Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Small Screen Specials, Series and Direct-To-Video
Post Reply
GeorgeC

Post by GeorgeC » March 4th, 2009, 2:39 am

Three new Brave and the Bold episodes airing in March...

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/ ... /index.htm

"Friday, March 6: "Game Over for Owlman!" -- On Earth, Owlman has been perpetrating crimes disguised as Batman and assembled all the villains to join him.

Friday, March 13: "Mystery in Space!" -- On his birthday, a melancholy Aquaman joins Batman for a space adventure on Adam Strange's home planet of Rann.

Friday, March 20: "Trials of the Demon!" -- In 19th century London, Jason Blood -- aka The Demon Etrigan -- has been framed for supernatural attacks perpetrated by Gentleman Ghost."


The Owlman episode has already been mentioned. It's the second part of a special longer story kicked off last week. Joker teams up with Batman against Owlman in this March 6th episode.

(It's a reversal of the previous week's team-up. FYI, for those NOT in the know, the counter-Earth version of The Joker was the heroic Red Hood! The origin of Red Hood's disfigurement in the previous episode is the traditional origin of The Joker on the mainline DC Multiverse Earth. Red Hood without his helmet looks like The Joker minus his red lips.

(Note that The Joker disfigurement scenario was reworked for Plastic Man's origin in an earlier episode, too. This show is already full of synchronicity.)

It's also the same day Watchman premieres in theaters so I'll probably tape this (anyway) regardless of whether I go to theater or not.

Looking forward most to the Adam Strange episode next. Besides seeing DC's second-tier sci-fi character animated again (he last appeared in The New Frontier), I kind of like the way Aquaman has been treated on the show. Beside the water-vortex powers (first demonstrated in the Filmation animated series in the 1960s), the foppish take on Aquaman is a great breather from the deadly serious (and dull) character he's evolved into in the comics.

The new (Etrigan the) Demon episode will be the second time the character has appeared on The Brave and the Bold and at least the fourth time the character has been animated in a DC animated series. The previous Etrigan appearances were in Batman: The Animated Series (1997-1999 season) and Justice League.

GeorgeC

Post by GeorgeC » March 18th, 2009, 3:05 am

I pretty much skipped the Adam Strange episode so I don't have much to say about it...

I'm not that big a fan of the Silver Age DC stuff even though I can appreciate the artwork.

Where DC really shines for me is its Golden Age.

There's no question to my mind that DC has the richest heritage of Golden Age characters. About the only remarkable Marvel Golden Age characters are The Sub-Mariner, the original Human (android) Torch, and Captain America. Cap was by far Golden Age Marvel's best.

Back to B & B...

The lead-in for the episode this Friday, "Trials of the Demon," features a team-up between Batman and The Flash.

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/ ... /index.htm


No, it's NOT Barry Allen. It's NOT Wally West, or Bart Allen, or John Fox.





.... It's the ORIGINAL Flash, Jay Garrick! It's this character's first on-screen appearance in animation. It's at least 68 years overdue in my opinion.

Yes, he's wearing his World War I doughboy feather-winged helmet, long-sleeved red undershirt with lightning emblem, alll the wacky rest that made him a visually distinct character in his prime.

Oh, and I love the fact that he's got gray-tinged hair!

There's NOTHING like a Golden Age hero.

Respect the past!

GeorgeC

Post by GeorgeC » March 18th, 2009, 9:42 am

http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/news.php#ni386

Brave and the Bold got picked up for 26 more episodes!

Looks like at 52 will be made...

AV Forum Member
AV Forum Member
Posts: 5192
Joined: September 27th, 2007

Post by EricJ » March 18th, 2009, 4:46 pm

GeorgeC wrote:Three new Brave and the Bold episodes airing in March...
Friday, March 13: "Mystery in Space!" -- On his birthday, a melancholy Aquaman joins Batman for a space adventure on Adam Strange's home planet of Rann.
And when we have Aquaman depicted as a cheery retro-camp buffoon....looks like Warner will NEVER get those Old CN biting-the-Hanna-Barbera-hand demons out of their bloodstream--
It's so buried so far in a generation of their DNA, they're not even aware it exists anymore. :(

(Me, I'll stick to more respectful Justice League incarnations on disk, thanks--
Plastic Man's already had his own series...And we've had a Jim Carrey "Mask" cartoon.)

AV Founder
AV Founder
Posts: 7261
Joined: October 23rd, 2004
Location: SaskaTOON, Canada

Post by Randall » March 18th, 2009, 11:21 pm

I love Jay Garrick! It's just something about the whole Hermes-meets-superhero costume. I've adored the whole Justice Society since first reading the 1979 JLA-JSA team-up! (And I now have almost all the All Star Archives, plus the 1970s run.)

BTW, technically, Garrick's very first animated appearance could be said to be in Justice League: The New Frontier, though that was just a silhouette. I know it hardly counts, but I had to mention it. ;)

GeorgeC

Post by GeorgeC » March 19th, 2009, 4:02 am

I agree.

There is something special about the JSA.

It's not just a team but a group of friends who HAPPEN to be the first true generation of superheroes. They are the neatest elderly superheroes in comics. I love them, wrinkles and all.

There was a great 10-issue Justice Society comic published in the 1990s (one of the FEW bright spots in that dark era which has continued to this day) that encapsulated what was best about the original JSA AND capitalized on those friendships. It was written by Len Wein and drawn by the late Mike Parobeck in an "animated" style. That was Parobeck's major assignment prior to getting the Batman: The Animated Series comic boook spin-off.

My one complaint -- I just can't buy the current JSA comic as being about the real JSA. That group ceased existing in the mid-1990s because of a bad comic mini-series called Zero Hour and mainly because of a certain DC editor (Mike Carlin) who couldn't stand "the geezers." Such is the danger when you let certain people who don't appreciate the past get too much power... At least DC let Hal Jordan come back less than 20 years later!

Yes, The Flash/Jay Garrick, Green Lantern/Alan Scott, and Wilcat/Ted Grant were allowed to continue living but the rest of the team was stupidly wiped out and replaced by new versions of these characters. I also miss the Earth-2 Superman who happens to be my favorite version of Superman. (Yes, I know he's appearing in the next GL mini-series but he's technically a "soulless zombie" in that series and it's just not a dignified way to reintroduce the first real superhero...) The new versions of the deceased JSA guys, while not all bad, just are not the same. Neither is the "new JSA" really the Justice Society of America, either.

At least the original JSA continues in the reprints.

I've gotta get more of those. Those comics ARE a lot of fun to read! Way, way better entertainment for my buck than the later JLA comics.

Glad to see someone working on Batman: The Brave and the Bold sees the fun in those characters. Jay Garrick's appearance marks the THIRD major JSA member to appear on that show after Dr. Fate and Wildcat.

AV Founder
AV Founder
Posts: 7261
Joined: October 23rd, 2004
Location: SaskaTOON, Canada

Post by Randall » March 19th, 2009, 9:53 am

That 1990s JSA comic was absolutely fantastic. I re-read those issues over and over, perhaps the last series I can say that about. The JSA Returns mini also had some good issues, especially one by Mark Waid with Flash and Mr. Teriffic.

I like the current JSA series, though will likely drop it when Geoff Johns stops writing it. (It's the only DC I'm currently buying anymore, though I still get some trades/hardcovers).

And I agree. Stupid Carlin.

User avatar
AV Founder
AV Founder
Posts: 25294
Joined: October 22nd, 2004
Location: London, UK

Post by Ben » March 19th, 2009, 5:16 pm

Sorry to butt in, but just wanted to say that <I>Smallville</I> has run a couple of very cool episodes too. I know it's not the show it used to be, and has run so far off the rails as to put you hard core comics guys off, but when it hits, it so hits the Kal-El legend on the head. The show I refer to, which I don't believe we're too far behind from the US, was the one leading up to Chloe's wedding to Jimmy: some lovely allusions to the mythos and crackling Lois and Clark moments.

I was wavering on the last series and this, but it seems to have gotten a bit of mojo back. If it can keep it up for a few more episodes, and if they stick to starting to round this out over the next season instead of the treading water they often do, it's still worth sticking around for, but c'mon guys, just change the show's title to <I>Metropolis</I> and keep it going!

AV Forum Member
AV Forum Member
Posts: 1347
Joined: January 23rd, 2006
Location: The Middle of Nowhere

Post by eddievalient » March 19th, 2009, 8:06 pm

It's been confirmed that Smallville has been picked up for a ninth season. Personally, I don't know how to feel about that. I don't get CW where I live so I've been following the show on dvd (currently watching season four), but I do keep track of the general storyline. I kind of feel like they should let it end with season eight, if only because the big bad this year is Doomsday and I can't see them doing a bigger bad next season. What they should have done is let this be the last year and in the finale, have a Clark/Doomsday slugfest in which to save the city (and possibly the world) Clark has to go public and reveal his powers. I really don't understand why nothing like that crossed their minds, or if it did why didn't they act on it? Ah well, I've committed myself to seeing the whole series regardless, so all I can do is hope that when they do come to the finale, it's something appropriately epic.
The Official Lugofilm Ltd Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/bartsimpson83

User avatar
AV Founder
AV Founder
Posts: 25294
Joined: October 22nd, 2004
Location: London, UK

Post by Ben » March 20th, 2009, 9:25 am

Agreed that this current Doomsday type storyline might have been a way to go out. I don't agree with CK having to reveal his powers - too far from the myth - but maybe having to become Superman to save the day and thus be introduced that way would be cool.

I always thought the idea was to have the final shot be Clark in The Costume, flying off into the legend we know. I'm more intrugued as to how they're eventually going to introduce the glasses to the character though: I'm all for the intro of various figures that we know he will <I>eventually</I> meet, but we're at the point now that he's not going to change appearance anytime soon, so the glasses aren't going to hide anyone's identity if they don't sort some reason for it out soon.

AV Forum Member
AV Forum Member
Posts: 1347
Joined: January 23rd, 2006
Location: The Middle of Nowhere

Post by eddievalient » March 20th, 2009, 10:30 am

There was an episode where Clark had to wear glasses, but it was only temporary.Too bad they didn't keep it as a permanent disguse. As it is, when he finally does become Superman, everyone who knows Clark will know that he's Superman because he doesn't have any disguise whatsoever. How are they going to deal with that issue, I wonder?
The Official Lugofilm Ltd Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/bartsimpson83

User avatar
AV Founder
AV Founder
Posts: 25294
Joined: October 22nd, 2004
Location: London, UK

Post by Ben » March 20th, 2009, 11:22 am

Exactly my point. They're going to need to get the glasses thing going soon so that close people "forget" what he looked like before he wore them...so that the "Clark Kent wears glasses, Superman doesn't wear glasses" trick has some chance.

GeorgeC

Post by GeorgeC » April 16th, 2009, 3:38 pm

Series Update:

No new "Brave and the Bold" episodes until May. April is all repeats.

The series has been a success in ratings for Cartoon Network and a second order of 26 episodes have been placed bringing the total production run to 52.

As of this April, roughly half the original production slate of episodes (maybe 11-13) have actually aired...

52 episode runs are typical for animation runs nowadays.

"B & B" will probably be on the air for at least 3 years now... I think we can expect to see a Season 1 or Season 1, Part 1 DVD set by late this year, early next year...

GeorgeC

40% off on Blu-Ray discs at Barnes & Noble

Post by GeorgeC » April 16th, 2009, 6:06 pm

HOLY CRISIS, BATMAN!

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/ ... /index.htm

The next new episode of "The Brave and the Bold" airs May 1st. It's titled "Enter the Huntress!" The main story teams up Batman, Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), and the Huntress. It's the modern Huntress but wearing the pre-Crisis Earth 2 outfit. Guest-villains are Babyface, Mrs. Babyface, and the Babyface gang. Looks very good!

The teaser for the episode features Black Canary and Solomon Grundy "born on a Monday."

Clips from the new episode in iPod-compatible format and stills are up.

As great as the art for this TV series is, it's a crying shame there ISN'T a theatrical series featuring the Golden Age and Early Silver Age DC character designs. They work so well in animation! I'd love to see a Golden Age-style Batman short series, new Golden Age Superman shorts (done with the Earth-2 "S" logo to differentiate from the Fleischer version), and other characters as well (Alan Scott/Green Lantern might be pretty good, too).

Studios just don't think there's a market for new shorts --- even if they did them limited-animation style in ways that work and are more economical than full animation.

GeorgeC

Post by GeorgeC » May 8th, 2009, 4:17 pm

http://news.toonzone.net/articles/29757 ... ing-to-dvd

First DVD collection of Brave and the Bold episodes is being released on August 25th...

I was hoping for a box set. I may wait on it if that's the case.

I doubt there'll be much in the way of extras on this DVD release.

For some of us, it might be the only way to see a quality release of the show for a while.

In the meantime, new episodes of the series begin airing tonight at 8 PM EST or 8:30 PM EST depending on the schedule. Last week's planned episode was bumped to tonight so the Huntress episode is what airs tonight.

Post Reply