Karen: I recently started watching Batman: The Brave and the Bold and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it! Although much of the show is played for laughs, they bring in a lot of characters from all over the DC universe and there's obviously a love and respect for the source material. Plus, it has a great theme song! Has anyone checked this show out?
BONUS -
Karen: Today is also Stan Lee's 91st birthday! Well wishes to Stan the Man -may he continue to make many more cameo appearances in Marvel films! Excelsior!!
Yes! It runs at about 7 in the evening here on the Cartoon Network, and I try to catch it when I'm able. I love it - yes, it's played for laughs a lot, but not entirely, as there are often heroic and sometimes even poignant moments. Overall, I'd say it's just good all-ages fun, the way super-hero comics and comics-related stuff should be.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that there's generally a great deal of respect for the source material, and sometimes the characterizations of various characters are an improvement over their counterparts in the comics. A case in point: Red Tornado. I generally found him the most uninteresting member of the JLA, but in B&B he really shines - and he appears in the Christmas episode to boot.
Can't get past the weird distorted anatomy. Not sure why all super hero cartoons have to do that nowadays but I can't get into it.
ReplyDeleteJust from the intro it looks like something I would have loved as a kid. I notice that they use Green Arrow's pre-Adams makeover look.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed it. While it's not THE Batman cartoon for me it is one that I can accept in a post BTAS world. If we had gone for years with still no relatively faithful Batman cartoon in existence and then got this I might not like it as much. Since someone did finally "get it right" I felt like there was some room for play.
ReplyDeleteBut I think it is clear that the series about having fun with Batman rather than making fun of him. If I'm going to get into a more comedic leaning Batman thing, I would take Brave and the Bold over Batman 66 actually. Not to mention that using Bat-Mite as the fandom metaphor was brilliant!
I also loved a lot of their takes on other DC characters as well. From Firestorm to Wonder Woman.
..and am I a bad person for wanting this shows version of Aquaman to be the canonical one? I just enjoy the concept of him as a boisterous king who absolutely loves adventure and is fiercely loyal to his er, super friends.
The Brave and the Bold is absolutely brilliant! It pays homage to the glorious Silver Age of comics blending in some Bronze Age with it too. I loved the wide range of DC characters they used too, many of whom you would never expect to be used anywhere this side of 1969. Its been a little while since I watched them, but I remember my favorite episode being the Superman red kryptonite episode.
ReplyDeleteAs a longtime Batman fan and collector I will be the fist to admit that these days most renderings of Batman (in all media forms) creators can take themselves and the character waaay too seriously. BATB was refreshingly fun, and treated the older versions of Batman and the DC universe with due respect. The Silver Age inspired Batman of BATB is just as legitimate as the gloom and doom Batman of today.
It's rare indeed these days to see a Batman I don't find repulsive, so I appreciate that if not the art style.
ReplyDeleteToo bad Adam West isn't voicing him, and where the heck is Robin?
@Matt Celis. Robin in the show is in his later teens and basically off on his own. When we first see him he's kind of sporting a variation of the original Earth-2 Robin costume before he eventually becomes Nightwing.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of played as a teen rebellion thing but father and son do reconcile and fight bad guys together again. But we are treated to flashbacks of the good ol Dynamic Duo in action.
I've seen snippets of B&B and I have to say if I did watch it, I'd probably be hooked as well.
ReplyDeleteLike some others here, there hasn't been much I liked about Batman visual offerings ('40s serial to today), with the exceptions being the '60s show, Tim Burton's first film and Batman TAS.
The '60s show is far more palatable when you remember it simply **used** the Bat concept for pure entertainment value and not considered 'canon'.
B&B is brilliant.
ReplyDeleteMy 8 yrs old niece loves it. It is the perfect mixture of playing to the middle aged DC fangirl and the new kid.
The team book format holds her attention. The guest star characters pull me in every time. B'wana Beast anyone?
My niece completely absorbs the bravery and confidence of the heroes. She is always on the edge of her seat.
I love the overflowing basket of Easter Eggs in every episode. e.g. In the episode: "Night of the Batmen!" Captain Marvel, (disguised as Batman) punches Killer Croc down the street. Blockbuster and Bane stare confused. This Batman is much too powerful than normal.
In reply, Bat-Marvel says, “Been… uh… working out,” while making a “pumping iron” gesture with his arms. Just like Clark Kent did at the end of Superman II.
(I laughed too much at that joke and had to explain myself. Thank goodness for youtube.)
"Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster!" is my favorite episode.
My niece's favorite is "Sidekicks Assemble!"
On my list of things to watch - looks just up my alley, from not taking itself too seriously, to the stylized art, to the great use of a variety of characters.
ReplyDeleteWow, 91 years old. Happy birthday, Stan!
ReplyDeleteBack to B&B: MattComix, I totally agree with you about Aquaman - that's probably the most deliciously entertaining version of him that I've seen in any medium.
And Teresa, "Night of the Batmen" is one of my favorite episodes. And I loved that one with B'wana Beast as well.
Karen, I couldn't agree more! I dig it, it has the same charm as the original Star Trek, the Twilight Zone, or even (I'm a bit embarrassed to admit I dig this) the old Batman T.V. series.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful antidote to the,ah,"stuff", coming out of D.C. comics these days. Nuff said.
Happy 91st birthday Stan the Man!
ReplyDelete- Mike 'gimma a batarang' from Trinidad & Tobago.
While not my all-time favorite Batman toon, Brave and the Bold was definitely a show I enjoyed watching when it was originally on. It was a great homage to the Silver Age Batman. So, if you watched it with that in mind, it was a fun show and pretty faithful to the old comics. So that's all good with me. I only wish they'd used the classic Ted Kord Blue Beetle in the show, instead of the modern one. Same with Firestorm and Black Lightning, etc. I just don't like most of the modern takes on characters. Plus, they seemed out of place in a show that prided itself on being retro.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite episode was the one guest starring the Doom Patrol. It was great the way it ended just the same as the original DP comic series did. Good stuff. Other favorites were the flashback episode that featured Ted Kord as the Blue Beetle, and pretty much any episode with Plastic Man
Gosh, you know I may have to pick up this series on DVD now. I kind of miss watching it.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY STAN!!! May you live forever!
A doff of the cap and a low bow in salute of Stan the Man!
ReplyDeleteMany happy returns!
Do you guys (gal) ever write about the reprints? Monsters on the Prowl #29 has a reprint of my favorite Stan lee story. Had it when i was a kid. The ish has a cover with part reprint and part new art. Some reprint comics had new covers, as you know (like the classic Jim Starlin Hulk cover on Marvel-Super Heroes #47). Reprints were how kids were first introduced to those Silver Age stories, back in the groovy 70's. I also have fond memories of Marvel's Greatest Comics #54 featuring the Mad Thinker's Awesome GREEN android (my second favorite Stan Lee story). Wish his green android had made more appearances. I know Iron Man was able to knock the android out of commission with one punch in Iron Man #77. Ironically, the Thing hit it with a bigger punch, but it got back up. But i'm rambling, now. :o)
ReplyDeleteSean, reprints in all their many forms get discussed here quite often. For starters, go to the "Labels" section on the sidebar and look for "reprints" and click the link. That's a good primer. Also, in those posts there's usually links to similar posts under the "You might also like" heading.
ReplyDelete@Anon.Yep DC sure does put out a lot of "stuff" these days. Big steaming piles of "stuff".
ReplyDeleteIsn't it 52 piles of stuff every month? What's their obsession with the number 52 anyway?
ReplyDeleteSean -
ReplyDeleteTake a peek at the results of this query. It should help with your request.
http://bronzeagebabies.blogspot.com/search?q=finding+silver+in+bronze
Doug
BB&B is tons of fun!! While BTAS is THE Batman animated show, this variation is actually the only one apart from any appearance in the Timm-verse that doesn't make me want to turn off the TV in disgust. My boys (ages 3-22) ALL love it!! I love watching it with them, good family fun and you gotta love all the obscure Silver and Bronze-age heroes and villians (a great nod to the "Earth 2" Robin costume, one of my favs as a kid). This show made Aquaman a hoot and I really dug the flashbacks to the old Blue Beetle in the first episode. Overall a great series, it is a shame Cartoon Network didn't pick-up this show for a third/fourth season (along with the most excellent Young Justice series).
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