Comic Books

BRAVE AND THE BOLD #33

Oh yes, it’s ladies’ night! Batgirl, Wonder Woman and Zatanna enjoy a nice, peaceful evening on the town that absolutely won’t be interrupted by any kind of superheroic hijinks whatsoever… and if you believe that, there’s a giant bronze globe in Metropolis we’d like to sell you!

Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Art by CLIFF CHIANG
Cover by JESUS SAIZ

Price: $2.99
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 51.4%

Reviews

UserAddedSpoilers
GLNancy04/22/10NoRead Review
TheNextChampion04/21/10NoRead Review
glwarm7604/21/10NoRead Review
455
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Avg Rating: 4.8
 
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Comments

  1. Cliff Chiang as artist!? Oh hells ya. (Is there anyone better to replace Saiz then him?)

    This is gonna be a fun issue. For once JMS might be a bit more laid back and jokey with this title. Not that I’ve had a problem with his dramatic stuff…

  2. Is that Babs in the BG costume + Cliff Chiang?

    Sounds like fun. 

  3. I LOVED BATB #32.  Here’s hoping it’s two in a row!

  4. I’m in.

  5. Most consistent DC series. 

  6. @glwarm76 – Yes & One-shots too which is sooo refreshing.

  7. Wanted to try this so I shall. If I like I shall try some more! Small week anyway. 

  8. Agreed AmirCat. Plus it highlights characters that I don’t normally read either. 

  9. Yes! I love the way Noto draws Babs costume, too.

  10. I’ve been loving this one too.  I love the one and done’s and he’s knocking it out of the park.

  11. last month i picked up this book for the first time.  I got it because of the characters featured(aquaman/demon) and I loved it.  I also really like the concept of the series. I wasn’t going to plan on picking this up regularly, but I’m going to give a few more issues a try.  Are there any back issues that especially stand out?

  12. ^^ Batman + Dial H for Hero. Flash + Blackhawks. Batman + Brother Power.

  13. @jwaesch : I recommend everything TB&TB for the last 5-6 issues.

  14. Ive got a light week so I’ll be sure to pick some of those up.  thanks guys

     

  15. I’d disagree with wangman, I thought the two Batman issues were the weakest ones. Flash/Blackhawks, Green Lantern/Dr Fate, and Atom/Joker is where it’s at.

  16. @skeets I think the Atom/Joker has been the weakest so far. With Brother Power a close second.

    Green Lantern/Dr. Fate has been by far the best.

  17. @TNC: it’s, by no means, bad isn’t it? Just relatively weak? 

  18. @nathan Oh they all have
    been good. Just weak if we’re comparing all of his work. Lowest score I’ve given this series is a 4.

  19. I think what we’re all saying is you pretty much can’t go wrong just buy all 6.

  20. The Brother Power issue is clearly the best of his run. You’re all insane if you think otherwise.

  21. It’s the Brother Power that hooked me because it was so bizarre, creepy, and cool.

  22. Ironically, The Brother Power is the one I skipped. Will pick it up NOW!

  23. Very excited for this issue, I’ve been loving the B and B JMS work.

  24. I picked this up because JMS’ run on B&B has been great and I thought his take on a "Girls’ night out" would be fun. It was fun…..and then it went so far beyond what I was expecting. This was amazing – absolutely freaking amazing. iFanboy needs a "Book of the Year" button….I’d push it, right now. If you didn’t get this issue go back to your store right now and get it before they sell out.

  25. Stunned.

  26. Wow. So well done. That was an emotional gut punch I wasn’t expecting. 5/5. My POTW. End of story.

  27. WOW! I did not expect this book to take the turn that it did until that scene where Z and Wonder Woman were crying in the bathroom. Hell of an issue, my favorite in a VERY long time.

  28. I’m a jms fan but I haven’t read this yet, but because it made Josh’s POTW (especially as early as it was) I decided to pick it up. I hope it’s good.

  29. Really enjoyed this issue I could see it being my potw but the ending just lacked a deep emotional punch for me cuz I don’t really know the characters (only the 3rd dc book I ever bought) but a great story. This is the perfect kind of book for JMS.

  30. Just a gut wrentching story.

    JMS showed us his lighter side for just a few seconds….and then tore us a new hole to fill with depression! Great homage or linkage to The Killing Joke.

    Arent was pretty beautiful as well. 

  31. I’m really glad I picked this up. This made me want to get the rest of JMS’ issues and makes me really look foreward to his Wonder Woman.

  32. I felt like Wonder Woman was the least developed of the three characters.  It seemed to be more about Babs and Zatanna.  Which is fine, but doesn’t give a great feel for how he’ll write WW.  I’m likely going to give his run a shot, though.

  33. Oomph! Oomph! Oomph!

    POTW!

    Blaam! 

  34. Wow… I didn’t expect this to be THAT good. Best issue so far.

  35. I picked this up to see how I was going to like JMS writing WW.  If he can write he as well as he wrote these characters & this issue, then all of my worries are for nothing.

  36. Had the ending spoiled for me… it becomes an extremely mediocre comic once you know that’s coming.  Sucks, because that would’ve made my inner fanboy do backflips.

  37. when they showed Babs walk in on Zatanna and Diana in the bathroom….I thought they were kissing and I was like WHOA!…..but once they showed Babs with Commissoner Gordon, I knew what was coming and was completely heart broken.

  38. I actually have goosebumps. Soon as I realized what was happening it was this tingle that went up my arms and with the last line in the book I choked. One of the best single issues I’ve ever read. Ever.

  39. I think the pick of the week article shouldn’t go up until the podcast does. That way the community pick isn’t influenced like it clearly was here. I agree this was a great issue but come on! No way does this book get picked by 71% of the community unless Josh makes it his pick.

  40. @AquaPimp82 I agree. I suggested before that maybe the percentages of POTW on each book should only be shown after you have your POTW and ratings.

  41. Yeah, there is always some influence. But you got to remember, iFanboy had like at least 2 articles pimping the book this week. So more people were hyped for this one. 

    I picked it. I had two books (this and Power Girl) and this was better. 

  42. Congratulations JMS, you lost me way back when with Norman’s "O" face and now you’ve brought me back around by making me cry on public transit.

  43. @aquapimp – i agree to some extent. If i see what POTW is, i feel that it makes me pay more attention to that specific book (if i even bought it), but i never read the actual review until after i’ve read the issue (again, if i bought it).

     But of all my books, SO FAR, this is tied with GL 53. I still have a couple issues left to read before i make my pick, but because this was unspoiled for me and pulled out real emotion while reading, i find it really hard to NOT pick this. ifanboy POTW or not, this was an amazing issue and i feel that people who loved Killing Joke, and feel a connection to it, would pick this regardless.

  44. Brilliant issue. My POTW.

    @aquapimp- it happens every week, dude. The user POTW % is pretty much always the same as the iFanboys pick, which kinda sucks.
    It’d be cool if we had a few less sheep in the iFanbase!

    & before anyone uses that comment against me … this is the first time my pick has been the same as the iFanboys since I cam remember.
    I *gasp* think for myself. & this issue was easily one of the best of 2010. Like @Fvckstick — this book gave me chills at the end, it was so good.

  45. Just plain stunning writing, and nice art to go with it.  I may have welled up a little…

  46. BAH wadewilson …. BAH

  47. @WadeWilson: Yes, it definitely happens every week. Every week what we choose ends up the top iFanbase Pick. Here are the last ten POWs:

    THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #33 (iFanbase POW: 75.4%)*
    THE FLASH #1 (iFanbase POW: 76.7%)*
    JONAH HEX #54 (iFanbase POW: of 0.59%)
    BLACKEST NIGHT #8 (iFanbase POW: 85.4%)*
    UNCANNY X-MEN #522 (iFanbase POW: of 12.7%)
    SIEGE #3 (iFanbase POW: 44.1%)*
    BATMAN & ROBIN #10 (iFanbase POW: 73.3%)*
    BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #33 (iFanbase POW: 8.8 %)
    NEW AVENGERS #62 (iFanbase POW: 2.6%)
    BLACKEST NIGHT: THE FLASH #3 (iFanbase POW: 10.4%)

    The starred Picks are the ones where the top iFanbase Pick matched the Pick fo the Week. So yes, the Pick of the Week matched the iFanbase Pick every we– oh, wait. They didn’t match every week.

    Yes, when we chose a big event book (or a super popular book like B&R) they invariably matched but I have news for you: those event books were going to be the top iFanbase Picks no matter what we did. And this week? This issue is being widely heralded as one of the best single issues of the year so it’s no surprise that it is the top pick among the iFanbase too.

    It’s funny how this discussion only crops up on the weeks where the Picks match. I didn’t see anyone coming here to complain about JONAH HEX being the top Picked book among the iFanbase.

  48. I just hate it when the community picks the same book as you guys, regardless of it being a big event book. I want the community’s voice to be different. You guys act like you have no influence over the community but you do. Sometimes when you pick a book it gets a bump in pulls and POW percentage. Let’s try a little experiment. Don’t write a POW article and let everybody find out what the pick is via the podcast.

  49. @AquaPimp82: It’s not going to happen.

  50. This is a complaint people should try explaining to a relative to see the face they make.

    It’s a nice change of pace from “it’s a travesty you didn’t pick Blackest Night exactly like the users did,” though.

  51. Maybe we can all just accept that this issue is really good and many of the people of the iFanbase have the same taste.

    I’ve given it some thought and because we are in the same community that is why we agree with each other’s likes/dislikes and sometimes we discuss the disagreements.

    I mean, we wouldn’t be @iFanboy sharing valuable insights if it does not compel us, right?

    May we be swayed by the pick or not, I believe we are opinionated and knowledgeable enough to be able to justify our picks in our own way.

  52. @wade I think there are quite a few of us that are a lot less sheepish than you think.  For me personally, I probably only pick the same book as ifanboy on an average of 1 time a month…maybe less.  A good book is a good book and its hard to deny that.  Even though there are many different tastes and opinions on here I think, for the majority, those individuals have legitimate reasons for picking those books and can explain why they picked them. 

    I just don’t see our community as being a bunch of sheep, but you’re entitled to your opinion.  That just strikes me as an extremely negative view.

  53. @Aquapimp82 & WadeWilson
    If Roger Ebert’s favorite film is Citizen Kane, does that invalidate other people who also consider it one of the greatest films of all time? Further, and specifically at Aquapimp, if the POW boosts a comic’s pull rating (which in cases like this issue which nearly doubled in pulls this month compared to last) it was kept all secret and hush hush ’til the podcast that would mean less people would be aware of the issue and would have to wait to get it next week where they risk it selling out or easily forgetting to pick it up. The purpose, if I’m not mistaken, of iFanboy is to review comics and point out particularly good comics. I don’t see why anyone has a problem with this situation. 

    And even if it does influence the user POW%… WHO CARES? It’s not like this is voter tampering, we’re all just talking about comics that we like/dislike! No one is hurt by this outcome. Brian Bendis isn’t taking a pay cut ’cause Brave and the Bold beat out Ult. Spider-Man this week. The creative team on REBELS aren’t gonna get beat up for their issue not being chosen by anyone. The only ones that seem to be offended are those of you complaining, so kindly lay off the pickers of the Pick of the Week and lay off the rest of us for having similar tastes. 

  54. Just read this issue in my car as I’m trying to catch up with my reading….actual tears. Sat there and my eyes were just welling up. I saw it coming when they started explaining about the role of the Oracle and what that involves and how important it is. Gut-wrenching. What a moving issue. Loved it.

  55. This book is fantastic and this issue is the best yet. Kudos to JMS and the art team on this one. AWESOME.

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