Nemesis 18: B&B #184

#18

Brave and the Bold #184 (March 1982)

Synopsis: 

Nemesis is at the small airport where he stores his helicopter, lured there by a phone call from Barney, his mechanic. Unbeknownst to Nemesis, he is in the sights of Greyfox, the notorious underworld assassin. 

Barney won't allow the man he knows as "Mr. King" to be shot. He bumps Greyfox, spoiling his shot and alerting Nemesis to his danger. He leaps behind barrels of oil as additional rifle shots blast around him. 

Greyfox's men on the ground track Nemesis to his hiding place, forcing him to dive into a hangar. Inside, he jerry-rigs a small airplane. When it comes out, Greyfox shoots its fuel line, causing it to explode. 

Of course, Nemesis is not inside the aircraft! He is rushing up the stairs to the Control Tower. He swings down to the roof of the hangar where Barney is being held, taking care of Greyfox's men. 

Suddenly, Greyfox takes to the air in a helicopter, still holding Barney's daughter, Maria. Greyfox checked the wreckage of the exploded aircraft, and not finding any corpse, he knew that Nemesis was still alive. As he prepares to shoot both Nemesis and Barney, Maria struggles free from his grasp, leaping/falling from the helicopter. Nemesis jumps out with a rope and manages to catch her, but in so doing he gives Greyfox a clear shot: Nemesis is shot in the back! 

Greyfox then takes out a grenade, telling Barney and Maria that he will destroy Nemesis and all possible witnesses to his crimes. Certain of victory, Greyfox gloats one moment too long: Barney grabs a forgotten rifle and shoots at the helicopter, causing the assassin to drop the grenade IN the helicopter. A moment later, it explodes and crash lands. 

Barney regrets that the men died, but Nemesis reminds him that Greyfox brought about his own death.  

  

Commentary: 

Man, what a story! It starts off with Nemesis in the rifle sight of Greyfox and doesn't let up until that last Kbloom! This is a great comic-book visualization of some of the action movies that have been made since its publication. Tell me you don't think Die Hard or Last Action Hero when you are reading this! 

Plotwise, it's good to see that Nemesis can't do everything on his own, as he literally owes his life to Barney, not once but twice! Of course, Tom's inert goodness shines through here, as he is not willing to let Barney's daughter die without atleast trying to save her. 

Kudos to artist Dan Spiegle for another fantastic job. I especially liked how the airplanes look real, and how the scene of Barney shooting at Greyfox is delineated dramatically (reprinted above). In the same way, the coloring and art works great together on page two when the shot barely misses Nemesis. Although the forced perspective by Spiegle on page three does make it look like Nemesis is wearing clown shoes! 

I would like to take this opportunity to praise colorist Carl Gafford. From the pinks of page one to the explosion on page eight, there are no questionable color choices this time out. I especially love the headlights on page three and the lighting of Greyfox's face as he lights a cigarette on page four. Fantastic stuff! 

Nemesis Fact File:  

• The team-up in this issue is between Batman and The Huntress. "The Batman's Last Christmas!" is by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo. It is a classic Christmas team-up, even if the role of the Huntress could have been filled by almost any other character privy to Batman's secret identity. 
• Cary Burkett is listed in the credit box as Writer/Creator for the first time. 
• The quote from King David that ends the story is Psalms 7:15~16. 
• The Brave & The Bold #189 featured several letters regarding Nemesis in general and this Nemesis installment in particular. 

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