More Fun Comics

I wondered whether DC's attempt to revive one of their longest running books, The Brave and the Bold, would help return some of the fun to comics that was a hallmark of the title. The original B&B was one of my favorite, must-not-miss titles growing up, so I was eager to read this first issue.

I'm happy to report the answer is yes, this is probably the exact kind of superhero comic there should be more of--solid plot, funny lines, good action, and none of that self serious too-cool-for-school superhero-comic writing in a lot of superhero book that I find infuriating and, worse, boring. Mark Waid hits the exact right tone for the book, and George Perez is the perfect artist for this title. This book was just plain fun.

The original B&B was, for most of its run, a Batman team-up book, but apparenly this new version will feature different characters each month. I think that's a good idea--Batman is way more over-exposed than he was in the 1970s, and this way more obscure DCU characters can get a month to shine, and/or it allows Waid and the editors the chance to put some unusual characters together. Next month, for example is Green Lantern and Supergirl. Unlike this issue, I assume Hal gets top billing in that team-up.

Along with Darwyn Cooke's The Spirit and Jeff Smith's Shazam!, it seems DC is making some moves to bring fun back to mainstream comics. In the last year or so, we've seen the return of Sgt.Rock, Jonah Hex, and I hear there's even a Bat Lash book being worked on. Yay DC!