The Brave and the Bold

The first volume of the series ran for 200 issues from August/September 1955 to July 1983.[1] Originally, The Brave and the Bold was an anthology series featuring adventure tales from past ages with characters such as the Silent Knight, the Viking Prince, the Golden Gladiator, and Robin Hood.[2] With issue #25, the series was reinvented as a try-out title for new characters and concepts, starting with the Suicide Squad created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru.[3] Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert created a new version of Hawkman in issue #34 (February–March 1961) with the character receiving his own title three years later.[4][5]

Editor Julius Schwartz hired Gardner Fox and artist Mike Sekowsky to create the Justice League of America. The team debuted in The Brave and the Bold #28 (February–March 1960), and after two further appearances in the title received its own series.[6]

Issues #45 through #49 (Dec. 1962/Jan. 1963 through Aug./Sept. 1963) were devoted to "Strange Sports Stories", combining sport and science-fiction in tales such as "Challenge of the Headless Baseball Team" and "The Man Who Drove Through Time".[7] Ten years later, in 1973, Strange Sports Stories was resurrected as a DC Comics title in its own right, but it lasted only six issues.[8]

The series was changed yet again with issue #50 as a team-up title between established characters.[9] Starting with issue #59 The Brave and the Bold became, more specifically, a Batman team-up book with the Caped Crusader as the book's main focus.[10] This was due to the popularity of the Batman television series.[11] After issue #74, The Brave and the Bold was exclusively a Batman team-up title until it ended with issue #200.

The teaming of Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad in issue #54 (June - July 1964) by writer Bob Haney and artist Bruno Premiani led to the creation of the Teen Titans.[12] The three heroes subsequently appeared under the name "Teen Titans" in issue #60 (June–July 1965) by Haney and artist Nick Cardy and were joined by Wonder Woman's younger sister Wonder Girl in her first appearance.[13]

The Metamorpho character was created by Haney and artist Ramona Fradon in The Brave and the Bold #57 (December 1964–January 1965).[14]

The title was the first to feature Neal Adams' version of Batman,[15] generating fan interest that led to Adams' style defining the modern Batman image to this day.[16] In addition, Adams updated Green Arrow's visual appearance by designing a new costume for the character in issue #85 (August–September 1969).[17] The primary artist for the second half of the run was Jim Aparo, starting with #98 (October - November 1971). Haney frequently disregarded continuity by scripting stories which contradicted DC's canon or by writing major heroes in an out-of-character fashion.[18] Issue #100 (Feb.-March 1972) featured Batman and "4 Famous Co-Stars" (Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Robin) in a story by Haney and Aparo.[19] Issues #112 (April - May 1974) to #117 (Feb.-March 1975) of the series were in the 100 Page Super Spectacular format.[20]

The character Nemesis, also known as Thomas Tresser, debuted in an eight-page backup story in issue #166 (September 1980) written by Cary Burkett and drawn by Dan Spiegle.[21] The Tresser character was created by Burkett in 1979, and named for an actor with whom Burkett was rooming in New Hampshire.[22]

Alan Brennert wrote four issues of The Brave and the Bold featuring Batman teaming with the Creeper, Hawk and Dove,[23] the Robin of Earth-Two,[24][25] and the Catwoman.[26]

The title's final issue featured a team-up of the Batmen of Earth-One and Earth-Two[19] and included a preview of Batman and the Outsiders, the title that replaced The Brave and the Bold on DC's schedule and became Aparo's next regular assignment.[27]

In December 1991 - June 1992, The Brave and the Bold returned as a six-issue miniseries featuring Green Arrow, the Question, and the Butcher.[28] The miniseries was written by Mike Grell and Mike Baron.

A six-issue miniseries was published from October 1999 - March 2000 starring the Flash and Green Lantern titled Flash and Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold.[29] This miniseries was written by Mark Waid and Tom Peyer with art by Barry Kitson and Tom Grindberg. A trade paperback of this mini-series was published in 2001 (ISBN 1-56389-708-3).

The title was used again in 2001 for The Brave and the Bold Annual #1 (1969),[30] a one-shot special that reprinted selected Silver Age team-ups. The book was designed in the 1960s-style "80-Page Giant" format as if it were an actual annual issue of the original run of the title, which did not have an annual in 1969.

DC resurrected the Brave and the Bold title as another ongoing series in April 2007.[31] Deciding that it would be a random team-up series, and not a Batman team-up series, the first writer was Mark Waid, who remained on the title for its first 16 issues. The first arc, "The Lords of Luck", involved Batman in a team-up with Green Lantern Hal Jordan. The story depicted the characters joining forces with various other characters in tracking down the book of Destiny, with appearances by Supergirl, Lobo, Blue Beetle, the Legion of Super Heroes, Adam Strange, and the Challengers of the Unknown. The second arc picked up threads from the first, but mainly focused on self-contained stories.

After Waid's departure, Marv Wolfman took over for a two-part storyline, involving Supergirl and Raven battling the son of Triumph, while David Hine and Doug Braithwaite did a four-issue arc on the series featuring Hal Jordan and the Phantom Stranger. Following this, Dan Jurgens wrote issue #23, featuring Booster Gold and Magog. Like Wolfman's run, this era was prominent for its team-ups between DC heroes and the characters of Milestone Media. Writer Matt Wayne and artist Howard Porter collaborated on a team-up between Static and Black Lightning, and Adam Beechen and Roger Robinson wrote another featuring Hardware and Blue Beetle. The final Milestone issue was a team-up between Xombi and the Spectre, by John Rozum and Scott Hampton.

In September 2009, the title was taken over by J. Michael Straczynski and artist Jesus Saiz with issue #27, which featured a team-up between Batman and Dial H For Hero. Similar to the Milestone issues, it was intended for Straczynski's run on the series to showcase the Red Circle Comics characters licensed from Archie Comics. This idea was ultimately scrapped. Following the first issue, Straczynski wrote team-ups between: Barry Allen and Blackhawk; the Joker and the Atom; Hal Jordan and Doctor Fate; Batman and Brother Power; Aquaman and Etrigan; and Barbara Gordon, Wonder Woman, and Zatanna, which served as a companion piece to Alan Moore's Batman: The Killing Joke graphic novel.

In 2018, DC released a limited series starring Batman and Wonder Woman.

In October 2020, DC released an 80-Page Giant called The Doomed and the Damned.

In May 2023, DC Comics released a fourth volume of the anthology series in entitled Batman: The Brave and the Bold, as a part of the "Dawn of DC" initiative. The series includes stories centered around Batman and other Gotham City-based characters, in addition other DC Universe superheroes. The first issue is 64-pages and features four stories by creators including Tom King, Mitch Gerads, Guillem March, Gabriel Hardman, Dan Mora, and Rob Williams.[32]

An episode of The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure was titled "The Brain, the Brave and the Bold", in which Aquaman battles a supervillain named the "Brain".

The Brave and the Bold was used as the title for a two-part episode of the first season of Justice League. The title refers to the Flash (Wally West) and Green Lantern (John Stewart) characters in connection to the second mini-series featuring Barry Allen and Hal Jordan in the roles.

An animated series based on the Brave and the Bold concept aired from November 14, 2008, to November 18, 2011. The series features Batman teaming with various characters of the DC Universe, much like the first volume of the ongoing series.[71] The tone of the series is markedly lighter than the previous Batman: The Animated Series and The Batman.

Major characters who appeared in the series include:

Heroes

Adam Strange, Aquaman, the Atom, Batman, Bat-Mite, Black Canary, Black Lightning, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, the Bronze Tiger, Captain Marvel, Deadman, Doctor Fate, Fire, Firestorm, the Flash, Green Arrow, the Green Lantern Corps, Guy Gardner, Hal Jordan, the Hawk and Dove, Hawkman, the Huntress, Jay Garrick, Jonah Hex, Kamandi, Katana, Metamorpho, OMAC, Plastic Man, the Question, Red Tornado, Vixen, Wildcat, Wonder Woman, and Superman.

Villains

Black Adam, Black Manta, Calendar Man, Cavalier, Clock King, Despero, the Gentleman Ghost, Gorilla Grodd, the Joker, Kanjar Ro, Kite Man, Equinox, Major Disaster, Morgaine Le Fey, the Music Meister, Ocean Master, Shrapnel, the Sportsmaster, the Terrible Trio, the Weeper, and Zebra-Man.

• The eighth episode of Arrow's third season is titled "The Brave and the Bold". The episode is a crossover with The Flash and features a team-up of the title characters of both series.
• In the crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths, Lex Luthor calls the team up with him and Marv Novu/The Monitor as "The Brave and The Bold".