Rating:  -
Won't be buying it until they get off their butts and put together the season. Drove me nuts with the rest of the DCU, still won't put up with it now. Now for the review:
There is a list of conceptual reasons I shouldn't like this show. As an adult, the "classic" Adam West Batman makes me cringe, though it was my favorite show as a kid. When writers can't get past the camp and try to use "it's a comic-based TV show" as an excuse for terrible scripts and acting, it flat out pisses me off. So, naturally, when I heard the premise of this show I was immediately put off. Batman is never in Gotham, he's fighting around the world, tons of guest stars, throwback to the 50's Bill Finger stuff. Yikes. Really?!
I was totally wrong.
The writers have put together something brilliant, hilarious, and a beautiful homage to the FUN comics were when I was growing up.
The cameos are fantastic and don't overwhelm the series. So far I've seen Atom, Fire, Plastic Man, Green Arrow, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman. Half of them show up in 007-style intro shorts where Bats is already at the end of a previous adventure. This allows us to see some favorites, set up the DC Universe, and still only focus on one main story at a time without falling into the "too many supervillains/heroes" problem that plagued the Tim "I've never read a comic and never will" Burton-started Batman movies.
On other fronts, the music is up-beat and reminds me of Saturday mornings in front of the TV eating cereal. I just now realized it's the Johny Quest-like beats!
The silliness is high but they've created a bizarre internal consistency to their universe that makes everything work.
To top it off, the writers know their DC universe. Their spin on characters like Aquaman is definitely different, but they keep the heart and soul of the characters which is the most important part. Classic comic characters are archetypes, ripe for interpretation, and they take full advantage of that.
Their knowledge and love of the material shows in the little details as well, like an opening scene where Batman is fighting the Gentleman Ghost in Brazil. I was getting ready to tell Megs that G.G. is from the Hawkman rogues gallery. Hawkman is able to fight the incorporeal villain because of the Nth metal based technology which is the basis for the Hawk's harness and weapons. Nth metal has several properties, including anti-gravity effects and the ability to affect objects in other dimensions. Before I could get any of that out, Bats pulls out Nth metal brass knuckles and cuffs. Awesome.
So, despite my reservations about the silliness, villainous monologuing, over-the-top death traps and space adventures, this show is looking to become the best Batman adaptation since The Animated Series. If you know me well, you know how much of a compliment that is.
Rating:  -
Wow, never have I learned so little about a DVD from such a large number of reviews. I don't care what Warners' policy on releasing episodes is, can we just talk about the disc itself?
I've watched all the animated incarnations of Batman since the late 60's. And although Brave & Bold isn't perfect by any means, it does bring back a much-needed sense of fun to the character. I personally feel the dark & brooding "dark knight" thing has been done to death. The reason I like 60's and 70's animated superheroes is because they showed the characters in such a positive light. Sure, some of the villains were (and still are, in these new shows) unbelievably outrageous. But that's part of the fun. I don't watch Batman for a psychology lesson; I want to see him outwit/beat the bad guys and maybe enjoy himself a bit in the process. And for crime-busting action, Brave and the Bold delivers.
For folks who think all modern Batman series should fit the mold set by the Bruce Timm universe, or those who think cartoons should rigidly adhere to what's happening in the comic books. . .this is not going to be your show. But if you like a FUN superhero show that doesn't take itself too seriously, it's very entertaining.
Rating: -
This idea that some reviewers have that you must buy these single discs to convince Warners to release full season sets is RIDICULOUS!!!! For the vast majority of fans wont spend a single dime on these because it is a waste of your money. For some reason Warners marketing still has that mentality that this is just a "kiddie" show and must be marketed as such. Has not the track record of the show's creators and the sales of previous season sets of DC Universe shows (Batman, Superman, Justice League) proven that there is a big market for season sets? Here is a solution Warners: Market to both!!!! There's no reason why they shouldn't release these 4 episode discs and season sets simultanously . That way you have both the "kiddie" market and the fan market covered.
By the way the one star rating is for Warners and this product presentation not the show. This is a fantastic show with great animation with writing and voice talent to match. Marvel should take a page from these creators. This is a show made by people who love the medium of comic books.
Rating: -
Batman the Brave and the Bold: Volume One
(Released August 25, 2009 by Warner Home Video)
Another Looong DVD Review by Joe Torcivia
Bruce Timm's Batman the Animated Series (1992-1999) was, for me, the most perfect version of Batman anywhere outside his "native medium" of comic books. And surpasses a fair amount of what has been done in the comics during the 21st Century.
When Warner Bros. introduced a new and different animated Batman series in the fall of 2008, I didn't expect to pay it much mind, as it just wasn't Timm's version. But they found a way to reel me in with a series called: Batman the Brave and the Bold.
The Brave and the Bold was an important comic book series of the Silver Age (roughly defined by the 1960s), running from 1955 thru 1983. It introduced us to the Justice League of America, the Suicide Squad, and the Silver Age version of Hawkman among others. Starting with its 59th issue in 1965, it became the "Batman Team-Up" book, pairing Bats with Green Lantern - followed by virtually every known "guest star" in the DC Universe.
And so is the premise of the TV series that takes its proud name from that comic book title of yore. This series is not about the "Bat-Universe" of Robin, Alfred, Batgirl, Nightwing, Commissioner Gordon, and Gotham - but, as it was in the comic book, is about Batman as omnipresent "Uber-hero" teaming with a wide variety of DCU guest heroes - and battling an equally wide variety of guest villains - some of which have never been seen in animation before and others reinterpreted specifically for this show.
It is lighter in tone than was Timm's series, skirting "camp" but never plunging squarely into it a la Adam West. Props may be plenty "Big", death traps suitably fiendish, and plots generally more outlandish than Timm's, but that owes much more to the imaginative comic books of the Silver Age and prior, than to any echoes of the sixties TV series.
Dialogue is lively and snappy, with heroes given to bickering and tossing the occasional sarcastic barb, far more so than did Timm's versions. Diedrich Bader, as Batman, is especially good at this, while still echoing enough of Kevin Conroy's "classic" animated Batman to sound "right". When he is paired with a primo guest-hero like Brave and the Bold's versions of Green Arrow, Plastic Man, and particularly John DiMaggio's reinvented version of Aquaman, it can be pure gold!
In short, the series very nicely lives up to the tradition of stories in The Brave and the Bold comic book.
As is our custom in these reviews, we'll break it into CONS and PROS.
The CONS:
The Number of Episodes: In a word... FOUR! DVD sets from most studios have gotten skimpier - but Warner sets have done so all the more! Previous WHV TV animated packages like Freakazoid!, Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries, and What's New Scooby-Doo have all had single season releases that usually an average of 13 episodes per set - but what's up with this? FOUR?! REALLY? ...ONLY FOUR?
The Price: For this set of FOUR episodes, that you can knock-off in little more than 90 minutes of sitting time, Warner's suggested list price is... (GASP!) 14.95! That's 3.74 per episode, folks!
The Extra Features: There are NO extra features and, if ever a set cried out for at least one, it is Batman the Brave and the Bold! Have the usual panel of DC Comics and Warner Bros. animation luminaries that appear on most other DC related sets discuss The Brave and the Bold comic book and, in particular, the "Batman Team-Up" aspect of it, and how it inspired the show. The Brave and the Bold's primary comic book writer Bob Haney could be profiled as well, let alone episode commentaries. But, no...
The PROS:
Characters and Settings: With each succeeding DC Comics animated series from Warner Bros. (From Batman the Animated Series thru Justice League Unlimited), we see more and more "Characters-And-Settings-You-Never-Thought-You'd-See-Outside-Of-Comics" - and "Characters and Settings" (both new-to and re-imagined-for animation) are this series' raison d'etre!
In this (Ahem!) FOUR-episode set alone, we have: Batman, Green Arrow (Silver Age, no beard), Clock King, Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), Kanjar-Ro, Plastic Man (and Eel O'Brien), Gentleman Ghost, Fire, Kite-Man, Gorilla Grodd, The Island that Time Forgot (aka "Dinosaur Island"), Iron Heights Prison, The Atom, evil sorcerer Felix Faust, Aquaman, Mera, Ocean Master, Black Manta, the Domed City of Atlantis, Sportsmaster, Red Tornado, Martha and Thomas Wayne and Alfred (in flashbacks)... and, of course, Gotham City! ...Gosh, imagine what a 13-episode set would have had!
It's Not TV: For the first time, viewers can enjoy the (Ahem!) FOUR episodes that make up Batman the Brave and the Bold: Volume One with no "Network Identifying Bugs" in the corner of the screen, no pop up ads for other shows, and credits that you can "freeze-frame" and read. And, perhaps for the first time ever, viewers can hear the "extended version" of the show's ending theme, which has probably NEVER played on TV because promos are always running over it!
Two For the (High) Price of One: Despite the retail price of 3.74 per episode (...someone should do a survey of price-per-episode on various sets - it might prove interesting), you DO generally get TWO "team-up" stories per show. The pre-opening credits teaser often has Batman and a "guest hero" teaming up for a (very) short story, before the actual adventure begins.
And, the ultimate "PRO" for Batman the Brave and the Bold: Volume One...
The Episodes:
"The Rise of the Blue Beetle":
Okay, it's the current "Jaime Reyes version" of Blue Beetle - and not the fan favorite "Ted Kord version" who was such an integral part of the landmark Justice League International comic book series of the 1980s, or even the older, more classic "Dan Garrett version" (though BOTH will have their moments later in the series!). That's one strike. It smacks just a bit too much of the requisite `80s moralizing that made many a cartoon of the era unwatchable. That's two strikes...
But, this series premiere episode never quite takes a "called strike three", and manages to get through its teaser of Batman and Green Arrow vs. Clock King AND its main story of Batman and BB rallying a group of victimized gloopy aliens to stand up to the evil of Kanjar-Ro with just enough style to make me return for more. And was I ever glad I did, because up-next was...
"Terror on Dinosaur Island":
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Because I'm seeing GORILLAS... riding PTERODACTYLS... with HARPOON GUNS... stealing a BOAT!"
Plastic Man's question sets the tone for the wonders that follow! After a teaser of Batman, Plastic Man, and Fire vs. the Gentleman Ghost, we quickly segue into this fun episode of Bats and Plas vs. Gorilla Grodd on Dinosaur Island - "A mysterious land that exists outside of time, where the laws of nature don't apply!"
Plastic Man's origin is brilliantly ret-conned to have BATMAN inadvertently responsible for petty crook Eel O'Brian's transformation into a pliable pariah - and having Batman assume the not-so-easy task of O'Brian's rehabilitation into a hero.
Grodd ends the episode suffering what would be, for him, the supreme indignity... but that is NOTHING compared to what Plastic Man endures when, trying to hide from some Gorilla workers, he transforms himself into a SHOVEL! No spoilers here but, if you use your imagination, you'll probably get it - and (unfortunately for Plas) you'll be right! Oh, yuck! HINT: It wasn't SNOW those gorillas shoveled!
"Evil Under the Sea":
The teaser pits Batman and The Atom against Silver Age Sorcerer Felix Faust, but the REAL delight here is John DiMaggio's over-the-top re-imagining of Aquaman!
This Aquaman revels in the "BIG-NESS" of being a hero. A role he relishes with great gobs of gusto. Witness the recounting of his adventures to Batman:
"...And that's how I recovered the STOLEN STATUE! I call that adventure... The Mystery of the Stolen Statue!" (He continues on for a few more such instances)
"...and the time I wore an EYE-PATCH to infiltrate a crew of PIRATES, I call that..."
(Batman interrupts) "Aquaman's Undercover Adventure?"
"No... `The Time I Wore an Eye-Patch to Infiltrate a Crew of Pirates'... but, what you said was GOOD TOO!"
There are also nods to the 1967 Filmation animated version of Aquaman, as ATLANTIS takes Filmation's domed-design and the MODULATED HUMMING SOUND Aquaman uses to call or communicate with undersea life is lifted directly from Filmation's version.
"Invasion of the Secret Santas":
Bats and Blue Beetle defeat Sportsmaster in the teaser. In the main story, the android Red Tornado tries to fathom the spirit of Christmas, while we simultaneously learn why Batman does his best not to acknowledge the season. And, original villain Fun Haus - a malevolent amalgamation of Toyman and The Joker - does his best to wreak holiday havoc.
Great Moment: Batman knocks the head off of one of Fun Haus's "Santa-Bots". Two children scream as the sparking head falls to the ground...
Batman: "Pretend you didn't see that!"
Greater Moment: We find out precisely WHY Batman shuns Christmas. No spoilers - but one of the most effective (and serious) moments of the series, executed surprisingly well! Even Bruce Timm never got to do this!
Overall: Batman the Brave and the Bold: Volume One succeeds in ways both expected and delightfully unexpected. It's not simply reflective of the lighter (but extremely imaginative) Silver Age DC comic books - but takes that tone and squarely hits every point in time of the DC Comics Universe.
Despite the severe and obvious flaws in it's "Three-P's" - Packaging, Presentation, and Pricing - Batman the Brave and the Bold: Volume One is recommended to fans and enthusiasts of Batman, DC Comics and the Warner Animated Series based upon them, the Silver Age of Comics Books in general, and anyone who just wants to kick back and have a good time!
Oh, and will you ever LOVE the way this series eventually handles the dreaded Bat-Mite!
Rating: -
This is a fantastic show. Very entertaining, it's great for younger viewers who might find "Batman: The Animated Series" a little to dark while steering clear of the outright silliness that would turn off older folks.
BUT....
This $11 for four episodes stuff has got to stop. Releasing TV shows on DVD is no longer a novel thing, it's standard. And shows these days are generally released in sets that include an entire season. This disc is a blatant attempt to double-dip into the fans' wallets, and we shouldn't be encouraging the practice by buying such products.
Just release the whole season at a reasonable price and the fans will buy it.
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