ALAN BRENNERT: The Most Moving Moments by a Comics Master

Dig this 70th BIRTHDAY SALUTE…

By CHRIS FRANKLIN

If comics professionals were like baseball players, then writer Alan Brennert would have one of the best batting averages in the history of the medium. Brennert (born May 30, 1954) is primarily known as a novelist, screenwriter, and television producer, but his contributions to comics, while infrequent, have been mighty.

The protagonists of Brennert’s tales often went on engrossingly dramatic emotional arcs, despite the limited page count. Each tale revealed something heretofore unknown about the characters, or the universe they inhabited. These revelations didn’t seem incongruous with established canon, and rang completely true, often influencing other creators who followed him, and reverberating in later interpretations.

Inspired by the multiversal tales and “Imaginary Stories” he enjoyed in his youth, Brennert frequently used the device of parallel worlds to develop characters even further than editorial dictate would allow for the standard iterations then being regularly published.

He also wasn’t afraid to address social issues affecting the characters, and the world at the time, and many of those subjects are still incredibly relevant today. It is no wonder that these stories are deemed classics among fans and have been selected by Brennert’s peers for inclusion in several “Greatest Stories” collections over the decades.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at why, despite the limited bibliography, Alan Brennert is one of comics’ greatest scribes, by looking at the most moving moments from his work, in publication order:

“To Kill a Legend,” Detective Comics #500, March 1981. Art by Dick Giordano. The Phantom Stranger offers Batman the chance to prevent the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne on an alternate world. Despite Batman’s protests, Robin (Dick Grayson) joins him, and the two find themselves on an Earth with no heroic legends, and a Bruce Wayne who is a young, spoiled brat. Dick worries that by potentially stopping the Waynes’ murder, they may be robbing this dimension of its only hero.

While Batman tries to track down his parents’ killer, Robin follows the Waynes, who take their predestined trip to the theater several days early. Fate steps in to repeat history, and the Teen Wonder realizes he can’t sit back and watch innocent people die, destiny or not. But he needn’t bother, as the Batman appears, diverting the first gunshot, and knocking the assassin cold.

Brennert allows the readers to witness the Caped Crusader finally triumphing over the one evil he could never conquer — the very evil that created him.

The Phantom Stranger appears and whisks the heroes home, while the Dynamic Duo ponders what will become of young Bruce Wayne, now that history has been drastically altered.

We see that the once ungrateful young man has become very studious, reading books on criminology, and the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He has also adopted a strict physical regimen, preparing to embark on the path of the mysterious hero who saved his parents, and everything he held dear.

As he walks back toward Wayne Manor, he casts a familiar, heroic shadow. The prospect of a Batman not born from death and vengeance but instead from hope and admiration is a very captivating one.

“Paperchase,” The Brave and the Bold #178, Sept. 1981, art by Jim Aparo. Batman and the Creeper investigate a series of grisly murders and discover the culprit is a strange, hateful being made of paper. They believe the creature is somehow tied to the inflammatory TV broadcasts of psychologist Dr. Clayton Wetley, who speaks of “the majority” taking back the country, from those lesser in his eyes, who are demanding equal rights.

The Creeper’s alter-ego Jack Ryder takes to the air, and reminds viewers, and comic readers, that “democracy doesn’t mean freedom for the MAJORITY of the people… but for ALL people!” It’s a stirring speech, and sadly even more relevant in today’s world than when Brennert wrote it.

Equally relevant is the ending. Batman and Creeper discover Wetley was subconsciously creating the paper monster with the latent psychic powers he was ostracized for in his youth. He was unknowingly using these powers to focus the rage of others on the peoples they hated.

Confronted with this, Wetley resolves that he is no killer, and destroys the creature. But the Creeper points out that Wetley was just the tool, and there are many more enraged and dangerous people like him. Again, a bit TOO relatable, but no doubt stirring.

“Time, See What’s Become of Me,” The Brave and the Bold #181, Dec. 1981, art by Jim Aparo. Batman runs afoul of the Hawk, who inadvertently lets a criminal fall to his death. The man’s father is a mafioso, and soon Hank Hall is targeted for death. Batman must track down Hank’s brother Don, aka Dove, so the two can save Hank from the mob, and himself. Hawk is captured by the gangsters, but the mysterious voice that gave both him and Dove their powers reemerges, and chastises them from learning nothing from each other, staying stagnant in their outdated and obtuse ideologies. He strips both of their powers, and the normally peaceful Don is forced to fight for his brother’s life, while perpetually aggressive Hank stands still, resigned to his fate.

After Hank is safe, Batman reminds the brothers that they are more alike than they want to admit, and that every man has a peaceful side, and an angry, violent one. The brothers reconcile over their common memories and embrace. This story was somewhat controversial, ignoring continuity by casting former Teen Titans members Hawk and Dove as having aged beyond their peers, but the dramatic results speak for themselves.

“Interlude on Earth-Two,” The Brave and the Bold #182, Jan. 1982, art by Jim Aparo. Batman finds himself drawn to an unfamiliar Gotham Cemetery, when a bolt of lightning mysteriously transports him to the same cemetery on the parallel world of Earth-Two, which just happens to be the final resting place of his doppelganger from that world.

The Caped Crusader becomes embroiled in a plot involving strange storms, and menacing mementos from the career of the other Batman. He forms a strained alliance with the Earth-Two Robin, who, missing his mentor, resents the younger Batman’s very existence. When Batwoman gets involved, Batman must face feelings he’d been denying since his own version of Kathy Kane was slain on his world, while Kathy laments the love she lost, first to another woman, then to death. The character dynamics between these heroes, all haunted by the past and roads not taken, is even more captivating than the threat they face.

That threat is ultimately revealed to be a mangled but still living Hugo Strange, now possessing Starman’s all-powerful Cosmic Rod. Strange lures the Gotham Guardians to the Batcave for a final showdown, where they must face the trophies of Batman and Robin’s triumphs, and even a robot duplicate of the man himself. But the living Batman deduces Strange lured them there, not to destroy them, but in the hopes they would destroy HIM and end his tortured existence. Suicide by superhero was a concept never before broached in mainstream comics, and the revelation is powerful and even evokes sympathy for the madman, as he uses the Cosmic Rod against himself, turning to dust.

With Strange’s threat over, the heroes bid their bittersweet farewells. Having dealt with their grief and regrets, they part on good terms. But the question remains, beyond the parallel storms in both dimensions, just what brought Batman to that cemetery on his Earth to begin with? Brennert never tells us for certain, but the shadow over the grave of Bruce Wayne certainly points to the original Masked Manhunter ensuring that his city was safe, even from beyond the veil.

“The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne,” The Brave and the Bold #197, April 1983, art by Joe Staton and George Freeman. Earth-Two, 1955: When the Scarecrow’s fear gas ignites Batman’s worst phobia of being alone, he watches his friends and allies like Robin and Batwoman disappear. He is forced to seek the aid of one of his foes and arranges for the release of Catwoman to help him track down the Scarecrow. The Bat and the Cat run through the Master of Fear’s gauntlets of traps, and at one point Batman takes a flaming crossbow bolt meant for Catwoman. When she dresses his burns, she is shocked at the amount of scar tissue built up on the Caped Crusader’s back, from 15 years of crimefighting.

Distressed by the pain he must have endured, she asks Batman why he does what he does. And despite himself, he tells her of the murder of his parents. This is Batman at his most vulnerable, and human, and the concept of a scarred Batman has proven extremely influential in both comics and films, such as Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight.

Catwoman’s frustration at being at the mercy of the Scarecrow causes her to slip up, and drop the façade that amnesia caused her initial adoption of her Feline Fury persona. Batman inquires why she chose a life of crime, and we learn it was to get back at an abusive ex-husband, who ruined her life further upon divorce. He then asks why she concocted the amnesia story, and she admits she wanted out of the life, to start over, for a chance at life, love, and children. Batman sympathizes, also feeling trapped by the life he’s created for himself but is unsure of the way out. With a single embrace, Catwoman shows him a way.

Scarecrow’s final dose of fear gas causes chiroptophobia (fear of bats) in Catwoman, and ailurphobia (fear of cats) in Batman. Before they both disappear to each other, Catwoman sheds her mask, and her cat persona, pleading with Batman to do the same. The Caped Crusader hesitates, afraid to give up his most guarded secret. But eventually he unmasks, and the two embrace, declaring their love in a moment that would lead to their eventual marriage, and the birth of their daughter Helena, aka the Huntress.

“Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot,” Christmas with the Super Heroes #2, Oct. 1989, art by Dick Giordano. During the holiday season, Deadman Boston Brand laments his tortured existence. He possesses the body of a young man and enjoys a heartwarming family Christmas, only to feel guilty for usurping the man’s happiness, and leaves. Unseen by the world, he shouts to Rama Kushna who turned him into a wandering spirit and asks if this is the reward he gets for serving her and the Lords of Order.

A young blonde woman, who is able to see and interact with him approaches and asks if reward is what he seeks for the good deeds he performs. Flummoxed by her presence, Boston nevertheless engages her in a philosophical discussion on why heroes do what they do. While Boston misses the roar of the circus crowd he once knew, the woman reminds him they do what they do because it simply needs to be done. Even if no one knows, or ever knew, they existed.

The woman must depart, and leaves Boston with many questions. He asks her name, and she turns and says ‘My name is Kara. But I doubt that’ll mean anything to you.”  It doesn’t, but it strikes a nerve with any reader who knew the DC Universe before the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. This is Kara Zor-El, the original Supergirl, who died and then was erased from history due to that cosmic calamity. Apparently, this story caused a bit of consternation with some DC staff members who were adamant that those elements of the Pre-Crisis universe that were expunged remain buried. But Brennert knew Supergirl could never be deleted from the hearts and minds of the hundreds of thousands of fans she had, and he and Giordano gave her a lovely tribute, as well as one to her co-creators Otto Binder and Jim Mooney.

“Unfinished Business,” Secret Origins #50, Aug. 1990, art by Joe Staton and Dick Giordano. With the original Black Canary, Dinah Drake Lance on her deathbed, her estranged namesake daughter Dinah, the second heroine to use that moniker, recalls both of their beginnings. She remembers how she secretly trained with her mother’s Justice Society teammate Ted (Wildcat) Grant. Dinah couldn’t understand why her mother forbade her from following in her footsteps. But Ted Grant knew the reason, and related how his son Jake was kidnapped weeks after birth by his enemy the Golden Wasp. Despite Grant searching tirelessly, Jake was never seen or heard from again. This new revelation showed just how dangerous the life of a costumed crime fighter could be, and the toll it could take on not only the hero, but their loved ones.

As the elder Dinah’s life fades from her body, miraculously, and despite the doctor’s assurances, she is able to speak. She tells her daughter of how she regretted pushing her away, afraid she would lose her like she lost her husband. The two mend fences before Dinah breathes her last. This is a very powerful scene for anyone who has lost a loved one, as it feels very genuine. Dinah dies as a real mortals do, not as a super hero in an epic battle. She is welcomed to the afterlife by an old friend and colleague, the Spectre, who gave her the ability to make things right with her daughter.

Spectre assures Dinah she will see not only the loved ones she has missed, but others she had known, wiped away by “the winds of creation and rebirth.” Brennert once again addresses Crisis on Infinite Earths, and waves away its supposedly permanent effects, assuring Dinah, and the readers, that those characters and histories can never truly be erased.

MORE

— ALAN BRENNERT Picks His 13 Favorite BATMAN Stories. Click here.

— SCARRED BATMAN: ALAN BRENNERT’s Surprising, Lasting Contribution to Superhero Mythos. Click here.

13th Dimension contributor Chris Franklin is a graphic designer, illustrator, writer, and podcaster, who co-hosts and produces several shows on the Fire and Water Podcast Network, including JLUCast. His favorite comic book of all time is The Brave and the Bold #182 by Brennert and Aparo.

Author: Dan Greenfield

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19 Comments

  1. The name “Alan Brennert” seemed familiar somehow but I couldn’t quite make the connection–until the reference to Brave and the Bold # 182 was brought up. Oh yeah! THAT Alan Brennert! I don’t have many of B&B later issues (all the more as Jim Aparo’s later, somewhat more simplified, art doesn’t hold me like his classic 1971 – 1976 more detailed illustrative period), but I have this one, and two issues latter, with # 184, as I always liked the grown up Earth 2 Robin (including both of his adult Robin costumes) as well as the Huntress (from issue # 184). I was very depressed at their passing at the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths.

    As far as I know, it’s the only story I’m aware of where Earth 1 Bats works closely with the Earth 2 Robin (even if they sometimes feature together, say in JLA-JSA team-ups–but a shame they didn’t actually team up more often) and where Bats has to contend with a fully adult Robin that he can’t treat as his kid partner. This Robin’s reprimand of the Earth 1 Batman on this fact (p. 8) I see as a kind of editorial rebuttal to Denny O’Neil who had a habit, IMO, when teaming up Batman with his Robin in the 1970s, of making the latter seem like an idiot to better show off Batman’s detective brilliance (it’s also why I loved Marv Wolfman’s treatment of Robin in the New Teen Titans as being most capable both with great physical athleticism and genius mental acuity and why, even if non-superpowered, he had to be the team leader–someone who equalled if even surpassing his mentor).

    So the personal dynamics here with Robin resentful of this Batman in light of the passing of HIS Batman as they try together to defeat Hugo Strange is what makes Brennert’s B&B # 182 “Interlude on Earth Two,” a masterpiece of a story–including the novelty, as you phrased it Chris, of “suicide by superhero”. Thanks for the post!

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    • They briefly work together in World’s Finest #271 (which is referenced in B&B #182), but other than a few moments mingling in JLA/JSA mixers, I think that’s it. The dynamics in the story, and the inclusion of Earth-Two Robin, who I was already a fan of really put this one over for me too. Like I said in my credits at the end, it’s my favorite comic of all-time!

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  2. An Alan Brennert story was always a guarantee of something special and exciting. I loved every story that he wrote for DC!

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  3. The writing about democracy is not more relevant today. But hyperbole is a constant. Love when you focus on the comics.

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    • I’m not a big fan of inserting the self-proclaimed “important} social issues of the day, but it’s the writer and editor’s decision and they live or die on that concept. I believe that adding a conversation or plot that focuses on “democracy is for everyone, including the minorities (paraphrased)” is off-putting as entertainment just as comic book heroes spanking their girlfriends back in the day. Sometimes it can be as cringe-inducing as DC’s attempt at being cool back in the 60s. But YMMV, and we can agree to disagree.

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  4. These are classics each one. I can remember them as if I read them just yesterday for the first time. Great B&B Earth-2 stuff, throwing back to pre-crisis and Joe Staton BATMAN….what an era. Happiest birthday wishes to a most talented scribe.

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    • Mr. Brennert really showed the potential in the parallel Earth concept, which is why I was so sorry to see DC abandon it, no matter how much I enjoyed Crisis.

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  5. Chris’s article is 100% spot-on. I’m glad to see the Creeper story get some love, as it is often overlooked — and indeed is more timely now, sadly.

    Kudos to Dick Giordano for supporting Brennert for the Deadman story, too. The naysayers were unduly concerned. It is more poignant if you know who Kara is, but it resonates regardless, and with no overt reference to Supergirl, or Krypton.

    Ah, if only Brennert had written more comics!

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    • I’d guess Giordano being the artist on this story probably helped push it past those who may have been against it. I do wish Mr. Brennert had time to write more comics, but I cherish the ones we got, which are all fantastic.

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  6. Oh, these were wonderful! I read most of them, may still have some of them! B & B was one of my favorites back in the day!

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    • B&B was in a great period toward the end of it’s run, in my opinion. As evidenced by this article and Jim Beard’s tribute to Mike Barr!

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  7. Even as an 11-13 year old, I knew that an Alan Brennert story was a special occasion, because he only wrote a comic story like once or twice a year, and every time they were something special To Kill A Legend and The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne are some of the best Batman stories ever done. But I love his Hawk and Dove team-up in B&B. As a pre-teen and teen who was rabidly into continuity I knew it shouldn’t fit in Earth-1, and yet it was, in 1981, a great meditation on the 1960s culture wars 15 years later and even as a kid I could see what Brennert was doing and I loved it.

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  8. Alan was the writer many of us that enjoyed reading pre-Crisis stories needed. Still do. Comics are just not the same.

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  9. Even though I’m a huge fan of zany Bob Haney, I think B&B 182 & 197 are my two favorite issues of the entire Brave and the Bold run. Thanks for the article, Chris.

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    • RE: “zany Bob Haney”

      The description definitely fits. And it’s definitely rhyme-memorable! Thanks for the catchy brain-burnishing!

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  10. I loved Alan Brennert’s work on the 1980’s Twilight Zone revival, especially the segments “Her Pilgrim Soul” and “A Message from Charity”.

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