Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: George Perez
Publisher: DC Comics
Mark Waid’s recently been confirmed as Editor-in-Chief at Boom Comics, fortunately he still has time to write a couple of titles for DC: The Brave and the Bold and The Flash. With both, he is engaging in a deceptively difficult task – spinning highly enjoyable tales whilst deftly weaving through and avoiding difficult pieces of continuity that are scattered all the over the place. This arc, The Lords of Luck, spans the first six issues with art by Perez on all of them. With such a combination how can the title fail to impress? Short answer is: It doesn’t but it also does something surprising.
Historically The Brave & The Bold is a team-up book, a way of pairing characters together. Waid maintains this but does something more unusual across the six issues, he sets up a character relay, as various characters intersect handing over the plot as it were to another character. So it is we start with Batman and Green Lantern, the second issue becomes Green Lantern and Supergirl, the third is Batman and Blue Beetle, the fourth Supergirl and Lobo, the fifth Batman and The Legion Of Superheroes and the sixth is Green Lantern and Batman. None of this would work without a plot and Waid delivers a very entertaining one that involves the Book of Destiny.
Destiny? As in The Endless? That Destiny? Yep, but knowing that isn’t necessary. Green Lantern calls in Batman on a mysterious murder that leads them to Las Vegas, a battle ensues and they find the murdered being was linked to an attempt to get the Book of Destiny. Green Lantern pursues the attackers who’ve fled to a gambling planet named Ventura, Batman pursues the accomplice who’s armed with a very exotic weapon, the Haruspex.
The twin plots run through the story, as Green Lantern gets some help from Supergirl, on Earth Batman receives unexpected assistance from Blue Beetle. Green Lantern ends up being caught in a teleport beam leaving Supergirl to find her own way to Rann, which she does by engaging the services of Lobo. Meanwhile on Earth, Batman and Blue Beetle end up engaging the Fatal Five who’ve time-jumped to grab the Haruspex and Batman ends up fused with one of the villains after getting shot by the Haruspex.
Things take a turn for the odd as Supergirl and Lobo end up in Destiny’s garden en route to Rann , it is here they learn what is going on, that there is a shadowy alien trio called the Luck Lords who seek to grab the book. Batman ends up being time-transported to the 31st century, he’s separated from the cyborg he was fused with by the Legion! Though he ends up getting irritated by Brainiac’s arrogance and decides to act unilaterally. He finds the book in the hands of the Luck Lords, who are now poised to rewrite history. The finale sees Supergirl, Green Lantern and Adam Strange fighting on Rann to secure the book from the Rannians, who wish to use it to win the Rann-Thanagar war, with Batman trapped 1000 years in the future. His retrieval is by a willpower Zeta beam combination, Batman then tells them they need the Challengers of the Unknown. They are four men who stepped out of history, thus they can rewrite the book. Destiny had released the book to get it to these four, due to his being concerned at them being outside of it, but the Luck Lords took advantage of the opportunity. They and their pawn, Mondeth, are defeated by a Zeta beam cannon that sends into orbit around Oa’s sun – where the Guardians will retrieve them.
The summary I’ve given is still very much incomplete and misses out all manner of details for Waid packed as much as he could into each issue, whilst keeping the twin plots running. From the interaction of Green Lantern and Supergirl, including good characterisation of which has been rare, to how the gambling planet Ventura prevents cheating to innovative usage of super-sight and the effect of three suns on a Kryptonian – Waid throws in all manner of brilliant ideas and points of detail. He quickly summarises histories and situations – the Rann-Thanagar war being a case in point. The result is a dense, complex yet utterly accessible story that takes full advantage of the rich tapestry that DC Comics have built up with their superhero characters without ever going so far as to become overwhelming.
None of this would be any good, however, without the stunning work of George Perez, who renders page after page of wonderfully intricate yet clear visuals. He’s called upon by Waid’s script to deliver visuals of numerous characters, action scenes, at least 2 or 3 alien worlds, often involving many panels to a page…He make it look so easy.
What is best about these issues, along with Waid’s return to the Flash, is that they have a sense of fun and energy about them that isn’t often seen. For the last few years comics have had a preoccupation with more serious tales, the consequences and effects of superhuman powers. While these some of those stories have been very good, it’s a good change of pace to read an entertaining tale, a story that isn’t out to be serious but to thrill and amuse.
Ben Crofts is resident in Essex, works in London and has found comics and philosophy mix surprisingly well.