Jason Todd. The name now invokes dread for comic book fans for several reasons. The first being the obnoxious punk who fans couldn’t get to the phone lines fast enough to kill off. The next a ghost that haunted the Dark Knight, a point that was brought up as often as the death of Thomas & Martha Wayne. The final reason a resurrected character that may just be the biggest example of a comic book company doing something grandiose but not knowing, or understanding, what to do after the original idea got executed.
In any event, DC Animation later this month will be retelling the story arc that brought Jason Todd back among the living in the DCU in Batman: Under The Red Hood. The storyline was originally told in the pages of Batman #635-641 (came out in December of 2004), and 645-650 (April of 2006) (642-644 appears to be a special stand alone issues for some reason) as well as Batman Annual # 25 from 2006. Batman 635-641 were collected in Batman: Under The Hood vol. 1 which came out in 2005, and 645-650 and the annual were collected in vol. 2 in 2006.
Most comic fans, or at least the ones following Batman titles, should know the story of Jason Todd, or at least the Post-Crisis version, but just in case you don’t, here is what you need to know. Basically street urchin found by Batman trying to jack the wheels off the Bat-mobile, becomes the second Robin. DC put it to a fan call-in vote to kill him off, which they do and he dies by the hands of The Joker. He later becomes a “symbol” by Bruce about the cost of his private war on crime with a memorial in the Bat Cave and constant mentions about being a lost partner.
The first “inkling” about Jason returning came within Jeph Loeb’s “Hush” storyline, where Batman fights Hush in Batman 617-618 in 2003. Hush reveals himself to be Jason Todd, but in reality it was Clayface and it was all part of the mind games being played on Bruce. We jump to 2006’s Infinite Crisis and the now infamous “Superboy Prime Time Wall Punches” which caused all sorts of changes to DC continuity in yet another attempt by DC to “fix” problems caused by earlier continuity “fixes.” Jason Todd returning to life, though everyone, including himself, knows that he died (to be fair this is common in most resurrection stories, it just seems comical that this happened due to a change in time but nothing really “changed”).
And so, Judd Winick was given the task to spin the tale in the Batman title of Jason Todd’s return to Gotham, which is where presumably the new movie will start. The first volume of the story introduces Todd as The Red Hood, a new take on an identity The Joker used in a Golden Age story, as well as a supposed “origin” used by Alan Moore for The Killing Joke (supposedly since Joker even says in that story, "I prefer his origin to be multiple choice") who is acting as a masked Punisher like vigilante killing off thugs that he finds. Red Hood is finding these thugs by working under the cover as a psychotic villain, and trying to muscle his way onto Black Mask’s turf.
Now this story takes place just after the War Games storyline, so Bruce is cut off from just about all of his usual supporting cast, except for Nightwing who drops by in #636 to help Bruce working on a case, pun slightly intended as it actually is a case, or crate shipment that Batman is trying to prevent. A bomb explodes on one of the crates, and Bruce and Dick meet the Red Hood for the first time.
The cargo turns out to be for Black Mask and is Amazo, a super villain with the powers of members of The Justice League. Batman and Nightwing have a decent fight and dispose of Amazo, which angers Black Mask. Black Mask’s feelings perk up when Red Hood calls him up to say that he managed to pilfer a crate not touched by the original Dynamic Duo, a crate loaded with Kryptonite. Red Hood essentially tries to sell the stuff, to which Black Mask orders Mr. Freeze to go out and kill Red Hood. This brings us to the second meeting of Batman and Red Hood, but Red Hood and Freeze get away before any good old fashioned fighting goes down.
#637 then ends with Red Hood visiting the Joker in his abandoned circus hideout and unleashing a beating not unlike the one Joker gave him in Batman #427 and revealing to the readers that yes, this is in fact Jason Todd.
The rest of volume 1 of the story is Bruce working on the suspicion he has. Based on the familiarity he felt when fighting the Red Hood in the first place, this could actually be Jason Todd. He and Zatanna first investigate Ra’s Al Ghul’s Lazarus Pits to see if any have been opened recently. They then visit Jason Blood, aka Etrigan The Demon, to find out how one can be resurrected. Finally Batman has a talk with both Green Arrow, (of which, as well as his conversation with Zatanna, seems to imply that Bruce knows about the mind wipe that Zatanna did to him in Identity Crisis) and Superman about their respective returns from the dead.
#641 wraps up with the start of the fight between Red Hood and Batman that started issue #635 with Jason Todd revealing himself to Batman. The two have a discussion; right in the open with their masks off, about how to handle crime in Gotham. Well, actually Todd has his Robin style domino mask. Turns out the resurrection has made Jason Todd angrier and more willing to go beyond Bruce’s moral code about killing or crossing lines. And the first volume ends with the final panel of #641 with Bruce telling Alfred to keep the Todd memorial case up as Todd’s return “doesn’t change anything at all.”
Batman: Under the Hood-Volume 1:
Editor's Note: Tune in tomorrow for volume two of Batman: Under the Red Hood.
Posted by SteveJRogers
Smallville, the series many thought wouldn't last, has just been renewed for a tenth season. It's move to Friday nights has been a good ratings move for the CW network.
This year has had some memorable moments, including the highly anticipated "Absolute Justice" special which featured the Justice Society. The series has had many high profile DC characters appear throughout it's run. We've had Flash, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Cyborg, Zatanna, Black Canary and Martian Manhunter.
There is one very notable name missing from that list. Batman.
This isn't due to any reluctance of part of Smallville's creative team. Actually, they've reportedly ask Warner Brothers every year for permission to include Bruce Wayne. Every year they are denied. Why? It's called the Bat-Embargo.
The Bat-Embargo is a mandate from Warner Brothers not to include Batman or various Batman characters in other DC media for fear of diluting the franchise and confusing the public from Chris Nolan's film series. It started around the production of "Batman Begins", although Smallville had already been attempting to get Bruce Wayne for a while.
This problem affected the Justice League cartoon series. They had wanted to include Batgirl for an episode but were forced to substitute her for Huntress (ironically another Batman character). Tim Drake and Cassandra Cain did appear, but were reduced to nameless cameos.
The Bat-Embargo has gotten more relaxed as time has gone by, yet Smallville still hasn't been given the green light. We already have a Batman in the movies and one on the "Brave and the Bold" cartoon series. We even almost had a "young Dick Grayson" live action drama before that was thankfully vetoed. Would a guest shot in Smallville by Bruce Wayne really hurt?
Interestingly enough, Smallville was very close to becoming a "young Bruce Wayne" type series. You can see the full evolution of that project here, but needless to say it eventually evolved into "Batman Begins" and "Smallville". Season three also introduced a character name Adam Knight who many thought was Bruce Wayne in disguise. I recall being a viewer during those episodes and the speculation and guessing that even had me fooled. The creative team said Knight was never intended to be Bruce Wayne, but rumors persist that it was their original plan but things changed.
Green Arrow has taken on a role similar to Bruce Wayne within the show. He even had a Kryptonite ring last year. I sometimes wonder if this could have Bruce Wayne instead of Oliver Queen had plans been different. It's a mixed blessing though, as Smallville has done a lot to revitalize the character of Green Arrow to the general public.
Season ten will most likely be Smallville's last year. It's past time they had Bruce Wayne on. If he could do a musical number with Neil Patrick Harris on Cartoon Network, then he should spar with Tom Welling on Smallville.
Posted by Josh
Batman joins the newly reformed Justice League of America in issue number 41 of the JLA written by James Robinson, penciled by Mark Bagley and ably inked by Hunter, Alquiza, and Wong.
First and foremost, what is the most striking detail about this issue? The continuity problem! Not only does this issue take place after Blackest Night is over it also spoils the ending to “Justice League: Cry for Justice”. So anyone who wants an advanced look at how that series ends, help yourselves! (Not that “Cry” has exactly set the world on fire. Also written by Robinson, it is now running late.)
Batman does not take a central role in this book as it is, of course, a team up affair. The story starts out with a disconsolate Donna Troy ready to walk away from it all. Burnt out and “beaten down” Troy happens across a crime scene where children are being held hostage in a hospital and she is forced to act. After securing the children and stuffing the bad guys, she openly questions herself, lashes out at Wonder Woman and proclaims, “I am done.”
Or not.
After a short lecture from Wonder Woman and a brief interlude through America’s colonial period (with a sidebar trip to the Smithsonian, which serves as a future JLA storyline) Troy relents and starts the recruitment process. Starfire and Cyborg quickly sign up and Troy takes off to Gotham City. Here we catch up with the Caped Crusaders in the middle of a beat down of some poor Killer Moth wannabe’s. The new Batman and Robin are at their acrobatic best and seem to be following the Judd Winick model. Lighter in attitude and much less grimmer in tone. The action stops as Troy appears on the scene and says not bad to "Batman". Batman, in quotes, as she knows it is Dick Grayson beneath the cowl. She compliments the duo and refers to Damian as a kid. Cue comedic retort from the new Damian Robin, “Kid?” he says, “How dare you Harlot.” Funny and not too far off as Donna Troy is sporting a skin tight cat suit that might be more appropriate to the bedroom than a back alley.
The two exchange some small talk and catch up quickly. Batman tells Donna that he just put down “Yellow Wasp” and is on the trail of a bigger evil doer called” The Broker” who has been setting up hideouts and putting together groups for what may be a larger storyline in the future. He correctly deduces Donna hasn’t arrived for chit-chat and asks her if her visit means she wants him to join the Justice League. She is amazed at his deductive prowess (he cheated) and the seal the deal with a groan inducing “fist bump”. Again, from the Winick model? Of course if she had asked me to join the League I would have told she had me at revealing, skin tight jump suit that barely covers her ample, um, attributes. Just sayin’. (Oh yes, Damian says he's in too.)
The story continues as Donna goes off to recruit the new Dr. Light, Mon-El as the Superman sub, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow. The final panel is a full pager and is a nice portrait of the Hal Jordan Green Lantern and Batman.
The artwork seems a bit rushed but the inking was fine. Like I said, the last panel is pretty cool and Mon El gets a nice action splash page. The story? Well, it is a reboot of the JLA series, so Robinson had to fit in a lot threads just to pull each character in. Hopefully future plots will be tighter. I’m curious how large a role the Dick Grayson Batman will play in this series and if he will continue the lighter tone discussed earlier. I’m actually hoping he’ll keep the cape and cowl and stay on as Batman in the JLA even after Bruce Wayne returns. There is more than one Green Lantern after all. Anyone think DC has the guts to allow that angle?
Yeah, I didn’t think so either.
Justice League of America #41:
Reviewed by Dark Knight Dave
Here is our final episode for the reboot of BBFB, The Ring, The Arrow and the Bat. This introduces Bruce to other DCU heroes in an adventure that overlaps two stories involving Oliver Queen. It's fairly entertaining and a good introduction to the Green Arrow and Hal Jordan as well as giving us an idea of Batman's attitude to teaming up. If you would like to see more BBFB episodes on this blog please comment below and we can arrange it otherwise thanks for keeping up and please keep listening to the comic podcast for future BBFB episodes. I still have plenty more to review as I read through the dark knights career. Keep reading!
Posted by Nick
Synopsis: Aquaman takes the family, Mera and Jr. for a road trip vacation but not without a little side action hero’s style along the way.
The teasers reveals Batman pairing up with the World War I fighter pilot “Enemy Ace” to take on an alien monster who’s helping the enemy with the aid of a laser type cannon.
Holiday rooooooooooad. It’s Aquaman meets the Griswold’s as the family of 3 hits the road RV style for some long overdue R & R. This episode follows the family across land as they try some time away from the crime fighting life but not if Aquaman can help it. Each stop his itching for getting some bad guys grows more and more. Along the trip he encounters and aids the likes of Green Arrow, Blue Beetle, and of course the Caped Crusader all while trying to keep it hush hush with his wife Mera. In the end the king of the ocean must take on the (so to speak) flightless bird the Penguin (his first appearance in BTBTB) in the risk of his family, Batman, and his own demise! Over all a very fun episode, I would have liked to see Flash, or even Superman thrown in. They did show Smallville on the map as they were trotting around the country, so maybe the Man of Steel is in things to come? A couple observations; Aquaman in BTBTB reminds of me of Kelsey Grammar as “Frasier”, anyone see the resemblance? And I did notice one throwback to the 1983 cult classic National Lampoons Vacation “Windows up!” All in all a great episode and great quality of a story!!
BTBTB: Aquaman's Outrageous Adventure:
Reviewed by rhine1784
The fate of Batman finally revealed? Bruce Wayne rises from the dead? The latest horror from the Blackest Night is none other than our own Caped Crusader?
In a stunning development from the ongoing DC universe series “Blackest Night” the skull of Bruce Wayne (that was ripped from its resting place by the villain Black Hand) has now been used as the instrument to induce the deaths of some of Earths greatest heroes.
You heard that right. But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. In the latest issue of “Blackest Night” (number 5) the arch villain, Nekron, stands astride the resting place of seven million souls that once populated Coast City the home of Earth’s Green Lantern, Hal Jordan. Seemingly, only Barry Allen stands between Nekron and the fate of our world but he is soon aided by Wally West and Earths mightiest heroes the Justice League of America. The battle hangs in the balance until these heroes are joined by the seven “New Guardians” of light (read Green Lantern #48 for more back story) led by Hal Jordan. As victory is within their grasp the grimmest manifestation of the “Darkest Knight” we have ever seen is resurrected.
People, you have to see this Cadaverous Crusader to believe it. In a two page splash Ivan Reiss, ably assisted by inkers Prado and Albert and colorist Sinclair, the guardian of Gotham takes on his most hideous incarnation ever. This Batman is both compelling and repellent. Truly, it is one of the most stunning representations of Batman to date. Worse yet, in this story Batman is used as the emotional tether that Nekron needed to bring about the deaths of Wonder Woman, Superman, Conner Kent, Bart Allen and the Green Arrow Oliver Queen. As this unholy Batman regurgitates Black Lantern rings Nekron calls those heroes to their deaths as he has held them from their everlasting demise all along.
As soon as this new gothic horror of Gotham descends upon us he is gone. Having served his purpose, “Bruce Wayne” as Nekron calls him, is banished to the afterlife once again and his connection is severed. In his wake stands a new dark vision of the JLA and the fates of Barry Allen and Hal Jordan hang by a thread.
Was this truly “Bruce Wayne”? Is Red Robin/Tim Drake wrong about his fate? What answers will be given in the delayed “Batman and Robin” issue #7 and how does it tie into Blackest Night #6? If you haven’t picked up the magnum opus that is Geoff Johns “Blackest Night” I urge you to do so. This series that was once a bit slow paced and frustrating has really taken off and may be one of the best story lines we seen in comic books in years.
Written by Dark Knight Dave
Season 2 of Batman: The Brave and the Bold is now underway. Warner Bros. kicked off the season with an interesting episode that reminds myself of a old Hanna Barbera cartoon, Wacky Races. Tiggerbrown and rhine1784 reviewed the show, so let's see what rating it gets.
Review: Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Death Race to Oblivion
Synopsis: Heroes and villains are forced to race each other in order to save the world from destruction by Mongul.
The teaser reveals the mindless aggressive “Blockbuster” against the Caped Crusader as he and Captain Marvel team up to foil his museum master plan. SHAZAM!
Ladies and Gentlemen….START YOUR ENGINES!! In episode 1 for Season 2, the BMBATB starts out Mad Max/Wacky Races style. The evil and tyrannical alien Mongul with the help of his artificial planet weapon “War Moon” puts the heroes and villains to epic test. They must race each other for the savior of planet earth. Batman, Plastic man, Catwoman, the Joker, Black Manta, the Green Arrow and many others join in on the ultimate race, survivor style. As friend and foe race against the champion Steppenwolf, the War Moon slowly begins to house the drivers who aren’t so lucky.
This is the exact sort of episode which makes BTBTB so wonderful. The story line and characters within are absolutely a perfect fit for this series. We do get to see a slightly different side of Batman, “When it comes to protecting Gotham, I have no friends”. Season 2 is definitely off with a bang and the quality is superb.
BTBTB: Death Race to Oblivion:
Reviewed by rhine1784
Next we move on to Tiggerbrown's review.
Review: Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Death Race to Oblivion
Do you remember the movie Death Race 2000? Jason Statham starred in the 2008 remake of the much cooler 1975 cult classic with David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone. When I read the title to the season two premiere of BTBTB I thought to myself, “Man, they’re getting serious.” But Dustin called it in the preview, this more like the cartoon Wacky Races than a high octane, blood and guts action film.
There’s no Penelope Pitstop or Muttly here, but the campy cast of DC heroes and villains do their best to ham it up. The story is pretty basic: Mongol transports a group of heroes and villains to a barren desert where he forces them to race against Steppenwolf for control of the Earth or be executed. Using a weapon called the Warmoon; Mongol threatens the home city of each hero and the entire world. Batman, Green Arrow, Huntress, Joker, Catwoman and others all get their vehicles primed for the race to save the Earth. If you’re not familiar with the classic 60’s cartoon Dustin was comparing this to, think Cannonball Run but with super heroes. Just a side note; if WB had decided to make a live action Batman feature film instead of Superman in 1978, Burt Reynolds may have easily become the face of the Dark Knight. Pretty scary thought, isn’t it?
The episode works best when played for laughs. The Joker shines in the role of comic relief playing the commentator as well as getting in some site gags such as using a giant whoopee cushion to put Black Manta out of the race. I also liked the decision to include Woozy Winks, Plastic Man’s oafish sidekick. His very 1940’s depiction fits perfectly with the old school tone of the episode. The more dramatic plot elements are where the episode drops the ball. For example, having Batman pretend to be ruthless in his attempt to win the race at the expense of the lives of the other drivers was unconvincing for any fan of the Caped Crusader. Even Mongol should know better! I suppose if your only introduction to Batman is from this series, the rivalry between Green Arrow and Batman may have convinced you.
The production value, animation and acting were all up to the usual high standard. While he’s no Mark Hamill, Jeff Bennett stands out above the rest as the Joker. I much prefer this throwback to the Dailies style than the attempted modernization in The Batman.
I also continue to like the BTBTB version of the Huntress. This incarnation may be the series’ most intriguing female character. I hope she is featured again.
I leave the prelude to last. Captain Marvel is one of my favorite all time super heroes. Billy Batson and the World’s Mightiest Mortal are portrayed true to the Whiz comic’s original characters, much more so than in the Clash episode of Justice League Unlimited (Although it was still pretty spectacular!). My only criticism is that his appearance was far too short. If there is one character that would fit this series to a tee, it is The Big Red Cheese! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a full length Batman and Captain Marvel team-up.
Overall this episode had its comedic moments, but isn’t exactly the direction I was hoping for after last season’s finale or the Music Meister.
BTBTB: Death Race to Oblivion:
Reviewed by Tiggerbrown
Overall, I would have to agree more with Tiggerbrown. The episode was enjoyable and reminded me of a cartoon from my childhood, but there was nothing special that would make me remember the episode a couple of months from now. Let's hope the the season two episodes have more and better things in store for us.
Posted by Dustin
So the final episode of season one has aired and did it go out with a bang or just sizzle? We hear from normal BTBTB reviewers Tiggerbrown and rhine1784. Starting off with rhine1784:
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Fate of the Equinox
Synopsis: Batman teams up with Fate to stop the balance obsessed Equinox from remaking the Universe in his own image.
The teaser, well it was good and bad. BMBATB fans finally have the privilege of seeing Harvey Dent against the Dark Knight. True to his colors, Two Face keeps his own world fair and balanced with a flip of the coin.
For a third time Batman is after Equinox and his goal of keeping the universe in perfect harmonic balance. But Fate lends a hand, Doctor Fate. With Fates mystical powers the two heroes take on Equinox by evening the playing field in a Brave and Bold manner. Batman takes on the powers of many of his super friends. Blue Beetle, Flash, Plastic Man, and Green Lantern just to name a few, have all their powers transferred to Batman for one final epic battle with Equinox.
This episode is very fantastical, but it works, and with all the DC characters that make an appearance, it very much had a Justice League vibe to it. I really enjoyed the way this story played out. The Fate of Equinox truly felt like the end of a three part story arc since he first appeared in the episode “Mystery in Space”. As usual the animation is first rate and the voice talents are absolutely wonderful. Although the title remains “Batman” The Brave and the Bold, skewing off into a Justice League vibe certainly won’t hurt my feelings!
BTBTB: Fate of the Equinox:
Moving on to Tiggerbrown:
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Fate of the Equinox
Season one of Batman the Brave and the Bold has mostly consisted of stand alone episodes; each one focusing on a different team-up with the Caped Crusader. The dynamic between the different hero match-ups is more often than not the predominant focal point of each story. Batman's "partner of the week" usually has some moral or behavioral conflict that impedes him from bringing the episode's bad guy to justice. There have been few repeat appearances, Green Arrow being one of the exceptions amongst the heroes, and the tone of the stories are usually light and kid friendly.
The season finale attempts to break the mold by bringing back Equinox as a serious arch villain and Dr. Fate as Batman's partner. The writers make a valiant attempt at creating an exciting hero vs. villain battle that explores the complex theme of chaos vs. order.
But before the main action begins, we are treated to a little crime noir vignette starring Two-Face. My favorite moments of this series have been when they use the classic villains; the golden age Joker being my particular favorite. This fun scene, highlighted by a great music score right out of an Elmore Leonard or Dashiell Hammett film adaptation, is a simple but classic confrontation between Harvey Dent and the Dark Knight. My only gripe is the detail on the evil side of Harvey's face. I like the almost Dick Tracyesque style given to Harvey, but his Two-Face look is too simplistic. The decision to only use the color green and limit the deformity took away from the fierceness of his character. I hope we get to see full length Golden Age style episodes in season two. The cheesy dialogue and square-jawed animation really lend well to that era.
The episode itself had its moments. I appreciated the writers trying to give the viewers a finale that is a bit more epic in scope than normal. The series has developed Equinox as its principal antagonist, and the apocalyptic potential of his success created needed tension in an often fluffy first season. Dr. Fate is relatively one dimensional in this issue, with the real focus being on Batman and Equinox. It was refreshing to see a villain in this series use their intellect to outsmart the world’s greatest detective.
The dialogue and the flow of the scenes created some confusion for me, and unfortunately, the episode climaxed by resorting to its often pre-teen plot resolutions. Having many of the heroes from previous episodes reunite was fun, but having Batman turn into a Transformers styled giant to defeat Equinox was exciting to some I’m sure, but a disappointment to me considering where the episode seemed to be heading.
The production values and acting were solid as always. However, I’m still hoping that next season will see a different choreography style for the fight scenes. The animation is top-notch as always, especially compared to the Marvel animated shows currently airing. The bright colors and grandiose settings suit the cartoon to a tee. Deidrich Bader has proven himself to be a lot more capable a Batman than anyone thought. I’m looking forward to seeing if he is able to develop the character a little deeper. If I could ask the producers one thing in regards to this Batman, is to have him take off the mask and introduce Bruce Wayne and maybe Alfred to the series. I think it would add a very interesting dimension for future stories. Oh, and match him up with Superman….that’s always a classic.
Overall, this was a serious step in the right direction for the series. Season one had some surprisingly memorable moments, and if the creative team behind BTBTB is going to give us efforts like Fate of the Equinox, this version of our favorite crime fighter will continue to gain fans both young and old.
BTBTB: Fate of the Equinox:
So there you have it. An average score of three and a half batarangs. The new episodes for the new season are right around the corner. And TheBatmanUniverse.net will be there to review them as well.
Posted by Dustin
What is Kevin Smith doing? That was exactly what I was thinking as I read Batman: The Widening Gyre number three. Just like The Unseen miniseries, the Widening Gyre is unable to keep the momentum from issue two into issue three. And, Walter Flanagan isn’t getting any better.
While Kevin Smith seems to be writing an original piece of storytelling, I find myself wondering where it is all going. Smith seems to have a much different agenda with this book then he had when he recreated such characters as Daredevil or Green Arrow. It seems with Batman, Smith likes to tell little clever stories that can be considered humorous. The Widening Gyre seems to be one of those stories, a book with little consequences. Issue three still does not give us a clear definition of where this story is going. We find Batman’s life in the hands of Cornelius Stirk, when Robin shows up and takes care of the situation. We then cut to a dull written conversation between Batman and Robin; this is where Smith should make up for the “cloudy” plot. Instead, the book’s dialogue is rather boring. The story also continues the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Silver St. Cloud. I am still not quite sure what her purpose is yet, but I’m sure this will be explained before this arc is over. We also learn the name of the other caped crusader, Baphomet. We learn that this caped goat is someone who worships Batman and only wishes to help out. Again, I don’t see what role his character is really playing in this story. He appears when Batman needs assistance dealing with a B-level villain apparently. Aquaman also appears in the issue as Bruce’s “Justice League Crony”, who is shocked to find that Bruce has found a companion who is getting close. This story arc in general just isn’t doing anything for me. I feel that Smith’s best days are clearly behind him. However, I am still curious to see where all of this is going.
The mediocre story is one thing; the artwork is something of its own. Walter Flanagan continues his struggles to draw the bat-family. His art is also becoming much more distracting, inconsistencies are noticeable on every panel in the issue. He has no understanding of the character’s body proportions. Batman is drawn as a big brute in one panel, and drawn as a little midget in another. This book severely suffers because of Flanagan’s artwork.
I find it interesting that the bat-books that do contain Bruce Wayne in them, are far less interesting then the books with Dick Grayson as Batman. This is a miniseries that I just do not see serving a real purpose. If you are a Kevin Smith fan, I would suggest that you read this book. This issue, like most of Smith’s work, hinged on the dialogue, and it wasn’t up to snuff. I thought the story was written very flat and we all know that Walter Flanagan isn’t going surprise anyone. I think that this book just has a poor creative team behind it, and I do not know that things are going to change.
Batman: The Widening Gyre #3:
Reviewed by Zfactor
Last Friday, the second to last episode of the first season for Batman: The Brave and the Bold aired on Cartoon Network. The episode featured the Outsiders with a teaser of Green Arrow and Catwoman. Tiggerbrown and rhine1784 both weigh in on the episode. Let's start off with rhine1784:
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Inside the Outsiders
Synopsis: Batman must enter the mindscape to save Black Lightning, Katana, and Metamorpho from the evil Psycho Pirate.
The teasers reveals Batman and Green Arrow captured by Catwoman and her henchmen after she has stolen two golden feline statues from a local museum. The bat/cat banter and flirting is thick and enough to make Green Arrow lose his lunch. Catwoman narrowly escapes after the heroes retrieve the statues but not before leaving her digits for the Caped Crusader.
I’ll admit I’m not a huge Outsiders fan, but I have enjoyed them in this series. Batman meets up with Psycho Pirate who has the team trio under his power via nightmares to gobble up their anger. Batman joins in the fun to save them “yeah in their dreams”, no I’m serious in their dreams. Each Outsider must face their demons with “happy thoughts” to combat Psycho Pirate. I guess even Batman has a few happy thoughts to pit against his villains. While a bit darker than most BTBTB episodes, for me it was just an average episode. The animation and voice work were excellent, but I felt the story lacked a little “meat”. Good thoughts in, bad thoughts out.
Inside the Outsiders:
Moving on to Tiggerbrown:
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Inside the Outsiders
I always have to remind myself that as an adult watching cartoons, I am in the demographic minority. There are definitely animated series geared toward college students and adults, but for the most part, and in particular superhero shows, they are made for kids. BTBTB is one of those cartoons. Yes, there is the occasional episode like Music Meister or the one with the comic-con scene that infuse child like adventure with a bit of tongue and cheek wit. But even with the “camp” style, the dialogue and stories are written at a level reminiscent of the New Adventures of Batman from the 70’s, rather than BTAS. And of course that’s ok. If we don’t give our youngsters a Batman they can identify with, who is going to be listening to Dustin and the gang ten years from now? (Hey, I grew up with a towel clothes-pinned around my neck pretending to be the animated Adam West or Olan Soule Batman, and look how I turned out 
The second to last episode of the first season revisits the Outsiders and uses the villain Psycho Pirate as a means to explore the origins and motivation of the three Outsiders. Metamorpho, Katana, and Black Lightening are all portrayed as young teens in this series. Appropriately, the themes of rage, guilt, and revenge vs. justice are all explored with very simple, straightforward storytelling.
We all know Psycho Pirate as the rage feeding mind manipulator from Crisis on Infinite Earth, Infinite Crisis and now Blackest Night. But for trivia sake, his first meeting with the Outsiders was in the Outsiders Special “From here to Infinity” from 1987.
Metamorpho has never been one of my favorite comic book characters, but I love his tragi-romantic depiction in the Justice League animated series. BTBTB gives us a one dimensional version of the JL characterization. Psycho Pirate is able to channel Metamorpho’s rage by praying on his insecurity of his freak like physical appearance. In classic 70’s cartoon fashion, he realizes his appearance and abilities are what bond him with the other Outsiders and make him a hero.
Black Lightning’s rendering is the least successful of the three Outsiders. He is relatively just an updated version of Static Shock. His enraging from people’s daily pet-peeves doesn’t work. I think it was this episode’s attempt at humour, but even the tiniest of tots wouldn’t find BL’s nightmare scene humorous.
I like what the writers did with Katana. From a storyteller’s perspective, her character and the guilt she felt over her Masters death was the most compelling and complex. Batman’s interaction with Katana is also the most successful of the three. Rationalizing her role in her Master’s murder, and mentoring her on the importance of justice over revenge worked quite well.
Batman himself is mainly used as a mentor to the three young heroes. Although, the best line of the episode does come at Batman’s expense. To defeat Psycho Pirate, Batman focuses on thought of happiness rather than fury. As the story is about to end the Outsiders ponder out loud, “What are Batman’s happiest thoughts”? Great question for debate isn’t it?
Inside the Outsiders was far from my favorite BTBTB episode. Maybe if I was still twelve years old, which would surely give me a more objective opinion, I would have appreciated it more.
Inside the Outsiders:
Having watched the episode myself, I will agree with both of them. It was an ok episode but nothing to write home about.
Posted by Dustin
So another Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode has aired. Wait. Did it? No, you are not looking at your screen and thinking you missed it. Actually, if you live in the UK, a frequent internet user, or went to San Diego Comic Con, you probably have already saw the episode. But nonetheless, the episode officially airs tonight at 7:30 PM EST. Warner Bros. sent us over a clean version of the episode to review ahead of time so that we could get you hyped about it. We mentioned during the podcast after SDCC that the episode was way better than expected. So let’s hear from Tiggebrown and Josh and see what they thought of the episode. First up is Tiggerbrown’s review:
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Mayhem of the Music Meister
Holy Pirouettes Bat-fans; Batman is starring in a musical! When BTBTB first started, there was a lot of trepidation that a return to the campy, psychedelic tone of the 60’s would undo the respect the character has attained since BTAS. However, after the first several episodes, even the darkest of fans found moments they enjoyed. True, the show doesn’t take itself too seriously, but there is no doubt that the integrity of the character is upheld and most importantly respected. While at first we hardcore fans thought the creators of the series were thumbing their noses at us, we realized that the keepers of the cowl just wanted us to lighten up a little, laugh at ourselves, and maybe have some fun.
So with show having achieved a level of acceptance among the Batman fan-base, we are asked to take this acceptance to a new level: Batman the musical. The idea of a dramatic show attempting a musical episode may seem outrageous, but it’s been attempted before; Buffy the Vampire Slayer being the most notable to genre fans. But how could Batman, the darkest of superheroes possibly translate to a Broadway style interpretation? Well you know what; it works.
The premise of the episode is that a villain called the Music Meister can use his singing voice to control the minds of anyone who is in ear shot. He of course wants to take over the world, and of course is stopped by the Dark Knight. Nothing extraordinary to be sure, but what makes this episode special is the phenomenal production value and the formatting of the episode as a three act musical play. Each act has one or two featured songs and production numbers that drive the narrative. There is even a curtain that opens and closes at the beginning and end of each act.
The first act has Gorilla Grodd, Black Manta, and Clock King about to be stopped from sabotaging a satellite by Aquaman, Green Arrow and Black Canary. Music Meister takes control of all of them, and forces them to battle Batman. The “West Side Story” fight choreography was hilarious. The main song, sung by actor Neil Patrick Harris as the Music Meister is classic Broadway, and although I’ve never been a fan of the genre, I found myself humming the tune long after the show was over. The choice of Harris as the Meister is inspired casting, especially for genre fans who watched the former Doogie Howser in Dr. Horrible.
My favorite song of the episode is from Act 2, “Drives us Bats”. Music Meister vents amongst all the villains of Arkham how Batman always thwarts their evil plans. “No super powers, just a flying rat. Good thing there’s Arkham, he drives us bats.” Michael Jelenic, who along with producer James Tucker wrote the lyrics and Lolita Ritmanis, Kristopher Carter, and Michael McCuistion composed the music, give us a quality that is first rate. Honest, if this was a traditional animated musical you might be looking at a music Emmy here.
The story is simple as I mentioned before, but the sub-plot love triangle between Music Meister, Black Canary and Batman added some intensity to the drama. Black Canary’s love song to Batman and her darker toned “Death Trap” while captured in act 3 are very well performed. Voice actress Grey Delisle has an incredible voice. And not to spoil the ending, but although the love struck Canary is spurned by the Caped Crusader, she does find romance with a certain green masked archer.
So the question I know you are asking yourself is, does Batman sing and dance? Very appropriately he is played very straight amongst the frolicking. Only to save the situation at the end of the final act does he briefly use his vocal chords, enhanced with a “Bat auto tuning amplifier”. He goats a hypnotized Black Canary to use her Canary cry to ruin the Meister’s nefarious plan. And for trivia sake it isn’t Deidrich Bader singing in that scene; it is actor Jeff Bennett (Creeper in BTAS, and Ragdoll in The Batman).
I admit I am one of those fans who prefer Batman dark. But I watched this with an open mind and really enjoyed it. The effort put into this episode was extraordinary and I respect the desire of the creators to try something new. Now I definitely think once was enough, but I am surprisingly giving Mayhem of the Music Meister………
Moving on to Josh’s review:
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Mayhem of the Music Meister
Every now and then, there is an episode of a television series that will inevitably come up whenever the show is discussed at length. “Mayhem of the Music Meister” will become that episode for “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”. The show pulled all the stops here and the ending result was a masterpiece worthy exceeding everyone’s skeptical expectations.
The premise is simple and fun. Neil Patrick Harris, who shines in every role he plays, voices the Music Meister who controls the free will of others by singing. His origin is simple and explained in a verse of his opening song “I’m the Music Meister”, which will be in your head for the rest of the week. It’s up to Batman, along with Green Arrow, Aquaman, and Black Canary, to stop him.
Highlights include the “Death Trap” musical sequence which has callbacks to the 1960’s “Batman” series. Fans of that series will also notice a reference to “shark repellent spray”. We get some Broadway musical cliché’s, such as the Black Canary love ballad “If Only”, which turns out really good despite the danger of being cheesy. There is nothing more visually amusing than a superheroine in fishnets singing a love ballad while knocking villains off a rooftop.
Batman fans young and old will enjoy this. As an experiment I decided to watch this with two children and gage their reaction. They were singing the songs for the rest of the night and reenacting the scenes. Batman and musicals don’t sound like something that would go together, but this episode should win over the non-believers. Overall, I give it….
So overall, they both agree and I have to say that I agree along with them. This show has been a pleasant surprise from the very beginning. Even though when the musical episode was first announce, I cringed, this was very enjoyable. I think that this will in fact be the series that my children will watch when I am introducing them to Batman.
Posted by Dustin
Batgirl’s first meeting with the Justice League. Or first time taking LSD, I’m not sure. Either way it happened in Justice League of America issue 60.
Posted by Josh