Team-Ups of the Brave and the Bold

You don't have to have read the previous 26 issues of this 2010's modern version of DC's flagship team-up franchise, The Brave and the Bold. I didn't know this for a while. That's why I sat on this book for so long. Once I realized that unlike how the series opened with a story line of Batman and Green Lantern alternating pairings with other heroes to find the Book of Destiny, these stories were all self-contained. 

The Team-Ups of the Brave and the Bold contains 7 stories written by J. Michael Straczynski as a last ditch attempt to revitalize the sagging series. Despite the superior writing of Straczynski and the awesome artwork of Jesus Saiz, it just wasn't enough to save this series from cancellation.

The following team-ups in the book includes:

• Robbie Baldwin losing his Hero dial during a family trip to Batman's hometown, Gotham City.
• The Atom goes on a 'fantastic journey' inside the brain of the Joker during a delicate surgery.
• During a science experiment on the speed of light in Belgium, the Flash is sent back in time to assist the pilots of Blackhawk squadron during the Battle of the Bulge.
• Batman investigates the legend of the 60s era Frankenstein monster known as Brother Power, the Geek.
• Wonder Woman and Zatanna take Batgirl on a much needed girl's night out.
• Aquaman and the Demon join forces to stop an Eldritch horror from the deep from conquering the world!

I love a team-up title and while I am a fan of the original Batman The Brave and the Bold collection of books, I like that the Dark Knight isn't the focus of the title here. The Atom's story offers a look at the troubled childhood of the boy who would become the Clown Prince of Crime. It was a chilling work. The Aquaman/Demon story also had hints of horror to it. If you ever wondered what it would be like if H.P. Lovecraft wrote a comic book, you'd have your answer here.

The Flash story was powerful. I can't believe it wasn't written by Joe Kubert with artwork by Brian Bolland. I also was enamored with the title's swan song starting Barbara Gordon. Here I am missing her carefree pre-Killing Joke days when hot with the fact that the events of this story will cause that tragedy to occur! And the Dial H for Hero story was a nostalgic tribute to a great premise that just never got it's proper due.

If you ask me, that Brother Power, the Geek story was unnecessary. Though the way that story ended set up for an exciting storyline that I would pay good money to read. It's just a shame that DC gave up faith in J. Michael Straczynski's writing talents. 

This book is really a beautiful tribute to some of the best eras of DC Comics. There's sci-fi, war, horror, wacky gimmicks and above all love. Love for a good story full of amazing things never before seen and love for the loyal readers.

Highly underrated stuff!

Worth Consuming!

Rating 8 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents: Dial H For HERO

My dad had a pretty impressive comic book collection that I remember fondly digging into frequently as a kid. It was mostly DC books. One of the B-list (heck, more like C-list) segments that I remember happening upon was Dial H For HERO. At the time, it just wasn't my thing. I was more enthralled by the glamorous superheroes like Superman, Deadman and the Flash. As much as finding a device that would turn them into a superhero is any kid's dream, I just didn't connect with the adventures of young Robbie Reed.

The premise of Dial H For HERO is that preteen genius Robbie Reed finds a mysterious object that looks like the dial of an old rotary phone. Only instead of being in English, the tool has these strange glyphs. Brilliant Robbie is able to decipher the letters and decides on a whim to use it to spell out the word H-E-R-O. When Robbie dials the word, he turns into a superhero. Only, he doesn't know which protagonist he will become nor what his powers will be.

Over the course of his early career, as seen in the pre-horror pages of the House of Mystery, Robbie will become champions based on ancient myth, crazy gimmicks as well as bizarre freaks. Sometimes, Robbie will revisit the form of one of his previous incarnations and on one occasion, he becomes the established classic superhero, Plastic Man!

Dave Wood was the writer for all of these original series stories. Towards the end of the run, the characters got way more goofy and DC fell into the trap of thinking that the generation gap was what late 1960s kids wanted to read about. The series ended because of the Comics Code. Not because of violations, but instead because horror comics were once again in favor due to challenges over the Code which brought about some revisions. 

Dial H For HERO would return in the 1980s without Robbie Reed. Instead different boy as well as a young girl would find 2 different dials, changing into both a hero and a heroine. During this time readers were encouraged to create the characters that the kids turned into through a write-in contest.

It's those adventures in various issues of New Adventures of Superboy and Adventure Comics that I've come across as an adult that peaked my interest when I found this book a couple months ago. In this volume, there's a story where Robbie allows a gal pal of his to try the dial, becoming Gem Girl. I had originally assumed reading that tale that this was how we got 2 heroes in the later books. While that's not the case, that adventure is probably the inspiration for having a duo in the reboot series.

Looking around, those later stories don't seem to have been collected ever. I'd be very happy to own such a title should DC decide to release it in the future. While I am trimming my massive collection down a bit, this Showcase Presents collection is one that made the cut. While it's not a perfect series, Dial H For HERO is fun and nostalgic and to me that's worth overlooking the faults.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Plastic Man 80-Page Giant (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

When a heist goes wrong, safecracker Patrick 'Eel' O'Brian is shot by a nightwatchman, doused with chemicals and left for dead by his gang. O'Brian awakens in a monastery, shielded from the authorities by the parish monks. As he recovers, O'Brian learns that the chemicals he was showered with seeped into his wounds giving him super-stretching abilities. Seeing a chance at redemption, Eel dons a red rubber suit and dark sunglasses to become Plastic Man! His first mission- to bring his double-crossing former gang members to justice!

Plastic Man debuted in the first issue of Police Comics. The creation of Jack Cole, Plastic Man was one of Quality Comics most popular characters until the publisher folded in 1956. Plas along with properties such as the Polish flying ace, Blackhawk and the war anthology series G.I. Combat was soon absorbed by National Publications (D.C. Comics). While the war books were immediately added into National's print line-up, it would be another decade before Plastic Man would return to store shelves. However, it would be the funny man who got the last laugh. 

After two brief attempts to reintroduce Plastic Man to readers, the former Eel O'Brian made the transition to TV. From 1979-1981, Plas and his son Baby Plas made Saturday mornings fun for youngsters as part of ABC's The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Hour. Produced by Ruby-Spears, an impressive 112 episodes aired over 5 seasons. By the end of the 80s, both Blackhawk and G.I. Combat would be shelved while Plastic Man would enter the 90s as a full-fledged member of the JLA. In 2003, artist Kyle Baker revamped Plastic Man for a new generation in a cartoony series that produced 20-issues. Baker would win numerous Eisner awards as well as a Harvey for his innovative look at the hero.

As a promotional tie-in for the Kyle Baker's series, DC released a super-sized special starring Plas. Based on the 80-page specials of the 60s and 70s, this volume is presented as a lost collection of Plastic Man's greatest adventures. Along with his debut appearance, fans are introduced to faithful sidekick Woozy Winks, a small time crook who thanks to a swami who life Winks saved, is blessed with amazingly good luck. A Dial H for Hero adventure from the House of Mystery, has Robby Reed turning into Plastic Man as he battles a villain that uses bombs made of bright light. Arnold Drake and Gil Kane mark Plastic Man's official return to comics in his debut DC series which replaces Woozy Winks with a nebbish teen pet store owner. Woozy then returns in caper in which the rich and powerful have their minds switched with hamsters in the finale penned by Steve Skeates and art by Ramona Fradon.

After the Kyle Baker series ended in 2006, Plastic Man would return to TV as a recurring character on Cartoon Network's Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Plas would appear in a number of comic miniseries over the next 15 years including Flashpoint and a segment in the newsprint inspired Sunday Comics. Plastic Man's most recent appearances in the DC universe saw him in a new black and white costume as part of Mister Terrific's super team, the Terrifics.

Completing this review completes Task #20 (An 80-page or larger giant) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

The New Adventures of Superboy #39

The Kents have a visitor for the holidays. A fellow classmate of Clark's is having to stay with Jonathan and Martha as the lad's parents are traveling without him. This puts the student in a foul mood. In response, Clark decides to become Superboy and show him an alternate earth that doesn't celebrate Christmas. 

The planet Superboy travels to is a polluted, war torn mess. Townsfolk prey upon the meek- such as this earth's Clark Kent! Can Superboy and his classmate restore the Christmas spirit to this world's Smallville. Or is peace on earth completely doomed?

I enjoyed a large chunk of this story. I wonder if a return story was ever done to this multiverse realm. I liked the twist ending. But as much as I am a fan of Paul Kupperberg, I have one issue with this story. Why is Clark Kent on this troubled earth such a weenie? Why isn't he super-powered? Is the sun for this planet the wrong color and thus Clark can't become Superboy? This oversight is really overlooked. Thus another reason why I feel that there's was more to this world than what was published in this tiny issue.

I wasn't such a fan of the secondary story. It was another chapter in the Dial H for Hero saga. I always liked the creativity of this story. But so much plot was wasted on a bus accident that if it was scraped, we wouldn't have had to deal with a stinking cliffhanger. 

An unusual type of festive story. But once again, there's a story included that doesn't give me closure. At least it wasn't the cover story that enticed me to buy this one.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.