Five Stages

In this era of media proliferation, it's easy to miss news. After all, when all you hear is hubbub about whether or not Christine O'Donnell is a witch (she says she's not, but really, isn't that EXACTLY what a witch would say if caught?), you tend to enter a fugue state.

So, perhaps it's absolutely reasonable then that I missed some sad news. The third season of Batman: The Brave and the Bold will be it's last.

Here is what I went through upon learning this news. By posting it, I hope you readers will be able to cope easier than I did.

Denial: "What? Why? It's a successful, critically acclaimed show! People love it! I love it! Why would they do it?!?"

Anger: "Because Warner Brothers are jerks, that's why! I'll give them a piece of my mind!!!"

Bargaining: "Better yet, I'll see what I can do to spread awareness of the show! I'll post links on my blog, drive up sales... There's no way WB will let it die then!"

Despair: "Except, that really didn't work with Gargoyles, did it? I'm STILL waiting for Disney to release Season 2 Volume 2! WB will probably pull the same kind of nonsense, meaning I'll never see 'Mayhem of the Music Meister' on DVD!"

Acceptance: "Hmmm... When's the Young Justice cartoon start?"

Brave and the Bold Wishlist

So, this musical clip from an upcoming episode of Batman: The Brave & the Bold has been making the rounds. This clip only proves that B&B is the best Batman take in YEARS.

However, it caused me to wonder: the past two seasons have been so great, what could they do to top it if (God willing) they get a third season. Many of the characters that I've wanted to see have made it into the show already. Captain Marvel? Check. Woozy Winks? Check. Detective Chimp? CHECK.

Still, while they've put in many, MANY characters, there are still some guest stars I'd like to see. What follows is my list of Top Ten Characters I'd Like to See in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

10) The Batmen of Many Nations- These guys are somewhat obscure, but it'd be cool. Basically, the Batmen are costumed crimefighters from other countries that admire Batman. DC's Knight and Squire are the most obvious, but there are guys from Russia, Japan, and China, too. I'd like to see a little international flair come to Batman.

9) The Wonder Twins- If you have to ask about this one, then you clearly haven't read my blog enough. It should come as no surprise that I ADORE Zan and Jayna. I once wrote a philosophy paper where I use the Wonder Twins to illustrate a certain principal of Hindu thought.

Granted, Alex Ross can make anything look cool.

8) Captain Atom- But only if they get Greg Weisman to write the episode.

7) Swamp Thing- It used to be that Swamp Thing had quite a high media profile. He had a movie, a live-action tv series, and an animated series. But in the past few years, Swamp Thing has all but vanished from mass media. Now, when kids think of an ambulatory mass of vegetable detritus, they'll think of Man-Thing which, considering the SyFy original movie made of him, is unfortunate. Let's have Swamp Thing return to television, before it's too late. This message brought to you by the Swamp Thing Awareness Foundation.

6) Batman Beyond- Terry McGinnis kicks ass. Plus, he'd be a natural lead-in for the next group...

5) Legion of Super-Heroes- Brave & The Bold takes many cues from the Silver Age of Comics, and few comics reflect the sensibilites of that time period more than the Legion. Have Batman travel in time (perhaps with Booster Gold) and meet Karate Kid (not the Ralph Macchio one).

Not this one, either.

4) Dial H for Hero- Another very Silver Agey character. For those who don't know, the basic premise is that a young kid has this alien doohickey that looks like an old rotary phone dial. By dialing HERO, said youngster is turned into a random superhero. Now, it's similar to Captain Marvel/ Billy Batson, but I think the writing staff could come up with a way to work it in.

3) Mr. Terrific II- He's very similar to Batman, but he's more sociable. Also, he's awesome.

2) Wonder Woman- I honestly don't think there's really been a good Batman/ WW story. True, some writers, like Joe Kelly and Bruce Timm's staff, have toyed with them dating, but that always struck me as lazy. I'd like to see a well thought out story that shows the differences and similarities in personality without falling into the romance cliche.

1) Superman- They need to do at least one team-up with the Man of Steel. Or, if that's overplayed, have one of Superman's supporting cast show up so you can still touch on the Superman/ Batman dynamic in a new way. Jimmy Olsen or Steel are two characters that come to mind. At the very least, I want to see a Mxyzptlk/ Batmite or an Ace the Bathound/ Krypto team-up.

Zoinks!

I, like many Gen-Xers and subsequent generations, grew up on Scooby-Doo. When I was a kid, I would watch it all the time. As I grew up, my love for the show turned into the kind of ironic love that hipsters had for it- you'd watch it because as an adult, you realize it was kinda stupid.

I especially loved episodes with guest stars- Don Knotts, Sandy Duncan, and Jonathan Winters are all favorites.

I bring this up because this summer, Cartoon Network (or CN, feh!) debuted Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated. It's GENIUS. It's got the same kind of attitude that the first live action movie had. More to the point, it has much stronger writing than any previous incarnation (except for the movie). There's continuity between episodes (including an overarcing metaplot), call backs to previous Scooby series, and romantic subplots. Daphne's trying to woo Fred, not to mention the Velma-Shaggy-Scooby love triangle. There are also some celebrity voices, including Gary Cole, Patrick Warburton, and Lewis Black.

Sadly, Scooby-Dum has yet to make an appearance.

Not only is this show great, but apparently they'll continue the old Scooby tradition of guest stars and crossovers. Allegedly, WB animation is in the works to have Mystery Inc team up with this guy...

OUTRAGEOUS!

That's right. In an instance of corporate synergy done right, the new Scooby cartoon will have a crossover with Batman: The Brave and the Bold. This is brilliant; I mentioned I loved the guest appearances, but THE best were the ones with Batman and Robin. Said cartoons brought us the greatest sentence ever uttered by the Dark Knight until Frank Miller's "I'm the Goddamn Batman" line. To wit-

"Look at that adorable chipmunk, Robin!"

Upon hearing this news, I was filled with nerdish glee. Here is my reaction, captured for posterity...

New episodes air Mondays at 7pm on Cartoon Network; several of the episodes are On Demand, if you have that and aren't living in a cave.

Starro Lives!!!

I love On Demand. I honestly don't know how Cable TV survived without this wonderful feature. In addition to free movies, there's a veritable host of other free programming. While surfing the On Demand menu, I noticed they had several episodes of Batman Beyond, Thundercats (HOOO!!!), and other great stuff. I checked out the Batman: The Brave and the Bold section to see something I hadn't expected- "The Seige of Starro! Part 1", an episode which technically hasn't even aired in the U.S. yet (though it's on iTunes, apparently). This is an awesome episode. Without giving away too many spoilers, nearly all the heroes on Earth have been mind-controlled by Starro, leaving Batman to lead a rag-tag team of Booster Gold, Captain Marvel, Firestorm, and B'wana Beast against the alien conqueror and its herald, the Faceless Hunter. It's a great episode; of course, most of the episodes for Season Two thus far have been awesome, but they really stepped it up for this episode. And it's only part one!

Best of "Batman: The Brave and The Bold"!- Ramblings

If you haven't watched it yet, Batman: The Brave and The Bold on Cartoon Network (or... ugh... CN if you prefer) is one of the best darn cartoons on television right now. It's got a fantastic mix of humor, action, and characterization that simply tickles my fancy. As an added bonus for any comics nerd, it features a slew of B- and C-list DC Comics characters who otherwise would never make it to the mainstream media. I could go in depth on why this show is so friggin' awesome, but I won't. Instead, since the new season has started, I'll rank my top five favorite episodes from Season One. These are ranked not by quality but by rough chronological order. I mention this so no one emails me saying "How dare you say episode x was better than episode y!" So, on we go!

Evil Under the Sea!- I'm not one to rank episodes due to "Well, this is important because it's the first appearance of Whoever." In this case, though, I'm making an exception. This is the first B&B episode to have Aquaman. What's great about this is that it's a different kind of Aquaman than has ever been depicted in cartoons or comics. He's no quiet, misunderstood guy or the lone, brooding monarch. This Aquaman is a big, boisterous, warrior king, and boy howdy, do they play it up to great effect. Mad props are due to the voice actor, John Dimaggio (most famous for playing Bender on Futurama) for bringing such character to the ... uh... character.
Another great thing about this incarnation of Aquaman is the look. The take classic elements from all versions of the character. They blend the orange shirt of Aquaman classic with the Suh-weet beard the grim and gritty version was sporting.
Overall, this makes for a fresh, engaging take on a character who is often the butt of jokes. Placing him with the straight-laced Batman made for great interaction.

Fall of the Blue Beetle!- For those naysayers who constantly say nay and such, for those who claim that B&B is straight up silliness, I present this episode. When the crux of the episode is another character's death, you know they're not playing it for laughs. A gripping story about heroism, sacrifice, and acceptance, this episode proves that this series can be, at times, so much more than lighthearted fare.

Game Over For Owlman!- I could go into a long synopsis here, but really all I need to say about this episode is this: Batman teams up with the Joker to take down Batman's evil twin. Boo. YAH! If that's not a recipe for an awesome Batman story, then I may as well hand in my nerd credentials right now.

Legends of the Dark Mite!- "Batman's rich history allows him to be interpreted in a multitude of ways. To be sure, this is a lighter incarnation, but it's certainly no less valid and true to the character's roots than the tortured avenger crying out for mommy and daddy." With that line alone this episode would've hit the list. But, but, BUT! it has so much more. For starters, it was written by Paul Dini, the man responsible for some of the best episodes of Batman: The Animated Series; it's about a 5th-dimensional imp, and they're ALWAYS awesome; and finally, said imp is voiced by Pee-Wee Herman. Also, there's a scene at a trans-dimensional comic book convention, and that's just funny.

Mayhem of the Music Meister!- A Batman musical episode? Oh, joy! Sadly, Batman really doesn't do any singing in this (Fooey!). However, you have Black Canary, Green Arrow, Aquaman, and a ton of villains singing. AND, the bad guy is melodiously voiced by Neil Patrick Harris. The story is solid, the songs are catchy, and there's a cute, touching, musical-style ending. Quite possibly the best episode of the season.

So, there you have it- my (relatively spoiler-free) opinions on the best of what's already a fine show. Go watch 'em. NOW!