Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Season 1 (Part 1)
DVD
Starring: Diedrich Bader, John DiMaggio, Will Friedle, James Arnold Taylor
Warner Home Video
Released date: August 17, 2010

Batman: The Brave and the Bold is one of my favorite animated TV shows of the past few years, so for me, it’s really exciting that Warner Home Video and DC Comics have released the first part to the first season on DVD on a two-disc set. Season One of Batman: The Brave and The Bold took a refreshing look at The Caped Crusader for kids and fans alike by teaming him up with a cast array of DC Comics characters including The Red Tornado, Green Arrow, The Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), Robin, Aquaman, and many others.

The creators of the show took the recent dark tone of the of the 1990s and 2000s and turned it on its head by brightening the character up through animation style, score, and the brilliant voice acting on the series from veterans Diedrich Bader as Batman, John DiMaggio as Aquaman, and James Arnold Taylor as Green Arrow. The show is based in the silver age of comics, and centers around the concept introduced in The Brave and the Bold comic series from DC Comics that featured team-ups from B, C, and D list heroes teaming with A list heroes, so in this show, you see a lot of characters that you wouldn’t imagine would ever get the animated series treatment including The Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick.

While Batman: The Brave and the Bold is obviously intended for kids through the simplicity of each episode and the silliness that it brings to the character of Batman that we haven’t seen since the 1960s, it is also true that there are quite a few references to die-hard Batman and comics fans, alike. Although the majority of the episodes on the first part of season one are setting up a tone and voice for the series to stand alone, there are plenty of stand out episodes that pay tribute to some of the classic DC Comics storylines including season one’s Christmas episode, “Invasion of the Secret Santas!” which includes The Red Tornado desperately wanting to become human, while Batman emotionally comes to grips with the murder of his parents. Other episodes like “Deep Cover for Batman” and “Game Over For Owlman” hilariously deal with Batman: The Brave and The Bold‘s version of DC’s multiple Earths and The Crime Syndicate.

While the rest of the series tends to focus on a lot of more clever nods to the comics, including a brilliant nod to Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and an emotionally charged episode featuring Batman veterans like Kevin Conroy, Adam West, Mark Hamill, and Julie Newmar, the first season is nothing to scoff at and is a must-own for any fan of The Batman.

Check out the list of 13 episodes featured on Season One: Part One below:

1) Rise of the Blue Beetles
2) Terror on Dinosaur Island
3) Evil Under the Sea
4) Invasion of the Secret Santas
5) Day of the Dark Knight!
6) Enter the Outsiders!
7) Dawn of the Dead Man!
8) Fall of the Blue Beetle!
9) Journey to the Center of the Bat!
10) The Eyes of Despero!
11) Return of the Five Fearsome Fangs!
12) Deep Cover the Batman! (Part 1)
13) Game Over for Owlman! (Part 2)

It’s lighthearted, it’s fun, and if you’re open to a loose and silly take on The Caped Crusader, you will absolutely love Batman: The Brave and the Bold!