A shot of Positivity: Brave and the Bold
So I've been thinking about my latest posts, and I realize they're mostly negative lately. This is a problem, as its sort of the opposite of the mission statement I had for this thing, so we're going to shake it up this time and do something positive: Let's talk about something I actually LIKE.
And here is the rest of it.
Batman: Brave and the Bold. For those not in the know, this is Warner Bros. latest superhero animation effort. Admittedly, at first, I thought it would be the most awful DC-related cartoon ever, with no saving graces. At least Teen Titans eventually attempted more adult storytelling, after all. But, honestly if you look at this art....
....Can you blame me? They picked the worst promo art ever, though I suppose they WERE trying to get the little kiddies interested, and not the 20+ crowd. I wasn't even going to watch this thing, convinced it would be the other abortion WB, like "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" was.
Of course naturally, then I saw the trailer, which, upon noticing I was paying attention, slapped the shit out of me and commanded that I watch the show. I couldn't say no, so back in November I tuned in promptly at seven to watch the first episode: Rise of the Blue Beetle.
I don't do reviews, so I won't be talking about the flaws and merits or whatever. I'm just going to gush about the things I love about this show:
- Batman has a sense of humor again. This show has done something the comics hasn't bothered to try in decades. It showed me that you DON'T have to only choose between the lame, cheesy Adam West-era Batman and the brooding, near-emo Rorshach clone that we've seen in all forms of media since the late-80's. There is a happy medium, and Brave and the Bold has found it. This Batman is determined, without being dark. Driven, but not obsessed. Oh, and he does quips. I love it.
- This is what the modern Silver Age really looks like, folks. You know, over in comic world, people bitch almost endlessly about how DC Comics is trying to go back to the Silver Age of comics, just because they've restored a few elements from that era that never should have been thrown out in the first place. But see, what they have going on there isn't even close to the Silver Age.
...However, Brave and the Bold is, and its lovely. Batman's back in his blue and grey duds (always liked those better). Green Arrow is back to his days of being a wealthy philanthropist with a Robin Hood attachment, as opposed to the left-wing extremist he's been in the comics since the 70's. (I actually like both versions, but this one definitely fits Brave and the Bold better.) But its not all Silver Age either. Jaime Reyes, the new Blue Beetle, is one of the main co-stars in this series, and the show is without a doubt better for it. And most importantly, the heroes can actually nab victories that aren't all pyrrhic-like. I missed that.
- Batman's Utility Belt. The era of "realism" for comics killed one of the coolest things *in* comics: Batman's utility belt. I dislike the Adam West Batman as much as the next Bat-fan, but his utility belt was appropriately awesome. Bat-shark repellent!? WIN. Unfortunately, new comics have downgraded the belt into basically just a place to keep his Batrope and his Batarangs.
Fortunately, Brave and the Bold has changed that. Now, not only Batman's belt, but his entire outfit, is equipped with all sorts of fun gadgets again. Laser swords, Nth-metal knuckles, his costume is apparently able to go into outer space with little to no problems as he's equipped with a booster pack and an oxygen mask, and that's just what we've seen in the episodes so far...that I can remember. I'm sure there are plenty of fun toys I've either forgotten or we've yet to see, and I want to see every one of them.
- The Guest Stars. Super-what? Wonder Who? This show is a DC geek's dream. They skip past all the big boys like the rest of the Trinity and all the other guys that popped up in the Justice League. Even the big name heroes that pop up like Green Lantern and Flash, use lesser-known heroes in their episodes like Guy Gardner and Jay motherfucking Garrick (the coolest Flash ever). Other guest-stars include, but aren't limited to, Aquaman, Red Tornado, the Atom (the new one, Ryan Choi), B'wana Beast (...I feel like they should've maybe used Grant Morrison's version), Kamandi, and Wildcat.
Oh. And Adam Fucking Strange, the coolest Silver Age Hero EVER. (No, he doesn't have superpowers like most heroes. And he doesn't know a billion martial arts like The Question or Batman. He just has above-average intelligence, ingenuity, a jetpack, and a fucking ray gun. And he's the singular hero of an entire PLANET.)
Seriously, this show is a geek's paradise, if they bother to give this show the time of day. Nothing is left out. They even have a two-parter where Batman visits Earth-3, home of the Crime Syndicate! (Which, by the way....kids understood that. There are other Earths. Things aren't the same on them. That's all there is to it. I don't understand why adults make this so hard to get.)
Seriously, if you don't have a geekgasm watching at least one of these episodes, you're not a DC fan. Period. My personal favorites are:
*The aforementioned two parter, "Deep Cover for Batman!", the "season one" finale in which Batman goes to Earth-3 as his parallel Earth's identity, Owlman to inflitrate the Crime Syndicate.
*The S2 opener "Mystery in Space!" (even the title should make fellow comic geeks happy) in which Batman teams up with Aquaman and Adam Strange to save Strange's adopted planet Rann.
*The Halloween-themed Trials of the Demon episode, in which Batman first teams up with the Golden Age Flash (the *real* One True Flash, if there has to be one) to take down Scarecrow and Scream Queen), and then in the main episode travels back into the past to team up with Etrigan/Jason Blood as well as Sherlock Holmes (yeah, THE Sherlock Holmes) to take down Gentleman Jim Craddock, the man who would eventually be The Gentleman Ghost. Time Travel, steampunk-type stuff, and Homles? They combo'd that into A Perfect Win.
Oh, and the last thing I really love about this show?
- Each episode is jam-packed. Its like how older comic fans complain that back in the day comic stories would be told in one issue, whereas now they often use anywhere from 4-12 issues to tell a complete story? Well, cartoons (specifically superhero toons) have been doing that since the early 90's. Spider-Man: TAS used to run into the Part XIVs. No joke.
But Batman: Brave and the Bold, season endings aside, are not only complete episodes each week, but they start each episode off with a mini-adventure between Batman and another hero, shoving twice as many heroes and villains into this series. As a result we've gotten to see the Green Lantern Corps twice, Jay Garrick, the Question, Jonah Hex, Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, Elongated Man, Dr. Fate, and others.
Seriously, this show is a geek's paradise. I hope they keep it on for the full 65 episodes, then drop Batman from the title and give the show another 65 episodes as simply, "The Brave and the Bold". It worked for Justice League.
And here is the rest of it.
Batman: Brave and the Bold. For those not in the know, this is Warner Bros. latest superhero animation effort. Admittedly, at first, I thought it would be the most awful DC-related cartoon ever, with no saving graces. At least Teen Titans eventually attempted more adult storytelling, after all. But, honestly if you look at this art....
....Can you blame me? They picked the worst promo art ever, though I suppose they WERE trying to get the little kiddies interested, and not the 20+ crowd. I wasn't even going to watch this thing, convinced it would be the other abortion WB, like "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" was.
Of course naturally, then I saw the trailer, which, upon noticing I was paying attention, slapped the shit out of me and commanded that I watch the show. I couldn't say no, so back in November I tuned in promptly at seven to watch the first episode: Rise of the Blue Beetle.
I don't do reviews, so I won't be talking about the flaws and merits or whatever. I'm just going to gush about the things I love about this show:
- Batman has a sense of humor again. This show has done something the comics hasn't bothered to try in decades. It showed me that you DON'T have to only choose between the lame, cheesy Adam West-era Batman and the brooding, near-emo Rorshach clone that we've seen in all forms of media since the late-80's. There is a happy medium, and Brave and the Bold has found it. This Batman is determined, without being dark. Driven, but not obsessed. Oh, and he does quips. I love it.
- This is what the modern Silver Age really looks like, folks. You know, over in comic world, people bitch almost endlessly about how DC Comics is trying to go back to the Silver Age of comics, just because they've restored a few elements from that era that never should have been thrown out in the first place. But see, what they have going on there isn't even close to the Silver Age.
...However, Brave and the Bold is, and its lovely. Batman's back in his blue and grey duds (always liked those better). Green Arrow is back to his days of being a wealthy philanthropist with a Robin Hood attachment, as opposed to the left-wing extremist he's been in the comics since the 70's. (I actually like both versions, but this one definitely fits Brave and the Bold better.) But its not all Silver Age either. Jaime Reyes, the new Blue Beetle, is one of the main co-stars in this series, and the show is without a doubt better for it. And most importantly, the heroes can actually nab victories that aren't all pyrrhic-like. I missed that.
- Batman's Utility Belt. The era of "realism" for comics killed one of the coolest things *in* comics: Batman's utility belt. I dislike the Adam West Batman as much as the next Bat-fan, but his utility belt was appropriately awesome. Bat-shark repellent!? WIN. Unfortunately, new comics have downgraded the belt into basically just a place to keep his Batrope and his Batarangs.
Fortunately, Brave and the Bold has changed that. Now, not only Batman's belt, but his entire outfit, is equipped with all sorts of fun gadgets again. Laser swords, Nth-metal knuckles, his costume is apparently able to go into outer space with little to no problems as he's equipped with a booster pack and an oxygen mask, and that's just what we've seen in the episodes so far...that I can remember. I'm sure there are plenty of fun toys I've either forgotten or we've yet to see, and I want to see every one of them.
- The Guest Stars. Super-what? Wonder Who? This show is a DC geek's dream. They skip past all the big boys like the rest of the Trinity and all the other guys that popped up in the Justice League. Even the big name heroes that pop up like Green Lantern and Flash, use lesser-known heroes in their episodes like Guy Gardner and Jay motherfucking Garrick (the coolest Flash ever). Other guest-stars include, but aren't limited to, Aquaman, Red Tornado, the Atom (the new one, Ryan Choi), B'wana Beast (...I feel like they should've maybe used Grant Morrison's version), Kamandi, and Wildcat.
Oh. And Adam Fucking Strange, the coolest Silver Age Hero EVER. (No, he doesn't have superpowers like most heroes. And he doesn't know a billion martial arts like The Question or Batman. He just has above-average intelligence, ingenuity, a jetpack, and a fucking ray gun. And he's the singular hero of an entire PLANET.)
Seriously, this show is a geek's paradise, if they bother to give this show the time of day. Nothing is left out. They even have a two-parter where Batman visits Earth-3, home of the Crime Syndicate! (Which, by the way....kids understood that. There are other Earths. Things aren't the same on them. That's all there is to it. I don't understand why adults make this so hard to get.)
Seriously, if you don't have a geekgasm watching at least one of these episodes, you're not a DC fan. Period. My personal favorites are:
*The aforementioned two parter, "Deep Cover for Batman!", the "season one" finale in which Batman goes to Earth-3 as his parallel Earth's identity, Owlman to inflitrate the Crime Syndicate.
*The S2 opener "Mystery in Space!" (even the title should make fellow comic geeks happy) in which Batman teams up with Aquaman and Adam Strange to save Strange's adopted planet Rann.
*The Halloween-themed Trials of the Demon episode, in which Batman first teams up with the Golden Age Flash (the *real* One True Flash, if there has to be one) to take down Scarecrow and Scream Queen), and then in the main episode travels back into the past to team up with Etrigan/Jason Blood as well as Sherlock Holmes (yeah, THE Sherlock Holmes) to take down Gentleman Jim Craddock, the man who would eventually be The Gentleman Ghost. Time Travel, steampunk-type stuff, and Homles? They combo'd that into A Perfect Win.
Oh, and the last thing I really love about this show?
- Each episode is jam-packed. Its like how older comic fans complain that back in the day comic stories would be told in one issue, whereas now they often use anywhere from 4-12 issues to tell a complete story? Well, cartoons (specifically superhero toons) have been doing that since the early 90's. Spider-Man: TAS used to run into the Part XIVs. No joke.
But Batman: Brave and the Bold, season endings aside, are not only complete episodes each week, but they start each episode off with a mini-adventure between Batman and another hero, shoving twice as many heroes and villains into this series. As a result we've gotten to see the Green Lantern Corps twice, Jay Garrick, the Question, Jonah Hex, Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, Elongated Man, Dr. Fate, and others.
Seriously, this show is a geek's paradise. I hope they keep it on for the full 65 episodes, then drop Batman from the title and give the show another 65 episodes as simply, "The Brave and the Bold". It worked for Justice League.
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