DCU Comic Book Reviews

The Brave And The Bold #4

The Lords of Luck, Chapter Four: The Garden Of Destiny

August 2007

Written by Mark Waid

Pencils by George Pérez

Inks by Bob Wiacek

Cover by George Pérez

Synopsis

On the trail of the Haruspex weapon, Blue Beetle and Batman encountered the 31^st Century version of the Fatal Five.  In their attempts to retrieve the weapon, Batman and Tharok merged into one body, half man, half robot.  Blue Beetle attempts to find a way to undo the merger, but only succeeds in causing Batman/Tharok to disappear.  Elsewhere, Supergirl is trying to get Lobo to take her to Rann to find Green Lantern and the Book of Destiny.  Along the way, they encounter the guardian of the book, who tells Supergirl and Lobo that the book needs to be deliver it to the intended recipient before reality unravels.  Later, Supergirl makes it to Rann, but arrives in the middle of a battle as Green Lantern and Adam Strange are in the midst of battling Thanagar warriors.  Meanwhile, Batman/Tharok awakens to find he is in a prison cell with the rest of the Fatal Five, courtesy of the Legion of Super Heroes.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

“Look up my skirt and I’ll melt your face.  Seriously.”

The core of the book was the Supergirl and Lobo sequence.  The beginning sequence with Blue Beetle and Batman was just to tie up that loose plot point from the previous issue and to set up the next issue with the cliffhanger.  My only problem with this part is that it takes away from the sheer brilliance and fun of the core part of the story.  I mean, how can one not love the back-and-forth banter between the two of them or the places and situations that Waid devises for them?  This was just a fun, fun read.  And I’m not sure I have much more to add than that. 

Waid understands Supergirl and I like his characterization of her in this series.  Though I never read his version of the Legion, comments I have seen suggest that his characterization is similar on that series.  Naturally, this is the moment where I wonder why he isn’t writing the Supergirl book, but I have no control or influence over that decision, so it is a rhetorical question.  But it does point out the deftness of Waid’s writing, his ability to define characters well enough to make them feel real and vibrant, a nifty trick in a title that exists more or less for action and not characterization.  This book won’t progress a character or change who they are.  That is for the main books.  All this book needs to do is provide ample action to satisfy fans of the character.  But Waid’s solid writing elevates the story behind its simple premise.  And then add on Perez’s gorgeous, detailed artwork and this is easily one of the best books being produced by DC.

 

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