Cartoon Review - Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Name: Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Executive Producer(s): James Tucker

Network: Cartoon Network

Rating: B+

Premiere: November 14, 2008

Okay, imagine that you are someone that just saw The Dark Knight this summer, and you loved it. Then you hear about a new Batman cartoon coming in a few months. You would think it would be a lot like the movie, wouldn't you? Featuring a dark and serious Batman, facing off against a bunch of Gotham villains. By himself with no Robin or Batgirl. Turn the TV on the day of the premiere, and you find out that you were dead wrong.

Congratulations, for you have come across something that hasn't been seen for YEARS...a light-hearted Batman cartoon! For you see, Batman: The Brave and the Bold isn't your average Batman cartoon. Based on the 50s comic series, Brave and the Bold, this series involves Batman leaving Gotham City and teaming up with heroes such as Blue Beetle and Wildcat, and facing off against villains like Gentleman Ghost and Black Manta. Actually, Batman is just here to draw you into the series, with the main attraction being the "hero of the week" he happens to be with. The real fun in the series is how Batman gets along with his partner, and how the overall problem ends up being solved. The series is simply a well-thought out excuse to showcase the various heroes and villains the DC Comics Universe, something that I truly enjoy. After all, without Batman being the header, characters like B'wana Beast would never make it to animation.

The artwork in this series is quite retro and harkens back to the Silver Age era of comics. The characters are often well-designed and the animation is well-done. Dialogue can be cheesy at times, but that just adds to the fun of this series. The series has no real storyline, unlike many of the other action series on Cartoon Network. If you only like a dark Batman, then its extremely likely that you will hate this series. Either way, this show gets a B+ from me.