The Brave and The Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman #1 Review

The Brave and The Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman #1

Writer & Artist: Liam Sharp
Colorist: Romleo Fejardo Jr.
Letterist: Troy Peteri
Publisher: DC Comics

Review by Greg Brothers

With the relaunch of The Brave and The Bold #1, Liam Sharp takes us to the Faerie Realm of Tir Na Nog. Cernunnos, who is also the god of fertility, has been tasked with leading the realm and maintaining peace. However, after years of being cut off from the other realms, the unrest grows and Cernunnos needs help in restoring order.

Of course, if a god needs help, who will they turn to first? We find Wonder Woman on a secluded vacation with Steve Trevor when Cernunnos comes seeking her help. Meanwhile Batman has become concerned over how the citizens in the Irish Quarter of Gotham are acting. He is sure that some villain or mysterious power has put them into this catatonic state. And he is determined to get to the bottom of it.

Before anything else, The Brave and The Bold #1 is slow. Painfully slow. It is understandable that the reader needs to be given an idea of this realm that they know little about, but well over seventy-five percent of this first issue is just Cernunnos talking about what the problem is. The other twenty-five percent is Batman asking himself questions about what has happened in the Irish Quarter. Batman and Wonder Woman never even interact with each other in this first issue. For a comic that is supposed to be a team up of arguably two of the most popular DC characters, this is totally unacceptable.

The other major issue is the plot in general. We are presented with the problem of a realm going a little stir-crazy because they have been isolated from the other realms. While I can understand the stir-crazy part, I question if it really arrives to the point of needing to call in Wonder Woman. So far, we have not seen any big bad or mystical forces that seem to require that type of response. Beyond the plot, some of the dialogue just does not land they way that Sharpe had hoped. Jokes about Bruce Wayne’s workout habit, and a fertility god offering to help with Diana and Steve’s lovers getaway just do not work. In fact, I found both to be rather distracting from the point of those scenes.

All that being said, the art in The Brave and The Bold #1 is amazing at times. During a three-page section where Wonder Woman and Cernonnus are walking along The Giant Causeway, I couldn’t help but just stare in awe of the colors, details, and originality. The colors all pop and shine through, while the details and line work show the work of an immense talent. That being said, some of the panels feel a bit overcrowded with people at times. Perhaps two small panels would have been more effective. A few inconsistencies throughout are obvious also, such as Diana’s hair that goes from straight to curly a couple of times.

Verdict: Skip it.

The Brave and The Bold #1 moves at a snail’s pace. Too much time is spent setting up plot points that do not seem to raise to the level of needing to call in one of DCs most powerful heroes. The dialogue is heavy throughout, and without the action the figures feel stiff at times. Overall the idea of these two characters teaming up has a ton of potential, but the Brave and The Bold #1 fails to deliver.