Review: Batman: The Brave and the Bold

You know how last August I said I wanted superhero shows that were okay being campy?  Well, it may not be a live action show, but I definitely got my wish with Batman: The Brave and the Bold.  This show seems to not only celebrate all things Batman - from the list of villains, to superheroes, to references to previous Batman iterations - but have fun doing it.  It's definitely a campy cartoon more in the style of the Adam West Batman series than Batman The Animated Series.  It's not quite as campy as Adam West, which is made obvious when there's an entire episode made in that style with the vertical wall climbing, the Holy ___, Batman! lines, and the giant POW!, BIFF!, and BOP! bubbles appearing when people hit each other.

The general formula of the show seems to be this: start with Batman teaming up with one superhero against some villain near the end of a fight/crime, show them being awesome and quippy, then capture the villain and play the show's theme song.  Then start a whole new crime to solve with a completely different villain and superhero team up that has nothing to do with that first one.  I like this format because you get to see even more of the ridiculous villains and superheroes of the DC universe, like Crazy Quilt (a guy who REALLY likes colors I guess?), Ace the Bat-Hound (exactly what it sounds like), and Detective Chimp (essentially a Sherlock Holmes in Chimp form).  Since the show switches characters so frequently, you don't really get any back story on anyone, it kind of just assumes you'll know about them or can look stuff up on your own.  At least that's my impression.  I do believe every one of these characters comes from either Batman's roster or one of the other superhero's rosters based on some of Green Lantern and Iron Man's earliest villains, so it really makes me want to go back and see where these ridiculous ideas came from.

The cast of the show is pretty phenomenal.  Wil Wheaton makes an appearance, Michael Dorn, Kevin Conroy (in one of the most amazing reversal episodes ever), Adam West, Paul Reubens, Will Friedle, John DiMaggio, Neil Patrick Harris (of course starring in a musical episode), and a whole bunch of other people I'm sure I recognize, but don't know their names.  I don't know how good this show would be if you don't get any of the references to things, though.  Like if you don't recognize the Batman: The Animated Series intro, then when they spoof it in one episode, you're not going to understand how totally awesome and clever they are.  If you don't recognize that show's Batman, Lex Luthor, or Lois Lane, then Kevin Conroy's episode won't be nearly as entertaining.  But if you are someone who grew up on and adored that show and all DC cartoons in that era, then this show is an amazing homage to that, with plenty of entertainment on its own to offer.  It is definitely a kid's cartoon, though, so if you're looking for something serious or with any continuity past two episodes, this is not the show for you.