Batman: The Brave and the Bold

• Title: The All-New Batman: The Brave And The Bold #14
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Sholly Fisch
• Artist: Rick Burchett

Well, they can’t all be winners. The latest issue of The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold isn’t horrible, but for a comic that’s been consistently entertaining for months a story centered around Ragman and the true meaning of Chanukah is a bit of a misstep.

After helping Blue Beetle take down Crazy Quilt, the Rainbow Raider and Doctor Spectro, Batman heads further into the rougher part of town and helps Ragman stop a plot by a big real estate conglomerate to scare and force the poor out of their homes and buy the property cheap.

Along the way we get a lesson in the true meaning of Chanukah and Ragman’s heart grows three sizes (wait, that last part may be from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas).

I know the title is geared towards younger readers, and this is a holiday issue, but it has done a pretty good job not talking down to them and spoon feeding them issues (religious or otherwise), which we get more than our fill of here. Hit-and-Miss.

[DC, $2.99]

• Title: The All-New Batman: The Brave And The Bold #13
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Sholly Fisch
• Artist: Rick Burchett

With Batman near death the Phantom Stranger assembles Robins throughout time to save the Dark Knight Detective. Dick Grayson (in his original Nightwing costume), Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Damian, and Carrie Kelly are all brought together to save their partner.

After some initial in-fighting (including Damian and Steph going at it over whether a girl can actually be Robin) the sidekicks come up with a plan. They will sneak the dying Batman into one of Ra’s al Ghul‘s Lazarus Pits and use it to revive him.

Longtime Batman fans should definitely seek this issue out and pick it up. Aside from being the only comic where you’re going to get this assembly of characters, writer Sholly Fisch and artist Rick Burchett take time to make several references to Batman’s history including “Robin Dies at Dawn.”

The comic ends with a discussion between the Phantom Stranger and Madame Xanadu. Xanadu congratulates the Stranger on the success of his plan but reminds him Robin wasn’t Batman’s only partner. Best of the week.

[DC, $2.99]