Written by: Karl Kerschl, Rob Levin, Delilah S. Dawson, Zipporah Smith, Herik Hanna
Art by: Karl Kerschl, Mike Norton, Serg Acuna, Karl Mostert, Charlie Adlard
Colors by: Msassyk, John Kalisz, Matt Herms, Mike Spicer, Charlie Adlard
Letters by: Steve Wands, Troy Peteri, Dave Sharpe, Tom Napolitano
Cover art by: Simone Di Meo
Cover price: $7.99
Release date: April 23, 2024
Batman: The Brave And The Bold #12 delivers five shorts and chapters containing unique views on DC's cast of characters. Vampire Bruce Wayne faces down an ancient evil, False Face does the wrong thing for the right reasons, Artemis fights in the desert, Swamp Thing consoles a lost soul, and a career henchman is offered a chance at redemption.
Is Batman: The Brave And The Bold #12 Good?
Not bad. Batman: The Brave And The Bold #12 is not bad at all. The mix of characters and story types is sure to have a little something for everyone, and the only weak one in the bunch is (unsurprisingly) tied to a weak main title. More on that down below.
Not bad. Batman: The Brave And The Bold #12 is not bad at all. The mix of characters and story types is sure to have a little something for everyone, and the only weak one in the bunch is (unsurprisingly) tied to a weak main title. More on that down below.
Batman: Mother's Day, Part 3
Bruce Wayne, infected by the vampiric bite of a Man-Bat, visits Isla. Before the situation gets out of hand, Maps intervenes with a shot of Langstrom's antidote. Isla call 9-1-1 to get an ambulance for Bruce while she takes her dog to the vet because the dog was injured defending Isla. However, Alfred is the unassuming ambulance driver who gets Bruce to the Batcave with Maps. There, the trio concocts a scheme to stop the source of the infection and mind control, a Varcolac, before Gotham is overrun.
Such a great ending to a great three-parter from Karl Kerschl. You get a cool villain, great action, and fantastic art that feels like the Batman equivalent of comfort food. Somebody get Kerschl on another miniseries ASAP.
Left Unsaid
False Face takes a job impersonating a deadbeat dad who abandoned his family years ago. An elderly grandmother hopes his return and apology will give her granddaughter much-needed closure. It's an easy job. Right? Unfortunately, the granddaughter is a distant relative of Gentleman Ghost who doesn't take kindly to redeeming the man who hurt his descendants, especially when Gentleman Ghost was the one who killed the deadbeat.
Two Bat-Criminals at odds over a family dispute is nothing new, but this short by Rob Levin is probably the most unique twist on that theme. Gentleman Ghost's motivation for integrity in his extended family's life adds an unexpected layer to the character, and the resolution is surprisingly thought-provoking by asking the question, "Is lying wrong if it makes somebody feel better?"
Artemis: The Poison Within, Part 3
Artemis arrives at the outskirts of Qurac when she's attacked by a small army of American military soldiers. Despite her best efforts at non-lethal fighting, Artemis is captured in the name of capturing anyone who might know the whereabouts of Wonder Woman.
After two parts that went nowhere of substance, we now see this collection of shorts is meant to tie into the current Wonder Woman story, written by Tom King. A small Black Ops force of American soldiers is somehow allowed to operate on foreign soil to capture a non-citizen in the name of American Law. The main WW title under Tom King's heavy hand is already a terrible story, so nobody needs to expand on it. Skip this.
A Parting Gift
A man encounters Swamp Thing after he's murdered for exposing toxic dumping in the swamps. What follows is a thoughtful exploration of a "monster's" offer to care for the dead and find peace when it's time to move on from this mortal coil.
Zipporah Smith delivers one of the better takes on Swamp Thing as an avatar of the swamp and the Green when it shepherds a dead man through his stages of life and death to the beyond. It's not Alan Moore-levels of Swamp Thing, but Smith crafts a better representation than most.
Henchman
Batman visits a career Henchman with a long history of getting beat up by the Dark Knight. After a lifetime of regrets, including a deceased wife who always came second to his career in crime, the Henchman is given a choice to make his late wife proud.
Herik Hanna's take on the Dark Knight from a Henchman's perspective is sharp, insightful, mature, and gripping. The only downside of this short is that it's too short.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Bits and Pieces:
Batman: The Brave And The Bold #12 is a solid entry in the anthology series that gives readers a variety of eclectic characters and their stories. Karl Kerschl's take on the Dark Knight is one of the most quintessential Batman tales I've read in some time, so it's the highlight. However, the ongoing Artemis tale turns out to be an ill-advised tie-in to Tom King's Wonder Woman series. In short, this issue has a lot of good with two extremes on the great/terrible scale.
A man encounters Swamp Thing after he's murdered for exposing toxic dumping in the swamps. What follows is a thoughtful exploration of a "monster's" offer to care for the dead and find peace when it's time to move on from this mortal coil.
Zipporah Smith delivers one of the better takes on Swamp Thing as an avatar of the swamp and the Green when it shepherds a dead man through his stages of life and death to the beyond. It's not Alan Moore-levels of Swamp Thing, but Smith crafts a better representation than most.
Henchman
Batman visits a career Henchman with a long history of getting beat up by the Dark Knight. After a lifetime of regrets, including a deceased wife who always came second to his career in crime, the Henchman is given a choice to make his late wife proud.
Herik Hanna's take on the Dark Knight from a Henchman's perspective is sharp, insightful, mature, and gripping. The only downside of this short is that it's too short.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Bits and Pieces:
Batman: The Brave And The Bold #12 is a solid entry in the anthology series that gives readers a variety of eclectic characters and their stories. Karl Kerschl's take on the Dark Knight is one of the most quintessential Batman tales I've read in some time, so it's the highlight. However, the ongoing Artemis tale turns out to be an ill-advised tie-in to Tom King's Wonder Woman series. In short, this issue has a lot of good with two extremes on the great/terrible scale.
7/10
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