book review contains spoilers

“Doubt”

Writer: Christian WardArtist: Patric ReynoldsColors: Luis NctLetters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Years ago, Alfred Pennyworth gives Bruce Wayne a pep talk before he has to speak at his parents’ funeral. Now, a man with a snake face tattoo and a trenchcoat accompanies an entranced woman who is withdrawing her savings at a Gotham bank. But when they open her vault, they find none other than Batman. He tells us that the man’s name is Benjamin Blik, a.k.a. Doubt, and he has a metalevel ability to bend people’s wills with a whisper. Batman is able to subdue the attack and muzzle Doubt before Doubt pulls out an electronic dictaphone that speaks: “I doubt you’re Batman anymore.” Batman immediately passes out.

About an hour later, Batman wakes up beside Gordon and then has to return to the cave where he is overcome with self doubt. “You’re too slow, amateur, stupid, you’re too old, too tired, what were you thinking” etc. Bruce is able to guide himself back to sanity when he remembers the hallowed words Alfred imparted to him on the day of his parent’s funeral: “Everyone is scared. You can’t be brave without being scared.”

Batman busts through the window of the woman’s home where Doubt is staying and plays him a new recording from the dictaphone. It says “I doubt you’re Doubt anymore” and Doubt a.k.a. Benjamin Blik succumbs to his own medicine.

This is a simplistic story with a lot of repeated ideas. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen Batman get psychically attacked in recent months whether it be aliens forcing him to relive all his worst memories or here where a dictated statement causes him to develop crippling self doubt. I say it’s time to retire this concept. The villain Doubt has the snake motif that made me initially wonder if he had some connection to Kobra. But nope, his whole schtick is that he basically uses a Jedi mind trick to coerce people into emptying their bank accounts for him. It’s not too interesting and the way Batman defeats him isn’t clever at all. It’s effectively the same as gassing Jonathan Crane with his own fear toxin. Boring.

And just one note on the final scene. Diane, the woman being held hostage, finds a note on her coffee table that says “stay away from the window” right before Batman bursts in. This comes immediately after Batman’s dark night of the soul in the pits of the batcave. How did this note get in there? Did he sneak into her house before taking out Doubt just to leave that note?

I will say, despite the narrative shortcomings, Patric Reynolds pencils and Luis Nct colors are quite painterly and beautiful. The sketchy watercolor aesthetic gives the flashback and hallucination scenes a real dramatic weight that is stark contrast to the somewhat pedestrian storytelling.

“Petsurrection Part 2”

Writer: Zipporah SmithArtist: Mike NortonColors: John KaliszLetters: Josh Reed

John Constantine and Streaky the Supercat team up to investigate the mutilated zombie pets that have been returning around town. Clues lead them to the Oak Park Animal Rescue where a disturbed employee named Jeremy attacks the team. We learn that Constantine exorcised his brother in the past, but since he didn’t give him any guidance, Jeremy blames Constantine for his brother’s death. A flashback reveals that Streaky stole the talisman he was using to try and resurrect him. Without it, he could only reanimate pets. When Constantine shows him what form his brother would be in if brought back from the dead, Jeremy gives up.

Much like last month, I struggle with how to approach this story other than saying that it’s just not for me. Zipporah Smith’s writing comes across as uninspired. John Constantine and Streaky the Supercat is just not an interesting team up when only one of them can talk and even then only in the most cringe-inducing imitation-British vernacular. There is no emotional investment or really anything to latch onto at all. Constantine and Streaky supposedly have a prior connection to Jeremy that we’re only told about, and it feels slotted in as a last ditch attempt to form some semblance of a story. The wrap up is just goofy. Also could you possibly think of a more boring name for an animal shelter than the “Oak Park Animal Rescue”? It seems like that’s about the amount of effort used to write this entire story.

Mike Norton’s art is exaggerated and cartoonish. Streaky has some cute moments. If only he could draw his human characters as well as the animals. I don’t know why the team felt the need to stretch this one over the course of two months, but I can’t say I’m not glad it’s over.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #18 variant cover by Christian Ward. Image: DC Comics

“Reflections”

Writer: Jeremy AdamsArtist: Laura BragaColors: Arif PriantoLetters: Becca Carey

Miss Martian and Kaldur’ahm Aquaman attempt to save a sinking ocean liner when they are sucked deep underwater and seemingly wind up on the surface of Mars. They locate a temple with a White Martian named Tan’ax Tan’azz inside who is using a mystical Alantian pearl that will terraform the Earth to create Mars. M’gann is able to take him out with a psychic punch which inturn, reverses the terraforming process. Back on the surface, M’gann and Kaldur ask each other if they considered going along with the White Martin’s plan. M’gann admits that she did, but ultimately Earth is still worth saving.

There’s a strong sense of repetition growing in this book that is particularly acute this issue. Stories consistently follow a couple of unlikely DC characters who team up to take down a minor threat, with no actual character development or narrative permanence. Ultimately this is the structure that a lot of comic book stories take, but in an anthology book where each story is no more than a handful of pages, it just feels like they’re trading character slots in the same story structure again and again. It is to the point where I literally would’ve rather seen Aquaman and Miss Martian in any other kind of story. Something that would actually be revelatory of their characters. Have M’gann show Kaldur artifacts from Mars and talk about how much she misses it. How she still feels disconnected from Earth. That’s a level they could actually connect on. But instead we get a forgettable and ultimately meaningless story of the pair encountering a run-of-the-mill White Martian character that is defeated over the course of a single page, before an obligatory dimensionless conversation about how the world is still worth saving. Nothing is revealed or illuminated or changed about these characters. It just feels like wasted time.

Laura Braga art style is flat and even the action panels lack a dynamism that could elevate the formulaic storytelling. Arif Prianto’s coloring does at least give it a digestible gleam.

“Swipe Left on Scams”

Writer, Artist & Colors: Marguerite SauvageLetters: Carlos M. Mangual

Ho boy. Harley Quinn realizes that the dating app she’s been using has been siphoning her data and only feeding her fake accounts. She goes to their headquarters building to beat up the CEO and apparently have him arrested.

I mean I’m all for exposing the life-sucking evil of dating apps, but unfortunately this is just another half-baked story. There’s no logic, there’s no conflict, and there’s nothing interesting, just like every other story in this book. Harley just discovers a dating app is evil, strolls into the CEO’s office somehow without a single obstacle, and trounces him. This is like an idea for a story. It’s like an outline that still needs fleshing out. But here it is in all its undeveloped glory.

Marguerite Sauvage provides the art as well as the story. For what it is, the art is fine. It makes Laura Braga’s art look vivid and complex by comparison, but to be fair it’s not going for anything too intricate. It honestly just looks like stills from Teen Titans Go! or Gotham Girls.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #18 variant cover by Carmine Di Giandomenico. Image: DC Comics

“Robin Season Part 1”

Writer: Brendan HayArtist: Marco SantucciColors: Luis GuerreroLetters: Carlos M. Mangual

Tim Drake and Damian Wayne rescue a group of three endangered kids dressed as Robins. They say they were hired by someone online to dress up for a social media “bird watching” challenge when they were attacked by fire and somebody flew off with their fourth friend. Tim recognizes the tailor who made these faux-Robin costumes and questions him to get the location of the kidnapped boy. They track him down to Dworkingham Brewery where they are ambushed by Killer Moth.

It seems like this book has completely abandoned the original conceit of ending with a standalone black and white story. This is probably the best story in the collection since Brendan Hay is the only one who really nails the chemistry between the lead characters. Tim taking a bit of a mature paternal position to Damian’s unfleeting arrogance and superiority complex is fun to read.

Marco Santucci draws the action well and Luis Guerrero gives the story a moody darkness that suits Gotham well. Killer Moth looks great in his full stature at the end as well. I can’t say I’m clamoring for more, but after slogging through all the stories preceding it, this one reads all the better.