The Brave and the Bold 50 (Oct.-Nov. 1963) began the team-up tradition that would culminate in turning the title into a long-running “Batman and Friends” book.
The art by George Roussos exploited little of the visual appeal that we might have expected in a teaming of the Martian Manhunter and Green Arrow, and Roussos seemed intent on undermining the action at every turn. I’d say either of the characters’ regular artists — Joe Certa or Lee Elias — might have done a better job with the story.
But the idea of teaming and spotlighting two superheroes was a good one, and a logical extension of successful Silver Age team titles like Justice League of America, World’s Finest and Fantastic Four.
In fact, this first team-up was a sort of low-rent version of World’s Finest. Instead of Superman and Batman, we got two back-of-the-book characters who were often compared to them.
The resemblance to the successful World’s Finest formula was probably deliberate, according to Michael Uslan and Robert Klein, writing in the Brave and the Bold Team-Up Archive Edition.
“With his red-clad sidekick, Arrow Car and Arrow Cave, wealthy playboy Oliver (Green Arrow) Queen was certainly at the time being presented as an imitation Batman,” Uslan and Klein observed, “And what superhero was most akin to Superman? But for the fact that his weakness was fire and not kryptonite, the Manhunter from Mars best qualifies. More likely, this was a way to promote the Martian Manhunter, who would soon gain his very own cover-featured series beginning in House of Mystery 143.”
In the Brave and Bold story, the Manhunter and Green Arrow defeat their enemy, Vulkor, with a trick used more than once by Superman and Batman — switching their identities to gain an element of surprise.
Bob Haney’s plot featured an attack on Earth by J’onn J’onzz’ fellow Martians — the same story idea that Bruce Timm used as the springboard for the excellent Justice League animated series in 2001.
Bruce Kanin wrote: I had mixed feelings when they stopped the random team-ups and went to having Batman team up with another (super)hero. What I mean is that, Batman teaming up with others is a terrific idea, but I missed the random ones, too. They probably couldn't afford to have two books.
ReplyDeleteYears later, via DC Comics Presents, Superman teamed up with another (super)hero. Many of those stories were good, although the B&B Batman team-ups were a bit grittier and better drawn.
One of my favorite B&B "random" team-ups was Atom & Flash!
Joe Gall wrote: I was so excited when this issue came out so I bought it immediately. And then I looked inside and was appalled at the art. Oh, nice shout out to our JLA series.
ReplyDeleteCheryl Spoehr wrote: While I wasn't overwhelmed with this issue,I sure loved the idea of a "second World's Finest team"...but it was not to be. Although the "New team of Martian Manhunter and Green Arrow" was mentioned often in Justice League,that was just an excuse to get rid of both characters. JLA was changing,becoming both more like Marvel's The Avengers,and it was relying more on hot shot heroes Superman and Batman for appeal. Soon,the Batman tv show would force a CONSTANT presence of Batman onto both JLA and B&B,to their mutual detriment. Or at least that is how I see it... ...
ReplyDeleteMark Emery:
ReplyDeleteI was ready for something different; my first issue was Hawkman in #34 and liked his 6 appearances, but the rotation of Cave Carson, Suicide Squad and 5 issues of Strange Sports Stories was too much. I didn't like the artwork in a few of those team-ups, but liked the idea and effort. "Kid Flash, Aqualad and Robin" was great and, since Batman was my favorite character, I enjoyed when he ultimately took over. Was Julius Schwartz the editor, I'm assuming, when the team-ups started in #50?
I replied:
The editors were Murray Boltinoff and George Kashdan. Schwartz only edited the first issues.
Paul Zuckerman:
ReplyDeleteMy recollection is that book came out at the end of the summer while my family was still in the mountains (which is what NYC folk called the Catskill region of NY, which was the summer vacation spot for most NYC Jews), and that I mostly liked it. How much I am not sure. I liked to see more of the underused characters such as J'onn and GA (who was about to lost his remaining solo spot). This was the first non-JLA cover that the Manhunter had; and GA was rarely covered featured in this period outside of the JLA.
The Bob Haney story was OK, but I think even at 11 years old (which I was still a week or two shy of), I knew that this story simply did not jibe with J'onn's solo series. Although the data base now shows Murray Boltinoff as edior (Mike lists him as solo; the Grand Comic Book site includes George Kashdan), my recollection was that pre 1964, Jack Schiff was listed as editor with Kashdan and Boltinoff as associate or assistant editors. However, I am not at home this week so I can't pull out my copy to verify. In any case, Schiff should have known that the book deviated from the regular strip, if he was involved; but when Bob Haney was writing the story, those minor details tended to be ignored.
I sort of missed the try-out version of the book. At the time, I wasn't really aware that B&B started out as a radically different book and had only converted to try-out just before I picked up my first issue of the JLA run in it. And, I guess, DC eventually felt that two try-out books was too much. Still, for the short time they did it, there was some interesting stuff in it and two - JLA and Hawkman -were successful (though the latter needed a third run in Mystery in Space before he got his own book.
The Batman all the time era was not my favorite at first, because I quickly tired of seeing so much of him in the camp era. And Haney continued on as writer, and continued on ignoring continuity. (Such as when he had the ghost of the Waynes. And didn't he do a brother of Bruce Wayne story? Not to mention teaming Batman up with Sgt Rock during WW II? ).
Stephen Leone:
ReplyDeleteA footnote to the Bruce Timm mention. If you watch the three episodes carefully you can note references to many other Martian stories. The War of the Worlds for one. And even a shoutout to Stanley Weinbaum’s 1934 “A Martian Odyssey.”
Vincent Mariani:
ReplyDeleteAll in all, the team-ups beginning with Brave and Bold #50 were rather lackluster in story and art.
Rather than let team-ups emerge organically, the tight-assed DC method was rigid. Flash and Green Lantern team-ups were scheduled at one per year in The Flash and one per year in Green Lantern. The Zatanna team-ups were also scheduled as were the Golden/Silver Age meetings originated in The Flash and continued with GL and The Atom. Then there were the annual JLA/JSA double issue alliances. So, the one-shot teams like J'onn J'onzz and Green Arrow and so forth also had a rigidity in appearances in Brave and Bold.
Meanwhile, Marvel had created an atmosphere that was looser, and haphazard in a positive way. Centered in NYC, it was likely that characters could cross paths at any time.
F-michael Dunne:
ReplyDeleteAs a huge Green Arrow fan at the time, I was so disappointed with the art. I also thought at the time that this would be a springboard for a Green Arrow book or a several tryout issues based on the previous 25 Brave and the Bold issues. Sadly with the arrival of the next issue featuring Hawkman and Aquaman I realized the battling bowman was still going to be stuck with a few backup pages in World's Finest. It was also confusing/disappointing that the regular artists of the featured strips did not illustrate their regular assignments.
Todd Spangrud:
ReplyDelete“Inky” Roussos was nicknamed for a reason. Not really a penciller.
Michael Uslan:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout-out! I bought 4 of these then.