Trevor Hogg reviews two versions of a DC Comics icon which both aimed to entertain viewers on the small screen and are now available on Blu-ray…
For many people the golden standard of bringing Gotham City and its legendary protector to the world of animation remains Batman: The Animated Series which was able to stylishly combine darkness with a wink of humour. Many incarnations have followed with the Warner Archive Collection recently releasing on Blu-ray two Cartoon Network shows with one targeting your funny bone while the other strikes at the knees.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold: The Complete First Season includes 26 independent episodes which have a production design pallet that is as colourful as the characters. Each show begins with an action sequence that usually has nothing to do with the subsequent storyline. The majority of the action happens in the daylight with a wide spectrum of criminals are showcased from the iconic Riddler to the far lesser known Crazy Quilt. Assisting Batman as he attempts to have justice prevail is his trusted sidekick Robin but also a collection of superheroes from Green Arrow to Blue Beetle.
Sure there is plenty of destruction that unfolds but good fun is to be had as the Dark Knight gets to indulge in juvenile antics as he attempts to best his buddy Green Arrow in capturing the most number of criminals and getting to the crime scene the fastest. Continuous themes make an appearance such as the importance of working as a team, the bright and bold colours, and the exclamation mark that follows every episode title which emphasizes that the program is intended to entertain children.
Batman encounters magical characters such as Merlin but the most entertaining episode finds him lost inside a musical in The Mayhem of the Music Meister; the title rogue voiced by Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) sports various outfits, hairdos and musical note sunglasses as he attempts to hijack a satellite and win the heart of Black Canary. The 22 minutes are filled with the cast singing songs such as Drives Me Bats, I’m the Music Meister, Death Trap and If Only.
If a Light rather Dark Knight is what you crave then certainly watch Batman: The Brave and the Bold: The Complete First Season.
After spending three seasons on the Cartoon Network, Batman: The Brave and the Bold was replaced by a computer animated program that lurks in the shadows rather than the daylight of Gotham City.
Beware the Batman: Shadows of Gotham covers the first 13 episodes of season one of the computer animated series which is either cancelled or on an extended hiatus. Each show has its own plot but there is an overriding story arc dealing with the League of Assassins which echoes the Dark Knight Trilogy by Christopher Nolan.
Alfred Pennyworth has been given a major reworking as his MI6 operative expertise and background is explored making him someone who would fit right in with the British gangster tales directed by Guy Ritchie (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels). No Robin is in sight but Bruce Wayne does not prowl the streets alone as he has a female partner Katana who is crafty with a sword and moves with the swiftness of a ninja; she also provides some deadpan humour to the proceedings. Rather than the usual rogue gallery of The Joker, Catwoman and Two-Face other criminal masterminds step forward from Anarky, Magpie, Humpty Dumpty and the duo of Professor Pyg and Mister Toad who have a psychotic rapport resembling Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint from Diamonds Are Forever (1971).
The computer animation adds a cool three dimensions to the fight scenes and the opening title sequence is cleverly executed. Not all is great with the CG as characters such as the security guard turned into toxin monster comes across as a dodgy patchwork monster. The tone is volatile as hacksaws are present along with a split-personality Dominatrex with the agility to perform death-defying acts. Lieutenant James Gordon comes across as the necessary police adversary while his daughter Barbara is a riot as the adorning Batman fan. One word episode titles are used such as Family, Hunted, and Fall indicating a serious atmosphere.
Beware the Batman: Shadows of Gotham has a lot of potential to hit its stride, especially, if Aflred is allowed to leave the Bat computer and enter the fray along with Katana and Bruce Wayne as was the case with the cliffhanging episode 13. Hopefully, the Cartoon Network will come to the same conclusion and revive the series.
Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada.
