Siskoid and Chris Franklin’s coverage of The Brave and the Bold continues with issue #190 (September 1982) by Mike W. Barr, Carmine Infantino and Sal Trapani, starring Batman and Adam Strange! It’s “Who Killed Adam Strange?”.
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My affection for Adam Strange started with his appearances on my beloved Video Comics show om Nickelodeon. I had seen some of his appearances in JLA but these were probably my first time seeing him as a solo star. Infantino was at the top of his game then, and the gleaming surfaces of Rann looked AMAZING on my television screen. So while I haven’t read an AS comic in decades, I still have a warm place in my heart for him.
That said, while I don’t remember the specifics, I probably was disappointed to buy this comic and not get Jim Aparo art on the inside. The cover is such an over the top, classic “grabber” of an image, and IMO the story just doesn’t quite live up to it. All that aside, your breezy coverage of it was a lot of fun.
I have to second the comment about Jim Aparo. that cover is a classic and getting Infantino on the inside was a little like getting a bacon cheeseburger with only one piece of bacon. I’m also glad i’m not the only one thought Adam Strange burned his butt with that jetpack. As for team ups, Scooby Doo and his gang could have found Adam faster. maybe throw in Dynomutt. Also maybe the Zeta beam could send our hero to the 30th century and have him team up with Saturn Girl and Shadow Lass in thier Mike Grell costumes
I never expected much from issues of B&B – Alan Brennert quality issues were rare – so I was likely happy enough with this issue. And I was never as much a fan of internal Jim Aparo art as I was of his covers, but I loved Carmine Infantino, even late on, so the art was good enough.
Was this the first time we heard Adam Strange came from money? I thought he was just an archaeologist with tenure?
It’s surprising Alanna and Sardath wouldn’t know enough about the qualities of the Zeta Beam, and needed Batman to work things out.
Let’s do a real mystery Saturday morning style
Adventure Adam strange meets the clue club .
: story Adam is a at a family gathering when he has catch next zeta beam being followed by his nieces Dottie and Pepper and there friends the clue club and end up going with on his next adventure.
Thanks for covering this book. I have to admit I’ve not read as much B&B as I would have liked to and of course as pointed out they are either missing or hidden away on the DC infinite app.
I often forget how impactful Infantino was to DC art and while I would normally want Aparo’s art over Infantino, I think DC did the right thing to give Carmine this book – after all he was not only one of Adam Strange’s main artists he put the Yellow Oval on Batman so it felt fitting. While I’m not a fan on Infantino’s later word it’s still serviceable with the right inker.
I have to say I listened to this episode after Shag and Stella’s Wildcat special and between the chat on there and Chris’ “FW Podcasts After Dark” style comments on this episode the network sure seems to have started to feel the effects of the summer heat waves. But Chris did bring up a point about how Zeta Beam radiation once worn off brings back Adam (or anyone else hit by the beam) to earth and as this story establishes it brings back EVERYTHING… How did Adam manage to father a daughter with Alanna if EVERYTHING goes back to earth? The logical extent of this means also that Adam if he had a full stomach when Zeta beamed to Rann would also end up with a full stomach when the radiation wears off and he reappears back on Earth. The reverse is also true that if he timed it right he could pig out at an all you can eat buffet on Rann and return to earth enjoying the experience of consuming all that food but without having to process the calories to the point he needs a bigger rocket pack.
Anyway thanks for a great listen, I do try to keep up with these shows but don’t often get time to write feedback apologies for that.
Fun episode! Tomahawked on the art for sure after such a great cover. Infantino in 80s was a far cry from the 50s and 60s.
Not Mike W. Barr’s best work, as you said, given his predilection for fair play mysteries, and the number of other great Batman stories he has written. The reboot after zeta beam thing was particularly egregious. He might have been going for wacky silver age, but it didn’t work.
I always like solo Adam Strange stories. They were fun – I think I saw a number of them in DC Super Stars of Space (which I still need to cover on DC SpecialCast). And a few years ago I read them all in the Adam Strange omnibus. But once he became part of the broader DCU, given how powerful Superman was (not to mention other heroes) it never made sense to me why someone didn’t just take him to Rann so he wouldn’t have to Zeta back and forth. That bothered me even when I was a kid. Same thing with Martian Manhunter (they eventually fixed that when they changed it that he came forward in time as well).
Keep up the great work! B&B seeing you!
Thank you guys for the pro tip on how to read this issue! I keep forgetting about the collections on DCUI Ultra, as I spend so much time reading individual issues. But I did read its collection of Richard Dragon, partly for podcast research and partly for the time capsule of his stories, so that was fun. But it boggles my mind and offends me as a computer programmer to have the data for those issues available and NOT listing them as single issues! It smacks of laziness which I do not accept in my profession. But then I realize, it’s a business decision to get the non-Ultra subscribers another reason to upgrade. And now I’m offended by the greediness! AUGH!
And yes, as soon as you both started talking about where to find this story, I was thinking “Hey! I wonder if I can find the previous issue that way! I’ll get on that when I’m not driving while listening to the show!” Just for you guys to say “Come on, Tim. It’s so simple.” I know, I know. As I say, I’m not that smart.
For the story, I totally agree, this is not a good example of Barr’s work. The plot holes and existential questions stifle the whole thing. It’s plus is seeing Batman play space hero, which I did enjoy having read Batman: 30’s to 70’s. (I still have my copy. It’s not in great shape, but I have it.) And the only reason I found for the “message” written on the floor by Adam was, it gives something for Batman to bluff about. Which makes it a bluff to the killer AND the readers, before it feels like it should be something more. Oh well.
Now, when I look at the story, it doesn’t state precisely how Adam’s letter got from the lawyer to Bruce Wayne. We just see Alfred carrying it in. Maybe Batman have his own P.O. Box. (preferably red and flashing when it has mail)
I also had a time-bending Zeta beam team-up in mind, causing Adam to meet Magnus, Robot Fighter. The adventure absolutely needs to include both Rann in the present and Earth 4000 C.E. so both heroes spend some time in the other’s world, and interacting with the other’s mentors and sweethearts. Things could get steamy!
Thanks for staying Brave and Bold, gentlemen!
The long ears on Batman ruined the artwork for me, Infantino should have done the cowl in his Sixties style.
Since you (repeatedly) brought up Adam and Alanna’s sex life, I feel compelled to mention that Tom King and Doc Shaner gave us the much-needed Strange sex scene in their Strange Adventures comic. It was in issue #5, in case someone wants to skip to that part without reading the whole thing.
Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me, but, in all three of the Batman/Adam Strange B&B issues, Batman and Adam hardly spent any time together.
I didn’t realize it at the time this issue was released, because in 1982 I didn’t have a back issue collection. A different artist on the cover and interiors was practically a tradition in the early days of the Batman team-ups in B&B. Neal Adams stayed on covers after he departed the interiors. Even one of the issues with Neal Adams interiors had an Irv Novick cover. Adams was still doing covers when Nick Cardy did interiors, and then Cardy stayed on covers when Aparo first started on B&B’s interiors. No complaints from me. Those are all artists that I enjoy.