Jason just commented on the previous post.
Here's his comment, and my reply (my apologies to Jason if he doesn't want me sharing).
Jovial1/Jason:
"Brave & the Bold, Chad - Brave & the Bold. The whole series has rocked. Solid stuff from Waid & Perez. "
Me:
"Yeah, that's definitley what I keep hearing, but, y'know... I think I've had my day with Mark Waid and his DC Universe.
I did pick up the first two BatBs, because I wanted to see Perez drawing Green Lantern stuff, and if [DC] collect the series, I'll probably pick up the first trade.
But the whole thing really reeks of the recently-cancelled MARVEL TEAM-UP book by Robert Kirkman. I know, it's a bit of a weird comparison, but I think it works.
Kirkman broke the traditional "Spider-man + (fill in the blank)" formula of previous iterations of the book (which I liked) but tried to add a kind of pass-it-on nature to the book (which I also liked) which kind of lost some people, I thnk. Now, seeing as how I liked that book, what makes me not want to be pick up what is essentially DC's version?
Well, as much as I like the idea, I guess I think books like Team-up, Two-In-One, DC Comics Presents, and, yes, Brave and the Bold should be kind of gateway drug, if that makes any sense. I feel like they should do done-in-one stories with an existing moderately popular character, an A-lister (Batman, Superman, Spider-man, the Thing, but also Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Wolverine, Daredevil, Hulk, etc...) if you will, having an adventure with a lesser known or infrequently used character. Again, that's a lot like what's going on, no doubt, but I think what's missing is the done-in-one aspect. What I liked about these books when I was just a little guy was the option of not reading about Lobo if I didn't want to, or had just had enough of him this year (no offense to Lobo, btw), and I still wouldn't miss anything.
As a guy who was "kind of not" reading DC books, I was discouraged about the 3rd or 4th issues of Brave and the Bold when it was Batman teaming-up with the new Blue Beetle. I just realized at that point that I really didn't care about Jaime BB... and not that he's a bad character, but I just kind of don't like what he stands for and is more a result of editorial than creativity.
He may be a great character, and I know you like him a lot, but I just didn't want to be shoe-horned into reading about him when, quite frankly, I just don't care about him, y'know?
And with Brave and the Bold I could just see the pattern starting, and didn't necessarily want to let it continue. And because of the books "ongoing" nature, it almost completely excludes me from kind of reading it only when I want to... which I realize isn't in DC's best interest, but I don't work for DC... I work for TCB!
Sorry for the long winded response, but it's good to vent."
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4 comments:
Nah, feel free to share!
I just think it's an awesome book. I don't remember even seeing that Marvel Team-Up book you mentioned, but it sounds like something I would have enjoyed. Such is life, right?
I did pick up an issue of Marvel Team-Up from 1977 at Heroes Con (It was Spider-Man and Adam Warlock) and it had a similar feel, but I'll agree that there's a bit more of an ongoing larger story in BatB.
If you're at all interested in reading them, let me know. I've got all five of the currently released issues. As for thinking about it too much... I'm not sure. I'd just say, give it a read and go with what you like. :p
I think the first trade has been solicited (as a hard cover, of course). I waited for the trade on this one, as is going to be my policy on most new series now.
I'm with TCB on this one. Waid has long been one of my favorite writers, but his recent forays into the DCU (LSH, 52, B&B) have left me indifferent.
I think Waid's atomic-level familiarity with the DCU might now be a liability for him (because we all know what familiarity breeds). The last time his writing really excited me was during his FF run, writing characters with whom he admitted he was not overly familiar, which for me translated into a freshness I had not seen in the book for years before (or since). I was disappointed when Waid chose going exclusive with DC over writing Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and hope when the DC exclusive ends he considers a return to Marvel or, better yet, starts building a creator-owned catalog.
Good lord, did I really just write all that?
Chad,
I just bought a copy of Danger Ace 0, hope it helps. Also, welcome back to DC's arms. I missed one week at my shop and walked away with 20 new books this week (almost all of them DC).
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