The Brave & the Bold #119
Published and © by DC, June 1975
Title: “Bring Back Killer Krag”
Synopsis: Both Batman and Man-Bat head to a dictator’s island in an effort to bring a hitman to justice.
Writer: Bob Haney
Artist: Jim Aparo
Review: Bob Haney is a conundrum as a writer. On one hand, his stories make as much sense as most Saturday-morning cartoons while his characterization is inconsistent at best. But his stories are always fun, and often contain a nice touch or two. This time out, that touch is Batman’s curt observation about Man-Bat’s ego – with no introspection about his own egomaniacal drive. Meanwhile, readers know exactly what to expect from Brave & the Bold regular Jim Aparo: simply fantastic art. He remains one of the most underrated artists of the Bronze Age, and one of the best Bat-artists of any era.
Grade: B
Cool factor: Jim Aparo draws an awesome Man-Bat.
Not-so-cool factor: The horse-racing assassination scene is just silly.
Character quotable: “$100,000! I could never earn that amount of money as curator of nocturnal animals!” – Internal monologue of Kirk Langstrom, AKA Man-Bat
Editor’s note: This review was written Oct. 18, 2021.
