Warner Home Video
Release date: November 10, 2009
MSRP: $14.98
88 minutes
Warner Bros. Animation’s latest DC Comics-based Cartoon Network series, Batman: The Brave and the Bold is a throwback to the classically drawn, lighter superhero cartoons of the 1960s. Each episode teams a clever, bantering Batman (Diedrich Bader) with guest heroes.
In contrast to the currently popular realistic interpretations of Batman, the tone here is fanciful without crossing into silly. Typically there is a short standalone adventure before the opening credits, followed by a longer main adventure. The single-disc Volume 2 includes four 22-minute episodes:
Day of the Dark Knight! – Merlin (David McCallum) transports Batman and Green Arrow back to Camelot to retrieve Excalibur and thwart Morgan Le Fay’s takeover of Arthur’s kingdom.
Enter The Outsiders! – Batman and Wildcat (R. Lee Ermey) battle a group of misguided super-powered teens.
Dawn of the Deadman! – Buried alive by Gentleman Ghost, Batman uses a secret meditation technique to seek help from Deadman (Michael Rosenbaum).
Fall of the Blue Beetle! – Newly-minted Beetle Jaime Reyes (Will Friedle) lands in peril on an impetuous quest to learn more about the former Beetles.
There are no special features, but this is a nice sample of the series.
–Gerald So
