Trevor Hogg explores both the dark and humorous side of Batman…
With the Blu-ray and DVD releases of the second season of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, season one of Young Justice and Beware the Batman: Dark Justice, the Warner Archive Collection showcases various Dark Knights who can appeal to children, teens and adults; they range from a helium gas-speaking superhero to a parental supervisor to a brooding vigilante.
A slight deviation from having unrelated adventures beginning each episode, the second season of Batman: The Brave and the Bold uses them as a teaser for a grand battle against the alien Starro which encompasses a two-part episode which occurs at the halfway point. Even with the massive destruction that ensues and the constant punches being thrown, an irreverent attitude prevails from the vibrant colour pallet of the production design and to the quips made by the characters which certainly make the 26 stories appealing to children.
Quirkiness and absurdity reigns supreme as the creators of the show are certainly having a blast taking the protector of Gotham City from beyond his dark origins. How often do you get to see Batman and Robin join forces with Scooby-Doo to outwit the crime duo of Penguin and Joker? Some serious situations take place with the Doom Patrol literally being doomed on an island though the tragic event is tempered by them obtaining icon status with the general public. Subtle sexual innuendos are made by the curvaceous female liquid metal hero Platinum who transforms herself into a chair for Batman to sit on and later tells him to put her reconfigured self into his disk drive.
Young Justice certainly started off with a big bang winning a Primetime Emmy for the appropriately titled two-part pilot episode Independence Day. Expecting to go from being sidekicks to full-fledge members of the Justice League, Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Speedy discover that they have been relegated to the B-team with assignments issued by Batman. The revelation does not go over well with Speedy who departs company with the superheroes and goes solo under the name of Red Arrow. To stem the revolt Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad are sent to an underground mountain fortress to be chaperoned by Red Tornado. Complicating matters is a mysterious organization known as The Light which has planted a mole inside the fledgling Young Justice League.
What follows throughout the 26 episodes of the first season is the need for the teenage heroes to obtain the trust, respect and independence from their adult mentors. In other words, the protégés have to battle villains while dealing with all of the aches and pains of growing up. Aqualad conveys a sense of seriousness and restraint while Superboy is the hothead who has a habit of going off into fits of rage. Robin plays the part of the tech geek and Miss Martian has a Clueless [1995] vibe. The comic relief is aptly provided by Kid Flash and Zatanna who are not only quick to help out but also with their wit.
Beware the Batman: Dark Justice marks the release of the final 13 episodes of the first and only season of the computer animated TV program. Whereas Beware the Batman: Shadows of Gotham concluded with Ra’s Al Ghul and his League of Assassins take control of Gotham, the storyline carries over with Darkness and Reckoning. The trilogy of episodes which began with Alone which serves as the mid-point for the series is the high point as Batman, Alfred Pennyworth and Katana have to combine all of their skills to defeat a formidable foe who may be able to turn his adversaries against each other. New additions include Man-Bat, Killer Croc, Manhunter, Deathstroke and Harvey Dent.
There is a similarity with The Dark Knight trilogy which features a power generating device that has the capability to destroy an entire city, the unexpected departure and return of Alfred, and the emergence of Harvey Dent as Two-Face caused by an albino version of The Joker known as Anarky. Dent is a self-absorb jerk who lacks the menace of Ra’s Al Ghul. Perhaps the problem would have been rectified in the second season with Two-Face taking over. Killer Croc is a cool edition as he has the brawn and presence of a sociopathic wrestler. Not completely sure why the creators of Beware the Batman decided to have the characters of Alfred and Katana continually being knocked out of commission during fight sequences or to simply vanish, unless it was out of fear that they would overshadow The Caped Crusader. It’s too bad because the chemistry between the three of them added a whole lot of fun to the proceedings. Nice to see Barbara Gordon getting the opportunity to become the tech wizard for the crime fighters though it makes dating rather awkward.
Batman: The Brave and The Bold: The Complete Second Season, Young Justice: The Complete First Season and Beware the Batman: Dark Justice are available on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of the Warner Archive Collection.
Different Sides of the Dark Knight: Batman: The Brave and the Bold & Beware the Batman
Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada.
