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Guides - Releases - DVD - Season
1, Volume 1
Announce Date: 05/12/10
Street Date: 08/17/10
Closed Captioning: Yes
MSRP: $19.97
Packaging Type: Eco Amaray Case
Subformat: Dual Disc
Media Quantity: 2
Disc Configuration: 1) 9-Dual Layer 2) 9-Dual Layer
Sound Track Language: English
Run Time: 286 |
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen
(16x9)
Sound Quality:
English (Dolby Stereo 2.0)
Subtitles: English |
Episodes:
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)
Synopsis: Batman wings into an exciting new era, teaming with a
mighty honor roll of DC Comics Super Heroes in the action-packed
series Batman: The Brave and The Bold. Through the show’s first
13 animated adventures in this 2-Disc Collection, the Dark
Knight allies with Aquaman, Plastic Man, Blue Beetle, Red
Tornado, Green Arrow, Wildcat, Deadman, Bronze Tiger and The
Atom to take on an array of evildoers ranging from mad
scientists to intergalactic crooks from power-mad dictators to
out-of-control teenagers. He even travels to a parallel world
and battles the villainous Owlman! In this cool, cutting-edge
and often funny series, bring back old-school comic book styling
and dry wit to crimefighting, Batman faces and peril - including
other heroes stealing the show – in his relentless pursuit of
justice.
Review (by James Harvey)
Within the first few moments of this
animated series, you should have a pretty good idea of what
you're in for with the 13 episodes included in Batman: The
Brave and The Bold - Season One, Part One. The first episode
opens with Batman and Green Arrow tied death trap straight out
of an old Silver Age comic, dangling over a vat of acid while
The Clock King gloats about his superiority. The two heroes
banter back and forth before managing to free themselves and
heading off to battle The Clock King! We're then whipped into a
colorful and bright opening sequence, a fun, zippy opening which
teases what’s to come.
There's something many critics
call this show, and that's "fun." And that is 110% accurate.
This is a show that doesn't take itself too seriously, in any
way whatsoever, and is incredibly easy for any viewer to get
into. The first episode, "The Rise of the Blue Beetle," moves
along quickly, and gets its point across to the viewer almost
immediately, first with the pre-credit sequence and then again
with the episode itself. It lets the viewer know that what
they're in for is a half-hour of pure fun. And that's what you
get. And the same repeats for basically the 12 other episodes in
this collection. Fans of the Silver Age should definitely enjoy
this series, which comes across as a mix of the light-hearted
fun of Superfriends and the edgy-action and humor of
The Powerpuff Girls. I know, I know, it seems like an odd
comparison, but I think it works appropriately for this series.
There's a mix of fun action sequences and sophisticated humor
that many viewers will appreciate.
Now, I'm not going to
waste time comparing this series to what came before. There's no
need to. Why? Because, right away, the viewer knows this is
unlike anything that has come before in recent years. This is a
series that we can laugh at and not feel like we're in some way
insulting the characters on the screen. And no, this series
doesn't mock the characters, but, this is a series that plays
for laughs. But not once is it at the expense of a character.
Yes, we may laugh at what they do or say, but not once is it at
the expense of who the character is. And how about this show’s
take on Aquaman? It will probably go down as my favorite.
If you're a fan of the dark, gritty hero who's currently
popular in both the comics and the big screen, there's a good
chance you won't like what you see here. We have Batman decked
out in grey and blue, trading one-liners and quips with a
roundtable of DC characters, a far lighter take on the Caped
Crusader, but an enjoyable one nonetheless. We've been treated
to a lot of grim Batman as of late, and this series may be a
welcome breath of fresh air. No doubt many will open their arms
to this barrel-chested, yellow oval Batman.
For this
latest incarnation of the Caped Crusader, Deidrich Bader
provides the voice of our hero, a perfect casting choice. He
brings a gruff seriousness to the role, but also brings a
light-hearted softness to it, as well. Bader is able to flip
from being tough to wise-cracking without missing a single beat.
Batman also provides voice-over narration for each episode,
which serves to basically establish the mood of the episode and
give insight into the plot, as well. Going through the first
thirteen episodes is almost likely discovering little 20-minute
treasures, with each installment packed with little in-jokes
that fans of all ages will enjoy.
Episodes included in
this collection include “Rise of the Blue Beetle!,” “Terror on
Dinosaur Island!,” “Evil Under the Sea!,” “Day of the Knight!,”
“Invasion of the Secret Santas!,” “Enter the Outsiders!,” and
“Dawn of the Dead Man!” on disc one, with “Fall of the Blue
Beetle!,” “Journey to the Center of the Bat!,” “The Eyes of
Despero!,” “Return of the Fearsome Fangs!,” “Deep Cover for
Batman!,” and “Game Over for Owlman!” on the second disc.
This Batman is a costumed adventurer who can crack wise with
the best of them, a Batman who doesn't take himself too
seriously. But, not once, does this show do any disrespect to
the character or the DC Universe. This is a Batman where the
entire family can gather around the television, pop in a disc,
and enjoy his latest fantastic adventures. There's plenty of
action, some flat-out hilarious moments, good dialogue, and an
enjoyable introduction story for the show. Batman: The Brave
and The Bold harkens back to a pre-"grim and gritty" Batman
and it's actually a bit refreshing to see. This version of
Batman isn't better or worse than what came before, just a
different take on a great character, and every bit as valid.
Thankfully, it's also an absolutely fun ride, one that's
suitable for all ages. Batman: The Brave and The Bold is
Highly Recommended and definitely worth checking out.
The DVD:
A surprisingly sparse release, Batman:
The Brave and The Bold – Season One, Part One arrives in a
standard two-disc Eco Amaray case. As to what should be no
surprise, there’s no inserts or anything, though the Amaray case
is nicely snuggled in a snazzy cardboard slipcase. Disc art is
pretty basic and menus are simple and easy to navigate. Outside
of a single trailer for Lego Harry Potter, there are zero
extras on this set. Incredibly disappointing for those of us who
endured the single-disc volume releases hoping for something
more substantial than the trailers those releases got. Bizarre
how those single-disc DVD releases featured more bonus content
than this two-disc collection, and odd given how there is bonus
content just sitting around waiting to be added to one of these
DVD releases.
While the disc may lack bonus features, the
A/V quality here is actually pretty solid. Audio is a standard
English Stereo mix and the video presentation is an anamorphic
widescreen encode, resulting in a surprisingly stunning image.
If you've been watching this on Teletoon or Cartoon Network, you
should notice an immediate step up in the visual clarity.
Overall, it's a sparse release but worth picking up for the
13 collected episodes. And sure, it’s not a collection of the
full first season of Batman: The Brave and The Bold, but
having the first half of the season in one collection bodes well
for future collections for the series. That being said, this
show really deserves a more in-depth and expansive release, and
I'm hoping Warner Home Video will provide actual extras in
future releases of Batman: The Brave and The Bold. This
series has so much going on for it, and so many great nods for
comic fans and Bat-fans alike, and I have no doubt there’s a
wealth of material just waiting to be presented to fans and
hopefully we’ll see that soon. However, for this release,
despite its flaws, Batman: The Brave and The Bold – Season
One, Part One is very easy to Recommend and should
definitely be sought out by fans. It would've been higher had
there been actual bonus content, but this release can easily get
by on the strength of the main feature.
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