Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jun 5, 2025 | 5 comments

Lotsa Batman — and lots more…

By PETER BOSCH

June 5 marks the 70th anniversary of one of the great DC titles of the Silver and Bronze Ages:The Brave and the Bold. While many think of the series as primarily “that Batman team-up title” – which is not wrong considering 134 of its 200 issues were just that – it was also the starting point for a number of characters and DC books. It may not have equaled DC’s Showcase in that regard but it was not originally intended to be along the same lines. The first 24 issues were taken up by the adventures of a trio of original characters more in line with the sword-and-sandals epics of the 1950s movies. However, The Brave and the Bold’s own record and longevity (28 years!) is more than enough to salute it on its 70th anniversary in remembrance.

Here are 13 FIRSTS from that 200-issue series (for the completest, it’s 201 if you count DC Special Series #8, February 1978, which was a tie-in to the B&B series, with a team-up of Batman, Deadman, and Sgt. Rock):

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1. The Brave and the Bold #1 (Aug.-Sept. 1955). First appearances of the Golden Gladiator, the Viking Prince, and the Silent Knight. Cover art – based on the interior’s three splash pages – was by Russ Heath (Golden Gladiator), Joe Kubert (Viking Prince), and Irv Novick (Silent Knight). Cover text by Robert Kanigher. By the end of the series’ first 24 issues, the Viking Prince was the last standing.

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2. Issue #25 (Aug.-Sept. 1959). Prior to becoming a collection of DC comic-book villains working as a team, the Suicide Squad made it first appearance here as a government group called Task Force X, consisting of a physicist, an astronomer, and a space-medicine nurse, all under the command of Colonel Rick Flag. The Suicide Squad would return in the next two issues and then again in Issues #37- 39. (Cover art for #25 was by Ross Andru, pencils, and Mike Esposito, inks.)

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3. Issue #28 (Feb.-Mar. 1960). The first appearance of the Justice League of America can be technically counted as the first time The Brave and the Bold was a team-up book because the heroes all came from different comic book titles. After appearing in the next two issues, the JLA got its own comic book series. (Cover art for #28 by Mike Sekowsky (pencils) and Murphy Anderson (inks).

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4. Issue #31 (Aug.-Sept. 1960). First appearance of Cave Carson. Carson, the “king of underground cave explorers,” was a character that never caught on with readers, though DC really did try by having him and his crew appear in the next two issues of B&B and again in Issues #40-41, as well as appearing in Showcase #48, #49, and #52. (Cover art for B&B #31 was by Bruno Premiani.)

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5. Issue #34 (Feb.-Mar. 1961). The first appearance of the Silver Age versions of Hawkman and Hawkgirl, with Katar Hol and his wife Shayera being police officers from the planet Thanagar on the trail of a criminal who has fled to Earth. They would appear in the next two issues of The Brave and the Bold and return in #42-44, after which Hawkman would get his own series. (Cover for #34 by Joe Kubert.)

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6. Issue #45 (1962-Jan. 1963). The first issue of one of the most enjoyable features within the early B&B run, though not a success, “Strange Sports Stories.” All issues from #45 (Dec. 1962-Jan. 1963) through #49 (Aug.-Sept. 1963) were richly rewarding science-fantasy tales written by John Broome and Gardner F. Fox and drawn by Carmine Infantino, under the editorial hand of Julie Schwartz. (Cover art for #45 was by Infantino, pencils, and Joe Giella, inks.) (You can read more about the “Strange Sports Stories” run here.)

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7. Issue #50 (Oct.-Nov. 1963). The first issue of what was truly the turning point for the B&B series, becoming an ongoing team-up comic book. Cover art by George Roussos.

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8. Issue #54 (June-July 1964). First team-up of Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Robin. Cover art by Bruno Premiani. Also worth reading: Six issues later, in #60 (June-July 1965), Wonder Girl joined the boys under the new team name, Teen Titans. B&B #60 was also the first appearance of Wonder Girl Donna Troy (though it would be a few years before that name was revealed).

(The Wonder Girl that had been appearing in Wonder Woman comics at the time was a teenage version of WW — and Wonder Tot was Wonder Woman as a toddler. Logic was sent packing as all three co-existed alongside each other in stories called “Impossible Tales.”). The Teen Titans would make one more appearance, in Showcase #60 (Nov.-Dec. 1965), before winning their own series.

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9. Issue #57 (Dec. 1964-Jan. 1965). First appearance of Metamorpho. He would return in the following issue and then on into his own title. (Cover art for #57 was by Ramona Fradon, pencils, and Charles Paris, inks.)

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10. Issue #59 (Apr.-May 1965). The first Batman team-up of the series. Five issues later, #64, the Caped Crusader appeared with Eclipso. And then more Batman team-ups from #67 to #71, followed by an uninterrupted run from #74 to #200. (Cover art for #59 was by Gil Kane.)

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11.  Issue #79 (Aug.-Sept. 1968). Cover art by Neal Adams. A couple of firsts in this issue: It was the first in an eight-issue B&B run drawn by Adams, plus it had the first team-up of Batman and Deadman. (Adams had previously illustrated the covers for B&B #s 75 and 76.) Also worth reading: In #85 (Aug.-Sept. 1969), Adams gave Green Arrow his updated look.

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12. Issue #98 (Oct.-Nov. 1971). Jim Aparo’s first B&B story, which was also his first drawing Batman. Aparo would illustrate almost every issue from #100 to #196. (Cover for #98 by Nick Cardy.)

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13. Issue #166 (Sept. 1980). The first appearance of Nemesis, in a back-up by Cary Burkett and Dan Spiegle. Nemesis would continue to have the second feature in B&B #s 167-169, 171-178, 180-192, as well as teaming up with Batman in #170 and #193. (Cover art for #166 was by Aparo.)

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BONUS: The Brave and the Bold #200 (July 1983) was the end of the title’s 28-year run, making way for a new Bat-title, Batman and the Outsiders, which made its first appearance as a preview in this issue. (Art for the B&B cover and the special insert were both by Aparo.)

One other salute is in order and that is to Bob Haney who scripted so many of The Brave and the Bold tales. Jim Beard’s two B&B Haney articles are must reading, as is Paul Kupperberg’s tribute to Haney’s B&B work. Links below!

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MORE

— ZANY BOB HANEY: Dig These 13 Great BRAVE AND THE BOLD Stories. Click here.

— ZANY BOB HANEY: Dig 13 MORE Great BRAVE AND THE BOLD Stories. Click here.

— PAUL KUPPERBERG: My 13 Favorite BOB HANEY BRAVE AND THE BOLD Stories — Without BATMAN. Click here.

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13th Dimension contributor-at-large PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, was published by TwoMorrows. (You can buy it here.) A sequel, American Movie Comic Books: 1930s-1970s — From the Silver Screen to the Printed Page, is due in 2025. (You can pre-order here.) Peter has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. He lives in Hollywood.