The Brave and The Bold

When I was a kid, comics were pretty much my first "economic decision". I'd only have a set amount of allowance, or money earned mowing the lawn, or helping with certain chores, etc and I'd have to make grave decisions over how my money was to be spent.

Enter "The Brave and the Bold".

The Justice League was already on my list, as was Adventure Comics, Worlds Finest, and the occasional 80 Page Super Spectacular, but Brave and the Bold was different. It was engineered to be a team-up book. The Justice League was a team-up book by definition, so that didn't count, and World's Finest had always been Batman and Superman every month for as long as I knew it existed. Brave and Bold was different, it was Batman and a random Guest every month, and the title was built around serving up this premise. Every month, Batman would stumble upon some mystery, or crime, or evil deed, and would need the help of a partner, and not just any partner. If the crime involved the Supernatural, you can bet Deadman, or The Phantom Stranger was involved, or maybe the Creeper. Sometimes one of Wonder Woman's rogues gallery would sneak into Gotham City, and Batman would need to call in for a little teamwork. Maybe the Guardians of the Universe needed Bruce Wayne, and naturally Hal Jordan would have to tag along.

So it was always a part of my conscious comic book buying behavior as a kid growing up. I knew I could spend money on a batman comic, and just get batman, and MAYBE the Joker, or Clayface if I was lucky, but more often than not, I'd just be stuck with Robin. But, if I spent money on Brave and the Bold, I'd get Batman PLUS a super guest star and a cool story that explained why the two of them had to team up in the first place. Guaranteed more bang for your buck (or 25 cents in this case).

So now, years later, when I've decided that I seriously want to collect comic books, and not just dabble, I decided to put all my effort into one of my favorite books growing up, "The Brave and the Bold" from DC Comics.

And I'm having a blast doing it, too! This past year or so that I've been seeking out individual issues and putting a run together has really helped me remember just why I love Comic Books in the first place. Why I was so attracted to them as a kid, and why they still hold the same attraction to me now. It's been the most fun I've had collecting comics just about since I started as a kid in Richmond in the 70s.