DCU Comic Book Reviews

The Brave And The Bold #5

The Lords of Luck, Chapter Five: Batman Of Tomorrow

September 2007

Written by Mark Waid

Pencils by George Pérez

Inks by Bob Wiacek

Cover by George Pérez

Synopsis

Thanks to the Haruspex, a probability-altering weapon, Batman has been transported to the 31st Century and in the hands of the Legion of Super Heroes.  However, because Batman is in the wrong time, he is creating a rift that could lead to trouble.  Batman suggests using the Haruspex, but the device fails.  Batman then takes it and runs away from the Legionnaires.  On Rann, Supergirl finally finds Green Lantern Hal Jordan and Adam Strange.  Together they track down the Book of Destiny, but they also encounter the Luck Lords.  Meanwhile, the Legion continues to search for Batman, but they are having little luck as Batman continues to fight them.  However, this is part of the plan as the Haruspex only works against someone considered a threat.  Eventually, Phantom Girl retrieves the Haurspex, but before she can fire the Lords of Luck arrive with the Book of Destiny to take the Haurspex from her.  Now, with the Book and the Haruspex, no one can stop then.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

My brother-in-law is a Batman freak and I can guarantee that when he finally gets around to reading this issue (he is woefully behind in comic reading, but that is another story), he will absolutely freaking enjoy this issue.  How could he not?  It has 21st century Batman outwitting the entire 31st century Legion, using normal Batman tactics to do the job.  From the smoke bomb to hitting Invisible Lad to fighting Karate Kid (while flying!), this is all Batman the way people think of Batman.  And this, in short, is what makes Waid the right writer for this series.  Like previous issues, Waid shows a good sense of these characters and he puts them in situations that highlights them the best.  This is easily the best single comic to give to anyone if they want to jump into the DC waters:  great fun, wacky zaniness, and characters written the way they should be. 

I really liked the interaction between Brainy and Batman.  Brainy’s dismissal of Batman as a backward, Cro-Magnon intellect keeps getting debunked as Batman easily outwits and outsmarts him at every turn.  Hell, he even figures out the Haruspex when Brainy couldn’t do it.  What works is not so much that Batman is better, but that Brainy thinks he is better by virtue of the time factor and his own ego. 

This is the third depiction of Batman fighting Karate Kid and is easily the best.  Perez rightfully depicts the fight the way it should be, by showing both bodies as they trade blows.  It may have been only one page, but the layout and art manages to do more than what the others couldn’t do in more pages.  In Countdown, what we got (if I remember correctly) were a series of close-ups, drawings of hands and feet that don’t give a sense of the battle.  I won’t even mention Justice League of America in which the fight wasn’t really shown at all.  Of course, ultimately the problem with all of this is that when Batman faces Karate Kid in this issue of The Brave And The Bold, there should be some mention that they had already fought.  Perhaps not from Karate Kid (who looks different) but Batman should have said something or at least acknowledged he has done this before.

 

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