The Brave & the Bold #157
Published and © by DC, December 1979
Title: “Time … My Dark Destiny!”
Synopsis: Batman goes undercover to stop Extortion, Inc., but discovers their enforcer is an amnesiac, lost-in-time Kamandi.
Writer: Bob Haney
Artist: Jim Aparo
Review: You take your chances with Bob Haney’s Brave & the Bold. At its best, his stories are imaginative, done-in-one gems. But when Haney misfires, Batman ends up in madcap team-ups that leave readers scratching their heads. Unfortunately, this one leans toward the latter. Kamandi is an interchangeable cog here, with little attention given to his back story. His method for showing up in Batman’s time is contrived, and his return to the future even more so. This issue’s still a winner, though, thanks to Jim Aparo; he blends bits of Neal Adams and Alex Toth into his own distinct style.
Grade: B
Cool factor: Aparo + Kamandi
Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is a 15p British variant and a Whitman variant of this issue. … … According to MyComicShop.com, there is also a Mark Jewelers variant.
Character quotable: “Good lord! It is – Kamandi!?!” – Batman
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Comics Bronze Age on March 23, 2009.
