Batman: The Brave And The Bold: Complete Season Three Review (Major Spoilers)

[matt_zimmer]

Also reviews for the latest episodes of Futurama, MAD, Tron: Uprising, Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Ultimate Spider-Man, and The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

Upcoming reviews include Transformers Prime: Season 1, TRON: Legacy Blu-Ray, The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Volume 2: The Wars Years, The Adventures Of Young Indiana Jones Volume 3: The Years Of Change and Heathcliff: Season 1 - Volume 1.



Futurama "Decision 3012"

Depressing episode. I think I could probably forgive that if it were more insightful but frankly, if that were to be the case, it wasn't cynical enough. Nothing would change the birthers' minds in real life. If someone somehow managed to travel back in time to film Obama's mother giving birth to him on live television the mouthbreathers would just say it was faked like the moon landing.

And I'm sorry, but I REALLY loathe Bender. He was beyond reprehensible. I cannot believe that the writers think this obnoxious dirtbag is their "break-out character". He can't hold a CANDLE to either Homer Simpson or Stewie and the fact that the writers keep trying to shove him down our throats p*sses me off. So, Bender will responsible for humanity's destruction? And we're supposed to still like him after that revelation and still consider him "lovable ol' Bender"? No sale. I've had with him and the lengths the show has gone to to try to make me sympathize with this rotten turd. Enough.

The only thing that interested me is that Nixon's reelection hints that it's possible that the dire future foretold by Travers will somehow have to be prevented in a future episode. But if that were the case, why did the writers decide to make everyone forget Travers' warning? I'm all for an epic story arc but I'm thinking they might need to get someone out of time to warn everybody before it happens. The Nibblonians perhaps?

Sucky episode. *.



"I Am Lorax / Modern Family Circus"

Didn't much care for the Lorax parody but Modern Family Circus' take on Jeffy being the stand-in for Bill Mumy on The Twilight Zone was VERY clever. ***1/2.




TRON: Uprising "Blackout"

Decent. I think Paul Reubens is doing an excellent job as Tessler's lackey (I forget his name). He's really over-the-top and funny. Inspired casting choice.

The rest of the episode was good too. This was the first "regular" episode of the show and I enjoyed it. ****.




Iron Man: Armored Adventures "The Hammer Falls"

This version of Justin Hammer is WAAAAAAAAAYYYYY too unstable and crazy. I'm surprised he can tie his shoes, much less run a multi-national corporation. He got what was coming to him in the end.

Does Howard know? I'm guessing yes.

Good episode. ****.

Iron Man: Armored Adventures "Rage Of The Hulk"

This particular portrayal of Thunderbolt Ross was completely loathesome. I hated every second he was on-screen and was SUPER relieved and surprised he was arrested. His actions were that of a war criminal. Big time. Good on the show for punishing him for them.

Like the Gray Hulk. Not much more to say. ***1/2.



Ultimate Spider-Man "Freaky"

My second favorite episode after "Exclusive". I love Wolverine but I REALLY thought this episode was actually funny for once. The Spider-Man soap opera was a scream and the "technical difficulties" sign actually became even funnier every time it appeared. My favorite part was Spider-Man yelling ar Logan to put his costume on! Man, I can just imagine how helpless Peter felt during that situation. His entire identity was going to be compromised due to Wolvie simply not caring.

Loved Spidey trying to convince Sabertooth he wasn't Wolverine simply because, like Logan, it showed that he didn't much care what happened to the guy he switched bodies with. But once Sabertooth realized what was going on it backfired. Right tactic, wrong strategy.

Great episode. ****1/2.

Ultimate Spider-Man "Venomous"

Can Spidey BE any stupider about Osbourne? I mean, really, what does it take for him to realize he is up to no good? On the old cartoons even though Spidey respected Norman as Harry's father he ALWAYS realized what a scumwad he was and knew the dude was up to no good.

I liked the dynamic of Spider-Man trying to decide whether or not to withhold Harry's secret from the team. Frankly, I would have told Fury or Coulson before I told the others and I'm surprised they took it as well as they did. Interesting.

Good episode, but Spidey needs to wise up. ***1/2.

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes "Nightmare In Red"

SHIELD shackling up and torturing Bruce Banner was the cruelest thing I have ever seen on this cartoon and it made me hate Skrull-Cap all the more. I can't wait until he is found out. Buttmunch.

I've noted before that Ross was a buttwipe but can't they clearly see that the Red Hulk and the Green Hulk are two different people? I wish Nick Fury were still around. He wouldn't have fallen for Ross' nonsense.

Any guesses who Red Hulk is? I have no idea.

I was as angry as the Hulk by the end of this. Still, who didn't cheer when the Hulk said "Avengers Assemble!"? ***1/2.





Batman: The Brave And The Bold: Complete Season Three

The last season of the creative Batman cartoon produced by James Tucker.

This year probably delivered its craziest episodes ever. They had guest stars like Space Ghost, Ambush Bug, and umm... Abraham Lincoln. It got REALLY nuts this year and for the most part I enjoyed it.

This set also contains the "Lost" episode from season two, "The Mask of Matches Malone!" which had been previously banned from Cartoon Network. I'm glad they found a way to include it, but I MUST cry foul: it's in friggin' fullscreen! That's inexcusable in this day and age. The rest of the set is in the proper widescreen.

I really miss this show and know that the new CGI Batman cartoon, Beware The Batman, has a lot to live up to. I'm not optimistic and I think they should have just kept making new episodes of BTAB. However, this is the first DC cartoon series to actually have a proper series finale. Technically, Justice League Unlimited's "Epilogue" counts as one too but that turned out not to be the last episode. Mitefall! has Bat-Mite returning and gives us a last camera pan of all of the heroes and villains who have appeared on the show, even ones who died (B'Wana Beast, The Doom Patrol, Ted Kord). It was a nice step out of continuity for this show and very reassuring to the kids in the audience.

Speaking of continuity, the episode Night Of The Batmen! officially put Brave And The Bold and The Batman (among other things) firmly in the DC Animated Universe canon. That was probably the best thing James Tucker ever did on this show for the fans outside of the last episode.

Best episodes on the set are the topsy turvy "Joker: The Vile and the Villainous!", the aforementioned "Night of the Batmen!", the excellent Aquaman/Atom team-up (Sword of the Atom!), the "Trinity" teaming up against Lex Luthor, The Joker and Cheetah (Triumvirate of Terror!), and the series finale that actually put a lump in my throat (Mitefall!). Worst episodes are the Vampire cop-out (Shadow of the Bat!), the Green Lantern team-up (Scorn of the Star Sapphire!) and the sitcommy "Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth!". That's a pretty dang good hit to miss ratio. I loved this show. Set Overall: ****1/2. Series Overall: ****1/2.

The Mask of Matches Malone!:

I SORT of see why this "lost" episode was banned. I don't think it's all THAT bad (both JLU and Young Justice have had similar levels of innuendo). The difference here is that it was a ton of double-entendre jokes, one right after another. Cartoon Network always let JLU/Young Justice have a little leeway for "adult" humor but neither of those shows ever abused the priviledge. The song is so-so but it gets better as it goes along. The Poison Ivy teaser was nice too. ***1/2.

Joker: The Vile and the Villainous!:

The reason this episode works so well is because it's actually a REALLY self-deprecating satire of the show's tropes and cliches. This may be the most "meta" DC show ever and it is not afraid to take shots at itself. Notice how the Joker here has to give confidence and assurances to the "guest villain" to inspire him, and in the end the Weeper had the evil in him all along. This tells me the writers KNOW how predictable the show has always been and have simply written it that way because it's funnier. Great episode. *****.

Shadow of the Bat!:

Most disappointing ending ever. The worst thing about "It was all a dream" endings is that they make the entire procedings seem completely pointless. The episode wasn't good or interesting enough on it's own to earn a fake-out. **1/2.

Night of the Batmen!:

This episode made Batman: The Brave And The Bold, The Batman AND Super Friends DC Animated Universe canon! Sweet! The rest of the episode is only passable but those last thirty seconds MORE than made up for it. Awesome closing shot. I also loved Vigilante's song at the beginning. It was terrific. ****1/2.

Scorn of the Star Sapphire!:

I was surprised to learn online that Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris' relationship IS this goofy in the comics. It's just a bizarre scenario to me and I can't believe anyone could take it seriously. Basically, Carol is Green Lantern's enemy Star Sapphire. But it's a split personality and she has no memory of it. So Hal has to stop her evil and protect her at the same time while trying to keep everyone else from finding out her true identity. Did I mention that he can't simply TELL Carol about this because she'd go crazy? And I thought Green Arrow's origin was convoluted. This makes his desert island romp seem as iconic as the murder of the Waynes or the destruction of Krypton. Yeesh. But, hey, Loren Lester! And hearing the Wonder Woman theme was beyond awesome. **1/2.

Time Out For Vengeance!:

This is a first: an Equinox episode that doesn't actually suck. True, it's STILL lame because it sets up an arc that the producers knew full well would never happen but it's actually watchable. But this version of The Creeper can't hold a candle to Jeff Bennet's. ***1/2.

Sword of the Atom!:

Loved it. Now I want the DC Nation Sword Of The Atom shorts on DVD too. I loved Aquaman and Ryan Choi's back and forths and I think Choi gave the BEST argument of why he never wanted to wear his superhero costume again: he likes pockets. Classic. The Aquaman sitcom teaser was bizarre but hilarious. ****1/2.

Triumvirate of Terror!:

This show is NOT afraid to go for the goofy. The baseball teaser was completely lame, and because it was completely lame on purpose, that made it cool. The Trinity story was great too and I liked the peek into Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman's fates in the future. DEFINITELY a happier ending for Bruce than either Batman Beyond or The Batman's "Artifacts". ****1/2.

Bold Beginnings!:

The main story was a snooze (too much Aquaman this season) but the Space Ghost teaser was absolutely great because they just went for it and embraced the cheese. I can imagine some kids tuning in and wondering what the heck happened to the show and the fact that CN let the producers do it right was excellent. And I found Batman and Space Ghost laughing over the villain's death both hilarious and deeply disturbing in ways those old cartoons always managed to seem to me even as a child. ***1/2.

Powerless!:

The writers REALLY do not like Captain Atom. I've always hated the character too but it was a pleasant surprise how much the writers seemed to enjoy making the audience despise him and then humiliating him repeatedly. I LOVE the fact that despite Aquaman being so arrogant he FIRMLY believes Batman is the best hero ever and even better than himself. That is just SO awesome and one of the most lovable things about the character. The teaser was a bit too crazy but since this is my second favorite Joker after Mark Hamill I'll take any remaining episodes with him I'll get. ***1/2.

Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth!:

A waste of the third to last episode especially since it's the last "normal" episode we got. This was pure sitcom stuff and I kept waiting for the action to get back to Batman and Ra's Al Ghul. Plus, I hate this version of Wildcat so I didn't need to see him revisited. By the way, Jeff Ross is NO Weird Al. Lamest "Guest hero" ever. *1/2.

Four Star Spectacular!:

Adam Strange in Worlds War: This was pretty good. ****.
Flash in Double Jeopardy: I dislike this version of Mirror Master strongly. He can't hold a candle to Alexis Denisof. Still, this is the Flash's one big appearance this season. ***1/2.
'Mazing Man in Kitty Catastrophe: This was insane. I want what the writers are smoking. Now. ****1/2.
The Creature Commandos in The War That Time Forgot: This SUCKED. I hated the leader of the Commandos and how he kept calling them freaks and nobody pointed out what a buttwipe he was being. Terrible. 1/2.
Episode Overall: ****.

Mitefall!:

Probably the best series finale in DC animated history. Yeah, technically JLU's Destoyer is better but this actually FEELS like a real series finale and wasn't afraid to make me tear up at the end. How cool was it that they got Henry Winkler, the literal jumper of sharks, to voice Ambush Bug? And this was the most meta DC episode off all time. Does this mean that every single DC show connected in Night of the Batmen will suffer a "St. Elsewhere Effect" and are actually all fictional? Wild! And I agree with Ted McGinley: he gets an unfairly bad rap. Good for him for poking fun at himself like that. Speaking of shark jumps, Batman teaming up with Abe Lincoln in the teaser would have gotten MY vote as a shark jumping moment if it hadn't been the very last episode. That was insane and in very poor taste. I loved the closing shots of all of the heroes and villains on the set. Great freeze frame material (see Darkseid pouring himself some punch). My favorite part of the ep (outside of the CGI Batgirl cartoon, of course) was Batman speaking directly into the camera and letting the kids in the audience know that wherever he was he would always be fighting crime and looking out for them. I cannot THINK of a kids show EVER that has ever tried to comfort the young audience about it's own cancelation. The rest of the episode was pure fanservice for adults but that little moment for the boys and girls at home made me love it. *****.

Digital Comic: The first three pages of the story Night of the Batmen! was based on. Give us a full comic already! **1/2.

DVD Menus: Like the first four volumes but using WHV's new DVD/Blu-Ray Icons. ***1/2.

Comments

[dcauyojimbo.livejournal.com]

Batman: The Brave And The Bold: Complete Season Three

Yeah, groaned at the 3 page digital comic. What a jip but at least it's related to an episode in the set for once. So it's a rare special feature that makes sense. lol.

"The Mask of Matches Malone!"

Yeah, pushed some rules too much and a mediocre episode and fullscreen, but whatever, I'm just glad to have it on DVD, period.

"Joker: The Vile and the Villainous!"

Yeah, such a meta romp. Laughed at every turn. Joker getting dog piled by SWAT, his Garfield line, blowing up Kamandi and co., so much good stuff.

"Triumvirate of Terror!"

The ending was better but for me it was sorta still bittersweet because it still then overwrites Alfred's fan fiction from last season with Bruce getting married and having a son and the legacy continuing.

"Bold Beginnings"

More so than Scooby and gang, Space Ghost was a pleasant jaw dropping guest appearance. It was just plain awesome seeing SG and his sidekicks 'resurrected' in modern animation just for that teaser.

"Sword of the Atom"

One of my favorite episodes. They really sold the odd couple that is Aquaman and Atom. Loved the callback to "Journey to the Center of the Bat" with Aquaman summoning some animals that weren't aquatic. And well Aquaman vs the poison dart frog just makes me laugh so hard every time. The frog totally got its ass kicked. Take that PETA.

"Mitefall"

James Tucker kept turning down the Abe Lincoln pitch until Jelenic added in the bit was also a parallel universe and not just time travel...but I don't, it had one of the big laughs ever. Do a freeze frame on the part when Abe grabs the axe and read the words on the axe's mantle.

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

Triumvirate of Terror: I hated Alfred's fan fiction so this was much better for me.

Bold Beginnings: Agreed. Especially because unlike Scooby's appearance, it wasn't hyped ahead of time.

Sword Of The Atom: I loved how frustrated Atom kept getting at Aquaman and his disbelief that he could control silverfish. That was hysterical.

Mitefall: I'm lazy. What did the ax handle say?

[dcauyojimbo.livejournal.com]

Triumvirate of Terror: Really? I mean I equally enjoyed the Big Three growing old together fighting crime but I also liked the idea the mantle of the Batman became a family legacy. What didn't you like in particular?

Sword of The Atom: "Still a fish." heh

Mitefall: Something to the effect of, "In Case of Fire or Confederate Cyborgs, Break Glass"

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

Triumirate of Terror: Two things: Bruce and Selina dying. And the idea that Alfred was planning out Bruce's family history ahead of time (including his death) struck me as incredibly creepy.

Mitefall: Nice! LOL!

[dcauyojimbo.livejournal.com]

Triumvirate of Terror: I see. Their death scene was sorta slow and played up if I remember right. For Alfred I found it touching and a unique way to show Alfred cared for Bruce and also hoped his life would a long lasting effect, he makes a difference in life and death, through his descendants. Alfred was really just working with the 'writing on the wall' so to speak, not like he was making up from his twisted psyche.

Mitefall: It's always cool when background's have easter eggs in them.

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

Triumvirate Of Terror: I could never write fictional story about someone I loved dying. It's way too morbid and detached. I don't like thinking of Alfred that way whether his psyche is actually twisted or not.

Also, I found it sort of the way the writers could take a cheap shot of having their cake and eating it too. It didn't strike me as a character moment for Alfred so much as the writers completely copping out and trying to find the lamest way ever to "It was all a dream" us. Since it made Alfred look so bad, I disliked it.

Mitefall: Especially when they're funny.

[90scartoonman.livejournal.com]

Futurama "Decision 3012" - Bender is pretty evil, but he also has a heart (somehow). As for the episode, I do like the twist that he was actually a time traveler and couldn't prove where he was born.

Iron Man: Armored Adventures "The Hammer Falls" - I'm glad they went this way with Hammer. Otherwise he'd just be a second rate Obediah Stane.

Iron Man: Armored Adventures "Rage Of The Hulk" - With SHIELD so prominent these days, Ross becomes more and more one note. I did like the appearance of the Smart Hulk/Gray Hulk at the end.

Ultimate Spider-Man "Freaky" - Although the fight scene did drag, it was still a great episode. It's a close adaptation from the comics, so I'm not surprised it worked so well on this show.

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes "Nightmare In Red" - My comments about Ross still stand, but I did love Hulk's "Avengers Assemble!" too. I know who Red Hulk is (at least who he is in the comics), I won't spoil.

Batman: The Brave And The Bold: Complete Season Three - I saw the Beware the Batman panel at Comic Con (which I'll get into later). It's a different show, really, but I'm looking forward to it. To my knowledge, at least two different comic books have set the DCAU in larger DC continuity, but this is the first time we see a cartoon bring together various other cartoons (and live action!), which is pretty amazing.

Hm...proper series finales, eh? I think B:TBATB is probably the best, but "The Joining" and the last three episodes of Teen Titans definitely count as finales, even if the movie came out afterward. I also consider "Legacy" to be a great finale, even if it did make Superman's story an uphill battle after that (and despite his appearances later), and "Destroyer" was more of a season finale since it wrapped up the season's plots but not everything the series set up. And LOSH's finale had an obvious cliffhanger. Ah well, it's tough comparisons.

Shadow of the Bat!: - Agreed about it being a dream, which is why I choose to interpret it as being a lie told to Batman and that whole thing really did happen.

Triumvirate of Terror!: - Loved the teaser, and hey, it felt real Silver Age. When are you seeing Dark Knight Rises? Some day I'll get to a lengthy post about "ending" Batman. As for Alfred's story, much like the crazy Green Lantern/Star Sapphire stuff, I appreciate the show from not shying away from what happened in the old comics and can just enjoy them.

Powerless!: Animation hasn't been kind to Captain Atom, and Greg Weisman really has his work cut out for him on Young Justice to make him a character to root for (he feels partially responsible for him since he wrote his series in the 80's). As for Aquaman, I like the fact that it's POSITIVE arrogance. Sure, he loves himself, but he's fought alongside Batman so much he knows what kind of man he is, and for that, Aquaman has deep respect for him.

Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth!: - I loved this episode. The first time we get a real generational JLA/JSA meeting (not counting Smallville), and there were great moments, like Guy and Alan's interaction and Spectre being creepy.

Four Star Spectacular!: - Wasn't big on 'Mazing Man and Creature Commandos deserved a full episode. I liked the Flash plot, I guess Mirror Master was a little weak, but it was more about Barry's ingenuity.

Mitefall!: - I loved this episode and did laugh and get choked up. Glad there were things for both adults and kids to appreciate. As for the St. Elsewhere DC shows being fictional, I mean...well...they are, so I have no problem with that. And again, DC has played with that in the comics, from Barry Allen having read Jay Garrick's Flash comics and then discovering a way to travel to the JSA's Earth to heroes coming out of the comics to talk to DC editors to Earth Prime itself and Superboy Prime which is where our world is supposedly in the multiverse. The freeze frames were great, and my favorite was Phantom Stranger talking to the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh.

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

Futurama: The writers just try to make you THINK he has a heart when he's almost as evil as Eric Cartman. Bender will probably be topping next year's list of The Most Annoying Characters On Television but I cannot deny Jason Gann's Wilfred is giving him a serious run for his money.

The Avengers: I'm still furious Hulk isn't back yet. Some friends the Avengers are. Why haven't they attempted a rescue yet, ESPECIALLY since it was implied Bruce Banner was being tortured? I'm REALLY upset about this.

Batman: The Brave And The Bold: Complete Season Three: You're misremembering The Joining. That wasn't the last episode of The Batman, it was the fourth season finale. Had it actually been the last episode it could have been a contender but the last episode of The Batman was the vastly inferior Lost Heroes two-parter.

Shadow Of The Bat: When you have to make justifications to explain sucky writing, well let's just say Occam's Razor applies.

Powerless: Weisman has his work cut out for him. I can't think of ANYBODY who actually likes Captain Atom.

Mitefall: I was more commenting on the fact that there HAS to be a contingent of fanboys out there who want the DCAU shows to be portrayed as completely realistic and fitting into an actual universe. You know there was an outraged geek SOMEWHERE.

[90scartoonman.livejournal.com]

Futurama: Bender's funny, Cartman's funny, I'm okay with that. At least when Bender says "Kill all humans", he whispers "except for Fry".

The Avengers: I let it slide since they're busy and fragmented and they need to go through proper channels, provided it doesn't take too long to free him.

Batman: The Brave And The Bold: Complete Season Three: I meant Lost Heroes. Counts as sort of a finale, Hugo Strange is defeated once and for all, Batman has saved the world with the Justice League and the Justice League Teen Division.

Shadow Of The Bat: You're right about that.

Mitefall:Geek Rage scares me.

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

Batman: The Brave and the Bold: But that seemed more like a pilot for a Justice League series rather than a series finale for The Batman. Needless to say I was disappointed.

[90scartoonman.livejournal.com]

It did, but I feel like every season was a progression of Batman's territory and partners and being a valued member of the League is sort of as high as he can get. Hm, how would you feel if "Artifacts" was the final episode?

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

I hated "Artifacts". I think "The Joining" would have made a MUCH better series finale.

[90scartoonman.livejournal.com]

D'oh!

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

It all comes full circle, doesn't it?

[90scartoonman.livejournal.com]

I don't trust circles...they're too perfectly shaped.

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

Me neither. But that's because I'm a total square.

[90scartoonman.livejournal.com]

Ha ha, Oh, you!

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

Try the veal and tip your waitresses!