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The Daily OrangeThe light knight
'Batman: The Brave and the Bold' delivers with light hearted interpretation that's never afraid to have fun
By Flash Steinbeiser
Posted: 11/1/09, 11:47 PM EST Section: Clicker
It's time for a not-so-dark knight. After years of being portrayed as the ever-brooding dark vigilante, the caped crusader has finally loosened up in Cartoon Network's "Batman: The Brave and the Bold."
The premise is simple. In each episode, Batman teams up with a different superhero chum to thwart some of the most outlandishly diabolical plans brewed up by colorful super villains like Gorilla Grodd, Clock King and Black Manta. If this all sounds a bit too goofy for the dark superhero, that's because it is.
It is this inherent, almost self-conscious, goofiness that gives the series such charm. "The Brave and the Bold" is reminiscent of a time when Batman didn't always have to be the grim crime fighter that we always see him as today. This carefree attitude comes as a breath of fresh air while the overly gloomy movie "The Dark Knight" is still fresh in everybody's mind. In fact, this is the first incarnation of Batman that routinely cracks funny jokes.
The show respectfully draws much of its inspiration from the campness of the 1960s Batman series with Adam West. The suggestive parts that worked in the classic show stay in "The Brave in the Bold" while the more unsavory aspects are left out, namely shark-repellent bat spray.
Diedrich Bader ("The Drew Carey Show") takes the vocal responsibilities for the world's greatest detective. Having done plenty of voice acting within the bat universe in previous animated incarnations of the character, such as the "The Batman" (2006) and "Batman Beyond" (1999), Bader proves that this isn't his first rodeo. Skillfully walking the line between the realistic voice and a cartoonish one, Diedrich plays to the shows tongue-in-cheek silliness without ever going over the top.
"The Brave and the Bold" was elevated to new heights with the special guest appearance of TV personality Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) as the "Music Meister." Making use of Harris' singing talent, the entire episode becomes a musical. Needless to say, if booming musical numbers, Harris and Batman don't show you how much fun this show loves to have, nothing will.
The premise is simple. In each episode, Batman teams up with a different superhero chum to thwart some of the most outlandishly diabolical plans brewed up by colorful super villains like Gorilla Grodd, Clock King and Black Manta. If this all sounds a bit too goofy for the dark superhero, that's because it is.
It is this inherent, almost self-conscious, goofiness that gives the series such charm. "The Brave and the Bold" is reminiscent of a time when Batman didn't always have to be the grim crime fighter that we always see him as today. This carefree attitude comes as a breath of fresh air while the overly gloomy movie "The Dark Knight" is still fresh in everybody's mind. In fact, this is the first incarnation of Batman that routinely cracks funny jokes.
The show respectfully draws much of its inspiration from the campness of the 1960s Batman series with Adam West. The suggestive parts that worked in the classic show stay in "The Brave in the Bold" while the more unsavory aspects are left out, namely shark-repellent bat spray.
Diedrich Bader ("The Drew Carey Show") takes the vocal responsibilities for the world's greatest detective. Having done plenty of voice acting within the bat universe in previous animated incarnations of the character, such as the "The Batman" (2006) and "Batman Beyond" (1999), Bader proves that this isn't his first rodeo. Skillfully walking the line between the realistic voice and a cartoonish one, Diedrich plays to the shows tongue-in-cheek silliness without ever going over the top.
"The Brave and the Bold" was elevated to new heights with the special guest appearance of TV personality Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) as the "Music Meister." Making use of Harris' singing talent, the entire episode becomes a musical. Needless to say, if booming musical numbers, Harris and Batman don't show you how much fun this show loves to have, nothing will.
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