Recent Batman incarnation, Batman: The Brave and The Bold is out on DVD with Season One - Part One, giving you the opportunity to own the first 13 episodes of the animated series. It's an interesting series, and if you've missed out thus far, this is a good chance to see what you've missed. In many ways a throwback, the tone and animation style are rather different than many of the recent Batman efforts, delivering a feel that recalls the light-hearted goofiness of the live-action series.
The show immediately lets us know where we are, with Batman and Green Arrow tied to a trap set to drop them into acid. To at least some degree, this is that good old super-villainy which results in the sort of suspense only delivered by someone telling us to tune in to the same Bat Channel.
This is also a show that is all about mixing up the game. Batman is teamed with a wide variety of partner superheroes who cover vast range on the popularity scale. From Aquaman and Green Arrow, to Plastic Man and Blue Beetle, to some few but the most serious fans will recognize.
We similarly get a great variety of evil-doers. This is not the sort of show that is going to have The Joker on half of the time. No, this is a version of Batman that squares of with the likes of The Clock King and Owlman.
It is overall something of a return to what we might think of as "Saturday Morning," but it is an updated version of that as well. There are serious themes at play once in a while, and we get the opportunity for characters (including Batman himself) to do some soul searching. It's a great series, and though the recent trend is toward ever darker comic translations, this one is a nice bit of fun, and obviously has a somewhat younger target as its main goal.
Own it on DVD today!
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Batman wings into an exciting new era, teaming with a mighty honor roll of DC Comics Super Heroes in this action-packed series. Through the show's first 13 Animated Adventures in this 2-Disc Collection, the Dark Knight allies with Aquaman, Plastic Man, Blue Beetle, Red Tornado, Green Arrow, Wildcat, Deadman, Bronze Tiger and Atom to take on an array of evildoers ranging from mad scientists to intergalactic crooks, from power-mad dictators to out-of-control teenagers. He even travels to a parallel world, becoming the villainous Owlman! In this cool, cutting-edge and often funny series bringing back old-school comic-book styling and dry wit to crimefighting, Batman faces any peril including other heroes stealing the show in his relentless pursuit of justice.
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About Marc Eastman
Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.
