DCU Comic Book Reviews

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #31

Small Problems

February 2010

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Pencils by Chard Hardin and Justiniano

Inks by Wayne Faucher and Walden Wong

Cover by Jesus Saiz

Synopsis

At Arkham Asylum, the doctors ask the Atom if he will help deliver medication that will help save the life of the Joker.  Inside the brain of the Joker, the Atom is heading towards the spot where he needs to place the medicine, when he touches a part of the brain.  As a result, the Atom relives a memory of the Joker’s past.  The memories follow the Joker through various incidents of his life.  Eventually, Atom delivers the medicine and leaves the Joker’s mind.  Afterwards, the Atom realizes that a part of the Joker has now become a part of himself.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

It has been said that in the comic industry today, writers will often come up with a story they want to tell and then make the characters fit into the story as needed.  Rather than writing a story based on the type of characters they are using, they make the characters act a certain way based on the dictates of the plot.  This might be a good example of that.  Ray Palmer does not act the way I would expect him to act and he certainly does not act with the compassion we have seen that earned him the Indigo power ring in the Blackest Night mini-series.  His cold, hard approval of letting the Joker die, to me at least, seems wildly out of character.  Of course, given the “stories of yesterday, today, and tomorrow” plastered on the cover, one could argue that this is Ray Palmer before Identity Crisis, but it sure didn’t feel like it.  Having said that, once we get past the opening pages, this was a very good issue.  Granted, there is not much that wasn’t predictable in terms of the plot.  However, good writing can overcome such problems and Straczynski writes a compelling story, drawing he reader into the story and delivering an interesting take on the Joker’s early life..  I am sure that some will be upset it doesn’t follow the Killing Joke (and actually comes a little bit closer to Heath Ledger’s portrayal in the Dark Knight), but at the end of the story it is not so much what the Atom witnesses of the Joker’s eyes, but how he sees the world through the Joker’s eyes.  And that he has taken on a little bit of the Joker within him.  While it doesn’t contain a moral like the previous two issues, I think the Twilight Zone-type ending works well for the comic.  Even if the character doesn’t quite fit in with the story being told. 

The top panel on page 19 looks like a scene from the Dark Knight, especially the bat-bike and the downtown location.

I am not a doctor, but even I could tell that the science and the description of brain activity in this issue was not quite right.  To fully understand exactly how not right it truly is, I suggest checking out Dr. Scott’s analysis of the issue right here. 

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