The new Cartoon Network show Batman: The Brave and the Bold swaps the traditional noir tinge of such Batman cartoons like the original animated series and Batman Beyond (we’ll just forget about the recent “The Batman” OK?) in favor of a more sunny, pop art approach, and I for one couldn’t be happier about it.

Not that I have anything against the previous series — I think they’re great fun — but I’ve really had my fill of uber-serious Batman. I was talking to a fellow blogger the other day who told me he feels like he never needs to read another Green Lantern comic again. I sorta feel the same way about gloomy Batman, the Dark Knight movie notwithstanding.

Which is a roundabout way of me saying that if you prefer your Batman grim and gritty, you’re probably not going to like this cartoon. If, however, you like fun, action-packed cartoons that avoid camp while still managing to not take themselves too seriously, you’ll enjoyBatman: The Brave and the Bold.

For those who aren’t up on the show, it’s follows the basic premise of the original comic book, with Batman teaming up with a different DC hero each episode. The intial screener episode I saw allegedly featured the Blue Beetle, so imagine my surprise when it opened with a beardless Green Arrow and Batman facing off against the Clock King.

Confusion aside, I thought the prologue did a nice job of setting up the tone for the series. It’s a decidedly pointed homage to the campy ’60s TV show, with big, overwrought death traps, over the top villains and witty banter between the two protagonists. Two minutes in and I already had a goofy grin on my face.

I should also mention my appreciation for the opening credits sequence, with Batman crawling up and over and around words and letters shaped into skyscraper-like structures. I’m also pretty sure I saw Kamandi in the drive-by of “characters who will eventually appear in this show,” so hey, there’s something to look forward to.

But then the scene quickly shifts and we’re in the home of teen-age superhero Blue Beetle. I imagine this sort of intro/main storyline allows the animators to cram two characters in each episode, but the switcheroo felt abrupt and forced to me and I think I’d rather they stick with one guest star per episode.

Anyway, the plot follows the basic “young hero learns to trust himself” theme. Blue Beetle idolizes Batman and doesn’t feel he can measure up, but nevertheless gets the opportunity to do so when his suit inexplicably sends him and the caped crusader through a wormhole to the other end of the galaxy (they had been in space attempting to stop an incoming meteor you see).

Once there they come upon a race of amoeba-like beings called the Gibbles that are being menaced by the evil Kanjar Ro (and if ever there was a Saturday morning supervillain designed to elicit boos and hisses from his audience, he would be it).

Of course, it’s here that Beetle gets his chance to strut his stuff since the Gibbles having regarded his predecessor as their savior. And, of course, BB lets his initial success get to his head, which leads to a initial defeat before Beetle learns to heed the Batman’s advice and how you don’t need a suit or powers or fancy weapons to be a hero and blah, blah, blah.

But if the plot is about 100 miles south of original Brave and the Bold nevertheless has charm to spare. I like how the show allows for some quick jokes and Simpsons-like asides (I especially enjoyed a flashback involving Beetle’s attempt to get a kitten out of a tree), but never lets the humor steal away from the drama and character development.

What I’m not so crazy about is the computer animation. Despite their best efforts to give the show a cartoonish, Dick Sprang look and feel, a few of the characters and a number of the backgrounds have an awkward, “Made on a Mac” artificiality to them that grated on me as the show progressed.

I’m also not necessarily fond of the opening and closing narration by Batman, a ponderous interior monologue that attempts to provide a bit of gravitas to the proceedings by declaring how much he loves Green Arrow, but in a totally manly, heterosexual way, or droning on and on about how he wanted to see what kind of stuff Beetle was made of, etc.

But of course, let’s remember that despite it’s all-ages appeal, Batman: The Brave and the Bold is primarily a kids show. And it’s a very good one at that. It’s that rare show that appeals to the eight-year-old without pandering. And hey, how rare is that these days?

Oh, also Batman apparently has a flexible sword in his belt. Who knew?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 at 1:38 pm and is filed under Animation, DC Comics, News & Views, Reviews, Television. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.