DCU Comic Book Reviews

The Brave And The Bold #14

The Ghost Killers Of Nanda Parbat

August 2008

Written by Mark Waid

Pencils by Scott Kolins

Inks by Scott Kolins

Cover by Scott Kolins

Synopsis

Twelve hours later, Green Arrow shoots Deadman.  Now, a pair of ghosts leave a trail of destruction and death in Star City.  Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow) tries to stop them, but nearly gets himself killed until Boston Brand (aka Deadman) gets involved.  Brand tells Ollie that the ghosts are part of the Ghost Killers of Nanda Parbat.  Ollie tires to stop them, but all he manages to do is incur their wrath.  Brand possess Ollie’s body to save him.  Brand then travels to Nanda Parbat to stop the leader of the Ghost Killers.  When they get close, Brand and Ollie separate, so Ollie can fire an arrow at the leader.  But the arrow misses its mark.  Realizing they blew it and they are going to die, Ollie decides to take Deadman with him.  He shoots Brand and then tosses him off a cliff. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

So, am I allowed to call the ending a cliffhanger?

The ending surprised me.  After the last issue, and knowing the Waid will be gone from this title in a couple of issues, I was expecting a one-and-done issue.  So I really though that Ollie’s arrow was going to find its target.  Even when it missed, I figured something else would happen that would lead to the defeat of the big bad by the end of the issue.  So, yeah, I was extremely surprised at the end.  But that is a good thing.  I thought the ending was great, not only because I didn’t expect it, but because it manages to come out of nowhere while at the same time making sense within framework of the story.

As for the rest of the issue, I found it was okay, but not the greatest either.  Perhaps it is the choice of team-up.  Green Arrow and Deadman don’t exactly seem like the right pair to create the necessary character conflict as they get together to solve an external conflict, although choosing someone like Hawkman seems a little too obvious, so kudos for Waid for at least trying.  At it wasn’t that they didn’t work together.  It was good for what it was, but I don’t think I would want to read another story featuring those two (unlike Flash and Batman from last month; there is a duo I would like to see again).  I was also put out by the exposition scene, which stopped the story dead while Brand explained the plot to us.  I am not quite annoyed since at the very least the exposition led to an explanation on how to destroy the big bad, which came into play at the end of the story. 

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