Nemesis 21: B&B #187

#21

Brave and the Bold #187 (June 1982)

Synopsis: 

Crime boss Jay Kingston is working to create a unique "gauntlet" of murder on the grounds of his home. He hopes to lure Nemesis into it and then watch him fight to stay alive. Brewster, who used to work for the previous head of The Council, has informed Kingston that there is a link between the man known only as "Nemesis" and Marjorie Marshall, the widow of the former top spy in the country. Brewster swears that if they kidnap Marjorie that Nemesis will definitely come to rescue her. 

Meanwhile, at home in New York City, Nemesis is staying out of action so that his recent wounds will heal. He was shot by would-be assassin Greyfox, and then that wound was re-opened when he tried to infiltrate Kingston's head-quarters but was discovered. He has learned his lesson and wants to be back at full-strength before he takes on Kingston again.   

Eventually, Kingston's death-trap is complete. He orders Marjorie to be kidnapped. 

Nemesis hears of it, and scouts for information from Road Runner. He confirms that Marjorie was kidnapped by Kingston, who is not trying to keep it a secret. Nemesis knows it's a trap, but has no choice but to head back to Houston. This time, Valerie insists on coming, and he acquiesces. 

Valerie drops him onto Kingston's property, literally. However, Kingston is alerted that Nemesis has arrived. He opens up the closed-circuit television conference with the other remaining members of the Council. As Nemesis heads into the trap, Kingston tells them that because he fancies himself a modern-day Roman Emperor, and that he has prepared a spectacle for their enjoyment. 

  

Commentary: 

This eight-page back-up story boasts only one action sequence (with a mannequin!). So instead of the action that we have come to expect from Nemesis, the tale this time is surprisingly suspenseful. Both Kingston and Nemesis use these eight pages to calm down, regroup, and re-energize. Kingston spends the time completing his gauntlet of death. Nemesis rests and does "continuous improvement," knowing that the showdown with Kingston and the remaining Council members will be just as hazardous as his previous adventures. 

Writer Cary Burkett manages to entertain, even though "nothing" really happens this issue. The death of the mannequin is typical comic-book bravado; ignore that and look at the sequence on page four, instead. Two of Kingston's goons break into Marjorie's home and kidnaps her. To put an exclamation point on this threat of violence, one of the men smashes the statue of Justice sitting on her mantlepiece. It's a very well done sequence, brought to stunning life by artist Dan Spiegle. 

What follows is a few pages of "procedurals" showing how Nemesis comes across some of his information. I don't know about everybody else, but I always enjoyed seeing Road Runner again, too. 

And of course, once he learns Kingston's plan, Nemesis insists on going to attempt to rescue Marjorie. I love how Valerie insists on coming along. Even if she is not totally privy to all of Nemesis' information and motivations, she knows when she is needed. I like how this time, Nemesis knows that she is right. 

So we end the story seemingly where we started....with Nemesis potentially about to be blasted by machine guns, just as his mannequin was seven pages before! 

 

Nemesis Fact File:  

• The team-up in this issue is between Batman and the Metal Men. "Whatever Happened to What'ser Name?" is by Charlie Boatner and Jim Aparo. This is probably one of the best Metal Men stories out there, as it attempts to clear up some lingering continuity concerns from the Metal Men's Silver Age series (specifically Metal Men # 32). It does so in a logical, yet heart-breaking way. I first came across the Metal Men in an earlier issue of B&B, so to me Jim Aparo is their best artist. For that and several other reasons, I heartily recommend this story. 
• In a response to one letter in this issue, editor Dick Giordano notes that Jim Aparo will soon be working on full-length stories. This is our first hint that Nemesis is on its way out. 

This story has not yet been reprinted. Therefore, I gladly reproduce the eight-page story here in its entirety, exactly as it appeared in its comic-book form. Please do not allow it to fall into the hand of the Council!

NEMESIS created by Cary Burkett and Dan Spiegle