Batman: the Brave and the Bold Volume 1
The Darknight Detective teams up some some of the more underrated and lesser known DC heroes
Tags: Batman: the Brave and the Bold Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Aug 26th, 2009
It seems that Batman has been on television in animated form in one version or another since the popularity of the 1989 film kicked things off. While we have seen a bit of a continuation of the (then) film franchise, a future Batman, and a complete re-imagining of the character (at least in animated form). Now with Batman: The Brave And The Bold we are not getting the continuing story of the Caped Crusader, but instead getting a series of stories, that much like the comic I grew up with, simply teams The Dark Knight with a number of other characters from the DC universe.
Presented on this DVD we get the first 4 episodes of the series as they were initially presented. This means that we don’t get the full season, and could look forward to more releases in a similar nature. That’s alright, really, since the whole thing is disjointed with the television continuity anyway. DC’s history has been reshuffled and retroactively altered so many times it’s pointless to keep track.
For this incarnation of Batman, we harken back to the 50’s in terms of look and feel. Lighter in tone that one might be used to, the series doesn’t shy away from being modern in terms of technology or storytelling. The head of Batman especially is reminiscent of the 50’s style comics. Other characters, however, are very modern, such as Blue Beetle, who is in his third incarnation in the comics, which is represented here.
Some of the heroes in the main storyline aren’t what viewers initially expect. The opening episode starts off with Batman and Green Arrow tied up and in grave peril. Conventional storytelling would have this pre-credits sequence segue into a flashback as to how the two got into the situation, then tell how they escape and capture the criminal. Instead, in the full pre-credit sequence, the two heroes escape, capture the criminal, and after the credits roll, we get a completely different story focusing on Batman and Blue Beetle. Other heroes that appear in these episodes include Aquaman, Plastic Man, The Atom, and The Red Tornado.
With no special features and without the full season, this is a nice diversion, but we know that Warner Brothers could do so much better. As it is, this is a nice introduction to the series, but for serious fans and collectors, this isn’t a package to even consider picking up.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
| + Fun costumed heroics | 7.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Not the full season - No special features |
|
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| A bit lighter fare, but enjoyable for all types of Bat-fans. Not sure why the full season isn't presented. | |
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Tags: Batman: the Brave and the Bold
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Aug 26th, 2009 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
