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Batman: The Brave and The Bold

November 17th, 2008 by |

Pros: It’s fun. And crazy. And consciously so. At one point Batman is fighting a robot. He takes his belt, snaps it out straight, pulls a sword out of the straightened belt, slashes the robot into pieces, re-inserts the sword into the belt, and wraps the belt around his waist again. Because if anything can come out of Batman’s utility belt, the show’s writers might as well make it the looniest thing possible.

The show pokes fun at both itself and the old tropes of comics. What’s great about this is the show manages the trick of making the self-mockery add to the story, not deflate it. When a baby alien gives the Blue Beetle a picture it drew of it and the Blue Beetle holding hands, the ridiculousness of the scene makes it all the more touching.

It’s a comics trivia-lover’s paradise. It has an unlimited cast, a thousand and one references, and even manages to sneak tributes into the style of animation

Cons: I’ve accepted Batman: The Animated Series as my One True Batman Series. I haven’t even reconciled to them changing the animation style on me in The New Batman Adventures. I’ve just barely managed to get over the loss of the yellow oval with the black bat insignia on Batman’s costume. And so I have only this to say:

If you are not Kevin Conroy, you have no business voicing Batman. You hear that, Bale? Anytime you were in the suit, you should have been voiced by Kevin Conroy. It’s a travesty, I tell you. A travesty. This Batman is voiced by Diedrich Bader, who is a very nice gentleman, and who does a very good job, and who is not Kevin Conroy.

There a few problems with characterization. Batman seems to be a little jokey for my taste. It’s not that Batman can’t ever be funny. It’s just that his humor has to be dry. Very dry. Surface-of-the-Moon dry. And no, Batman should never say ‘bummer.’

Finally, it’s a kids show, so there seems to be an added Very Special Lesson part of the show which is too clunky for the wit and screwball humor that we get the rest of the time.

Recommendation: Oh, like you care. Like you haven’t already watched it.

You haven’t already watched it?

Friggin’ watch it!

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Posted in comic books by Esther Inglis-Arkell |

10 comments to “Batman: The Brave and The Bold”

  1. Is this online for free somewhere? Do they do that for kids shows? If not, wouldn’t it seem like they should?

         by Adam November 17th, 2008 at 07:18 --replyReply to this comment

  2. It’s a hilarious show, and I’m sure all the purists who love deep dark angsty Bats will hate it, but I think it’s a wonderful 2008 take on the 60’s Batman.

    My only problem with it is I kept going “dude, why is Oswald going around in the Batsuit?”

         by Kevin November 17th, 2008 at 08:33 --replyReply to this comment

  3. I’m with you on Kevin Conroy. I just finished watching a season of “The Batman” for the first time, and while that’s not the *only* thing that kept me from getting into it, it certainly contributed.

         by Kelson November 17th, 2008 at 11:22 --replyReply to this comment

  4. I can’t agree with you enough on Kevin Conroy. My favorite Batman by far.

         by Dany November 17th, 2008 at 13:55 --replyReply to this comment

  5. I love Kevin Conroy as Batman but this whole “NO ONE ELSE SHOULD TOUCH THE VOICE OF THE BAT” thing is getting stupid. B&B is a lighthearted kids’ show, it doesn’t need to be Conroy at all.

         by Aaron Poehler November 17th, 2008 at 15:28 --replyReply to this comment

  6. I wanna see it. But not badly enough to steal it from the internet, so until I find some place legitimately streaming it….

    Wolverine and the X-Bubs is a good show too. Between it, B&B, and the 2nd (final?) season of SPECK-TACK-YOO-LAR Spider-Man we’re having a little micro-renaissance for superhero cartoons maybe?

         by OnimaruXLR November 17th, 2008 at 18:39 --replyReply to this comment

  7. I have to admit I agree with the Kevin-Conroy-is-vocal-Bat-Goodness school of thought. His timber and inflection are spot on! Nonetheless, I’m maybe it is time for a little campy fun to be injected back into comics. Ambush bug, anyone?

         by Comic Book Scientist November 17th, 2008 at 20:26 --replyReply to this comment

  8. I really liked it. Ok, he’s not Conroy, but Deitreich Balder did a great job as Batman. I liked the “Bastard son of Kirby and Sprang” visuals and I thought it was good fun. Much as I love a bit of batshit-loco in my comics, I think this just about skirted the line. If it goes much further it might lose me.

         by Paul Wilson November 18th, 2008 at 03:42 --replyReply to this comment

  9. Wow. I didn’t realize it’d aired already.

         by West November 18th, 2008 at 20:13 --replyReply to this comment

  10. I wonder if Kevin Conroy uses his batman voice when hes chattin up the ladies?
    I definately would

         by atchisson January 3rd, 2009 at 21:41 --replyReply to this comment