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STUDIO: Warner Home Video
MSRP: $9.99
RATED: Not rated
RUNNING TIME: 88 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES: Nada

The Pitch

The Dark Knight is taking a personal day.  The Caped Crusader is working this shift.

The Humans

Diedrich Bader, James Arnold Taylor, Dee Bradley Baker, John Di Maggio, Greg Ellis

The Nutshell

In somewhat of a return to the Caped Crusader days (before the long, dark night), Brave & The Bold spotlights a lighter, but just as serious, Batman as he teams with an array of superheroes to combat crime wherever he finds it.

The Lowdown

I was pleasantly surprised when I first caught Batman: The Brave & The Bold last year.  It really is a return to some of the lighter days of the character, back before Frank Miller touched off a 25-year midnight run with the character.  Love the tormented dark angst, don’t get me wrong, but a change can’t hurt now and then.  And with BBB, that change comes in the shape of a deadpan Caped Crusader, who tag teams crime with heroes both familiar and not.  He’s also staying away from the Justice League main cast of characters, rather teaming with the likes of Aquaman, Blue Beetle, Wildcat and Plastic Man of all people.  The episodes are light, fun, well written and entertaining. 


“I see Giganta’s going commando again.”

“Yup…”

Also fun is that they squeeze in a prologue with one hero and then get to the main story with another hero.  Sort of a appetizer before the main course.  The animation on this show is very Kirbyesque with the square jaws and right angles.  So the show is quite the gas.  The only drawback with this particular offering is – yet again – the bullshit four episode sampler.  For the millionth time, gimme the full season or don’t bother.  Regardless, the episodes featured here are:

– Day of the Dark Knight: Guy Gardner and Green Arrow
– Enter the Outsiders: Bwana Beast and Wildcat
– Dawn of the Deadman: Kamandi and Deadman, Green Arrow and Speedy
– Fall of the Blue Beetle: Silver Age Blue Beetle, Ted Kord and new Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes

The show also mixes in plenty of action and solidly-scripted plots with the occasional nod to the detective element.  Also digging the 1960s vibe of the whole thing  BBB is a good show to get your superhero fix on in a post–Justice League world.


“Everybody’s always with the chains these days.  Why, I can remember a time when villains took pride in tying a good knot.  Now it’s steel rope and padlocks.”

“Okay, seriously?”

The Package

Transfer of the episodes is flawless and the picture jumps off the screen, even in standard def.  Sound is available in English, Spanish and Portuguese Dolby Surround.  But just four episodes and no features.  Good show, weak disc.

 5.6 out of 10