
Talking apes! Alien leeches! Laser-shooting blob people! You'll never catch The Dark Knight rubbing elbows with such kooky company on the big screen. To see that, you'll have to tune into Batman: The Brave and the Bold, the new animated series on Cartoon Network.
Two episodes in and I'm loving this lighter, zanier take on ol' Bats' crime fighting adventures. It reminds me a lot of ABC Family's The Middleman, which itself was somewhat inspired by the campy 60s Batman TV Show.
Unlike Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight and the darker Batman cartoons we've seen before, which I also love, Brave and The Bold takes place in that colorful comic book world where anything (did I mention the talking apes?) can happen. There's no Commissioner Gordon, no Gotham City and no Robin (not yet, anyway). Instead, Batman is paired up with a new DC hero every week, and he does his thing in bizarre locales like "Dinosaur Island" or outer space.
So far, The Caped Crusader has teamed up with Green Arrow (for a few minutes), Blue Beetle, and my favorite, Plastic Man. Rumor has it that The Flash, Jonah Hex, and even Bat-Mite will join Batman for a few upcoming eps. (I'm thinking about starting an online petition for the inclusion of Color Kid, the most colorful hero of them all). Some might say that this show is just for kids, but older geeks can enjoy it just as much as younger ones. It's fast-paced, funny, and it captures the spirit and creativity of some of the lighter comics I used to read when I was a kid and now appreciate as an adult.
Check out the show's great and goofy intro featuring some swingin' theme music. Can you dig it, or do you think the Dark Knight should stay dark?
Batman: The Brave and the Bold airs Friday nights on Cartoon Network.















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-24-2008 @ 10:35AM
Torsten said...
I seriously dislike the new show. Not because of the attitude - there have been numerous superhero cartoon with a lighter attitude. But "Brave & Bold" is just plain boring. The constant "hip" soundtrack and fast pacing can't hide the fact that the stories are underdeveloped, there is zero suspense, and the characters aren't engaging at all. It's shiny, but empty.
Reply
11-24-2008 @ 10:46AM
Jon said...
As an unabashed comic nerd, I love this show. While it isn't the Batman that has been in the public light for the past 10-20 years, this is still a valid interpretation of Batman.
While I wouldn't want the character to go back to the '60s camp, there is nothing wrong with using the playground that is the DC Universe.
This show really feels like a spiritual continuation of the original Brave and Bold Batman team-ups. Fun character interactions that are done in one issue without worrying too much about the picky bits of continuity.
Plus, the opening sequence makes me excited for upcoming characters. Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Deadman, Dr. Fate, B'Wana Beast, Red Tornado, Bronze Tiger, Kamadi, and Jonah Hex are all fun characters who aren't known at all, so it will be fun to see how they are used.
The one complaint I have heard is that the show has been fairly hero heavy while ignoring the heroines. From what I understand, that is being addressed.
Reply
11-24-2008 @ 10:49AM
Jon B. Knutson said...
I'm a huge geek (see my blog, "Random Acts of Geekery" at http://waffyjon.blogspot.com ), and I have to say I LOVE this show! It's Batman for all ages, with enough cool stuff for the kids to enjoy, and enough details for the adult comics geek to have an idea of what's going to be going on (at least generally, if not exactly). Best Batman since the Bruce Timm-helmed animated series (Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League), IMHO.
Reply
11-24-2008 @ 10:58AM
Mike Davis said...
Aw, it was goofy. It was a far cry from the Dark Knight-y Batman but my formative Bat-reading years meant a stack of Neal Adams next to a stack of Bill Finger stuff.
I loved the music. Very Jonny Quest.
"Batman & Plastic Man battle Gorilla Grodd on Dinosaur Island."
Please find the boring part of that sentence.
Reply
11-24-2008 @ 11:07AM
Bill said...
Batman's been dark for most of the past 20 years, but he's inhabited a lot of different kinds of stories. He fights street crime and Bond-type villains and alien invasions. He does campy sci-fi and gothic horror. So it'd be kinda silly to pigeonhole Batman as "dark." I like it. And btw it seems to be influenced by the art of Dick Sprang (yes that's his name), a classic Batman artist.
http://batman.ugo.com/gothamsgreats/dicksprang/
Reply
11-24-2008 @ 11:07AM
Bad Mojo said...
I missed the first one *kicks himself int he arse* but I really like it.
Sure it's a bit on the light side, but it's still Batman and he still has his "batitude." And it is far better than the crummy version of The Avengers that runs on Disney.
So count me in as a fun. Plus it's great to see the other, less mainstreamed, heroes mixed in with the colossal awesomeness of Batman :)
Reply
11-24-2008 @ 11:07AM
Chrysee said...
That intro is very cute. Reminds me of Cowboy Bebop and The Incredibles. I won't watch it, but it sounds like fun.
Although seriously, the mid-90s Batman: The Animated Series is still the best Batman incarnation ever.
Reply
11-24-2008 @ 3:52PM
Jim Nelson said...
Don't get me wrong, the Bruce Timm/Kevin Conroy Batman was a thousand different kinds of awesome, and I'll always love it, but it was time to do something new. I'm really enjoying B&B. It's fast-paced and fun, and it proves that a more light-hearted take on Batman can work, unlike those crappy 1960's/70's Batman/Superfriends cartoons.
Reply
11-24-2008 @ 1:20PM
ratphink said...
As a Batman fan I was really looking forward to this new show now that the great JL/JLU is gone. Love the opening, love the design and love Diedrich Bader as the voice.
Thought the first episode with the "updated" Beetle was a big disappointment after the cool intro with Green Arrow. However, I loved the Plastic Man episode. Enough, with the teen hero stuff, the new Spiderman show is horrible as was Legion of Superheroes.
They've kid friendlied this up enough, keep the heroes the same too. Would love to see an Ambush Bug team up.
Reply
11-24-2008 @ 1:20PM
ceerubin said...
i was sure I'd hate this fluffy, happy go lucky version of batman, but its really good. It's not too cheesy, it's campy like middleman, good comparison. Plus, Batman isn't happy go lucky, he's just as serious and stone faced, its just in a more cartoony colorful comic book world.
I LOVED LOVE blue beetle, I wish he had his own show. It could be like static shock
Reply
11-24-2008 @ 1:46PM
figure 8 said...
It's a refreshing change for Batman. Not what you'd expect, but fun...Reminds me of REM's shiny happy people...dunnadudunadundumdeedumdeedum
Reply
11-24-2008 @ 3:10PM
BStu said...
While the Timm Batman got some dark undertones come Batman Beyond and to a slightly lesser extent Justice League, it bares mention that the original Batman: TAS and its reboot were dark in visual aesthetic but not so much in tone. I'll grant that it wasn't Adam West territory, but compared to what "dark" usually means for Batman, these shows portrayed a very different Bruce Wayne. He often showed a sense of humor. You was genuinely fatherly with Tim and Dick. He wasn't a perfect father, but who ever is? The flaws were quite human, but his relationship with them was mostly touching. The planted some seeds which paid off with the dark tensions of Batman Beyond, but viewing the early work on its own (which is certainly how one did when they were on) they really split the difference between camp and dystopia, between Adam West and Frank Miller. I rather liked their take on Batman and I still consider it the definitive representation of the character, as well as for nearly every supporting character. I mean, I loved Nolan/Ledger's take on The Joker but the Timm/Hamil interpretation was classic while still forward looking.
I haven't caught Brave and the Bold, but I'm not writing it off yet. Outside of "The Batman", I've found most DC's recent adaptations pretty strong, if not achieving the narrative unity of the Timm-verse.
Reply
11-24-2008 @ 7:30PM
kevingarcia said...
I have no problem with goofy, light-hearted Batman, though I'm glad the dark and serious version has gone mainstream with Dark Knight. More than anything though, I'm surprised Warner is willing to take the risk of kiddifying the character's newly adult image.
Reply
11-24-2008 @ 11:19PM
scotty said...
I like this show. (And I also enjoyed the last animated Batman series, The Batman, too.) It illustrates how versatile the Batman character has been through the ages. Can you name another popular comic book superhero that has been successfully depicted in so many different artistic and narrative styles? (Not even Superman has pulled this off well.)
I'd like for Warner Animation to produce another animated Batman series for an older audience -- one based on the anime style of the direct-to-DVD movie that was released this summer. (Such a Batmanime series could air on AdultSwim.) I think there's enough interest and of an audience for two differently styled Batman series right now.
Reply
11-24-2008 @ 11:19PM
Oscar said...
They have used the talking apes on Justice League and JLU.
Reply