Brave And The Bold #28

Rarely do I ever give a title two straight pick of the week nods. The only time I have done it was I believe the first two issue of Batman and Robin. Which is saying much because that means I'm willing to say this is just as brilliant as Morrison's gifted child. Well I do believe that this is a fantastic series for DC, and possibly some of the best work J. Michael Straczynski has done with just short of two issues. Maybe it's because of Jesus Saiz amazing artwork that I'm saying these things. But then you read this comic, and you know why JMS has always been ranked as a great writer.

A lot of people gave some jeers to the end of the last issue because of Batman being preachy. Well I agree that it was a little out of character, but I think I know where JMS is going with it. With this issue we have Barry Allen accidentally being transported to 1944 where he meets the Blackhawks. What's great here is that JMS makes Barry human in this; because he has a broken leg he can't be the fasted man alive. So now Barry has to witness the horrors of the war by being a regular human being. It might be a bit of an anti-war message to some, but I really think JMS is trying to channel the bravery of the men during World War II. I also think the writing for the Blackhawks here are great; definitely showing more uniqueness then Sgt. Rock. Not to say Sgt. Rock and his men aren't great characters, but you can definitely see here why the Blackhawks are nothing like the other classic WWII character. This entire conflict is a dilemma for Barry, he's mainly a pacifist and once he's given a gun he has no idea what to do. It adds realism to the story and once Barry puts the soilder uniform on, that's when I knew where JMS was taking us with this story. Just letting us know Barry was involved with one of the worst battles in history makes us see just how horrible war is. The message at the end is clear and it's a poetic moment that almost let me roll a tear.

I've really never heard of Jesus Saiz ever but call me crazy when I state this: Saiz might have given DC the best looking comics with this series. Everything about this issue, and the previous, are about the same. Gorgeous character models and great detail with the anatomy. Great fight sequences and this has a fantastic one page sequence of the Battle of Bastogne. What really makes this one of the best looking comics out right now is the colors in this. Oh my lord how amazing the coloring is in this. The coloring is the backbone of Saiz's artwork. It makes everything look realistic and also let's everything stand out. I can't explain it but it's like he uses a different shades of reds and blues to make it all look amazing. He just makes the costumes and/or uniforms of everyone involved stand out. But the coloring also just adds a human element to the characters. Again when Barry decides to dress up as a soilder, it looks more like a photo then a drawing. I know I am not perfect when it comes to grading art, but you have to believe me when I say that this is a gorgeous looking comic. Other then Frank Quitely's run on B&R I have yet to see a book that looks so gorgeous.

If you were to tell me what are my favorite comics coming out of DC right now it would be: Batman & Robin and then this series. With just two issues, JMS and Saiz has set the bar to make a great comic book. The pairings are interesting, the message JMS is trying to make are serious and important, and Saiz has shown to be one of the best artists in the industry. For the first time in my life I just think to myself I want more of a comic series. That's the only disappointment I get from this comic; that it has to end. Oh well, there's always next month.