Batman: The Brave and the Bold: Season 1, Part Two

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Product Description ------------------- Batman Brave and the Bold Season One, Part Two ]]> .com ---- This second set in the Cartoon Network's reboot of an animated Batman series continues the fun of part one in brilliant colors, dazzling if low-tech animated resolution, and dry-witted, square-jawed, super-fun superhero action. The series' conceit is to team up the Dark Knight (not so dark in this incarnation) with another marquee crime fighter from the DC Comics stable. Aquaman, Green Arrow, Jonah Hex, Black Canary, Blue Beetle, Red Tornado, and a slew of other notable or obscure figures make guest appearances in each episode to help Batman outwit and/or out-brawn a supervillain who also may or may not be well known to Batman aficionados. The tone is light and filled with humor and wisecracking between the rock 'em, sock 'em action sequences, with banter that may appeal as much to the older fanboy set as the young Saturday morning kiddie market. Each 22-or-so-minute episode (13 in all) keeps to its own character and story arc and moves briskly along with fast pacing and snappy banter. Highlights include a team-up between Batman and Sherlock Holmes, and an encounter between Batman and Bat-Mite (voiced by Paul "Pee Wee Herman" Reubens) that is perhaps the most bizarre adventure of the bunch. But the standout is "Mayhem of the Music Meister," an all-musical episode with the Music Meister played by none other than Neil Patrick Harris. Fans of Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog know about Harris's penchant for wacky side projects and his made-for-Broadway-show-tunes voice. They will particularly enjoy the thoughtful wit and playful sensibility that infuses this and most other installations of a popular Cartoon Network offering that deserves a good y run as a standout from most of the dreck that is 21st-century TV animation. --Ted Fry