“The Brave and The Bold” – Part 5
Artists: Liam Sharp & Romulo Fajardo Jr
The mythic fantasy element from this Liam Sharp title comes to a head. We left Batman and Wonder Woman in the last issue at the mercy of angry locals and distraught, hideous creatures known as Fomorians. This issue of The Brave and the Bold builds on that very same tension.
Everything comes to a head as we find out what happened to an artifact of ancient power, we see a dark presence emerge again. On top of all that, a wider plan is then revealed.
Sharp has been able to pack a lot of tension into a single issue very well.
The hyper-detailed yet storybook quality of the art is locked in across the whole title. It’s a lovely thing to behold. Many titles are following the highs stakes, cinematic style to mirror the films. Textured cliffs and sympathetic faces behind beards and tusks is a real breath of fresh air.
Rift Between Worlds
You can easily split this issue into two halves. That’s a real testament to Sharp’s storytelling and pacing. We see Batman question the suspect in the ongoing mystery. The symmetrical pages look like a tapestry from ancient Ireland, laying out a myth or legend. This is just another part of this series that shows how you can bring big conflicting styles – comic book action and mythic fantasy – together to make something truly special.
Part two of this issue is when the mystery is solved. Just like the art and overall style of the entire series, we find the way someone in that distant land is going to merge their world with ours. The acts shift everything we know, and an ancient evil awakens…
Conclusion
Everything about this series screams unique and flavorful. This issue leaves the action starting to boil, and this reviewer ready for an epic conclusion.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment