Comic Review: The Brave and the Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman #6

The Brave and the Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman #6

DC Comics

Writer/Artist: Liam Sharp

The ancient realm of Tir Na Nog crosses into Gotham City in the finale of The Brave and the Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman #6. 

Ever since the start of Liam Sharp’s DC career on Wonder Woman, he has been a name to look out for.  Sharp’s work on everyone’s favorite Amazon drew lots of attention to his art.  After the change in creative teams, I couldn’t wait to see what Sharp would do next.  Once DC announced a book starring Batman and Wonder Woman with Liam Sharp on art, I was immediately sold.  However, I was skeptical of Sharp also writing the series.  Many great DC artists (Tony S. Daniel, Francis Manapul, etc.) have tried their hand at both writing and art duties.  These books usually look great, but the writing leaves something to be desired.  Fortunately, Liam Sharp has broken the writer/artist curse with this series.

The finale of The Brave and the Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman #6 delves into Celtic mythology, a fitting mid-ground between the realism of Batman and the fantasy of Wonder Woman.  In this issue, a war erupts between the inhabitants of Tir Na Nog that spills into the streets of Gotham City.

This issue provides a predictable ending to an otherwise strong story.  Although the ending of this series wasn’t disappointing, it was not as exciting as the build-up from previous issues.  Much of the issue showcases Sharp’s phenomenal art but doesn’t leave much room for story.  I’m actually glad that this book was a mini-series instead of a monthly/bi-monthly book.  This series allowed Sharp to get his feet wet in the world of writing.  Hopefully writing this book has helped Sharp improve as a writer.  The ending of the series promises a sequel, and I look forward to seeing what Sharp has in store for the characters of Tir Na Nog.

Even though the story in this series was enjoyable, Sharp’s artwork is the main attention grabber in this series. This issue is full of beautiful layouts and splash pages.  I hope that DC releases a deluxe edition for this series; I think Sharp’s artwork deserves the oversized treatment.

Overall, this mini-series was a pleasant surprise.  Sharp’s exploration of Celtic mythology combined with his gorgeous artwork made this book a consistently solid pull.  I look forward to future installments of this series as well as Sharp’s upcoming work on Green Lantern with Grant Morrison.