BLOGGERIN' TIME: WORLD'S BRAVEST CARTOON!!!

Most of my friends know; BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD is my FAVORITE THING ON TELEVISION! Now nearing it's end, thanks to the Cartoon Network's infinite wisdom.

(BURN IN HELL, CARTOON NETWORK!!!!!)

For the first three seasons this wonderful series has been an extraordinary tour de force! A fantastic journey (Not to be confused with a short TV series from the 70's) through nearly every aspect and era of DC Comics history, with Batman as tour guide. B&B, is somewhat based on the DC Comics classic series that ran for 200 issues, from the 60's into the early 80's before being dropped in favor of Batman And The Outsiders.

Any DC old timer can tell you that B&B (eventually) became a Batman title; in which Bats teamed up with a different hero every month. Continuity rarely mattered, (especially during the Bob Haney era, but, that's a DIFFERENT blog!;-) It always felt like a separate universe unto itself, which was fine by me! Back then; there was another title called World's Finest; which (DUH!) featured the adventures of the BIG TWO! SUPERMAN & BATMAN teamed up every month! The two GREATEST SUPER HEROES were BEST FRIENDS! And they hung out and they saved the day together every month and all was right with the world!

But soon; the Bronze age would give way to the RUST AGE! An age in which, sadly; it became "uncool" for Batman to pal around with Superman! A dark, dank age in which Bats and Supes were on the same side; but often at odds, and even at times downright unfriendly to each other! Over the years leading up to the 2008 debut of the current B&B TV series, things have changed and now, Batman and Superman DO indeed share a title (one with an amalgamated Supes/Bats symbol as it's title: strange times indeed!) Even though the big two have patched things up, to a degree; some of the remnants of their differences remain to this day. Oh, at least their friends again, and that's great; but, it's never really felt quite the SAME as it once was!

Batman: Brave And The Bold seems to have been created to SPECIALIZE in making things feel the "SAME" (Same as in LIKE OLD TIMES!) An amazing, and nostalgic throwback to a simpler, BETTER TIME! When comics had but ONE FUNCTION! ONE PURPOSE! FUN! Yes, one simple word rules the day with this show: FUN! The kind of fun you had when you were picking up these crazy four color pamphlets; even BEFORE you could READ! The sense of sheer WONDER you felt as a child, as you dreamed of being these heroes and having great, preposterous adventures, saving the world, doing the right thing, and always standing up for what is good and decent and RIGHT... and well; all those dusty, outdated, "CAMPY" old concepts.

Before this show came along, I was pretty sure that when I wanted to experience such feelings; the kind that take me back to those wondrous times; I'd have to pull out the old back issue box, or, perhaps a DC Archives or a Marvel Masterworks or other reprint. Sure, I still collect current comics, and while there a few good titles out there; they rarely transport me back to those magical days of riding my bike to the 7-11 and darting straight for the "HEY KIDS COMICS" spinner rack, and then grabbing an Icee in a cool super hero cup for the ride home! It's ODD, that a CARTOON, produced in 2008 to the present, would be the source of recapturing those cherished childhood memories! But, take it from wherever you can GET it, I guess.

B&B is aimed at TWO distinct audiences: 5-10 year old's; and 40-50 year old's who like to feel like 10 year old's again! Now, that in NO WAY diminishes the intelligence and wit of this show! FAR from it! It's simply my way of complementing it's producers for hitting such a broad range of viewership! A 45 year old man can watch this show with his 5-10 year old children and get just as much out of it! ALL are entertained! The man; taken back to his youth; getting a HUGE KICK out of all of the arcane references to various bits of DC Comics lore! As well as all of the great cameos by some of the more obscure DC characters from days gone by! And the kids just roll along for the ride; and get to see a fresh (for the time) undiluted take on Batman that beautifully contrasts the harsh, darker (though certainly NOT illegitimate) aspects of Batman. Aspects of Batman that have regrettably over shadowed the lighter ones, and are, unfortunately INVALIDATED and often RIDICULED by today's cynical, jaded fanboy base!

Batman: The Brave And The Bold is for those who truly LOVE Batman for EVERYTHING that he IS! And is NOT for the knuckle dragging fools who just think it's cool to see Batman go psycho and get blood on his gloves! Those myopic fanboys with no sense of wonder and imagination frankly once sickened me! But, as I've grown older, I'd be more inclined to use the term "sadden", I think. THEY are the ones who have caused the comic book industry to swerve down a dark road, one that is only ugly, and one that thrives on total darkness and insane carnage! THEY are the ones who scoff at what they consider to be "CAMP" or "CORNBALL" and other catch phrases of the imagination-challenged! But, I DIGRESS ("I'LL SAY YOU DID" says anyone who is kind and patient enough to still be reading this!

For clarity's sake; I SHOULD, at this juncture, point out that I TOO love the Dark Bat stuff! When done well; and when handled correctly, the BAT has had some GREAT STORIES that lean towards darker, more serious material! I'm simply trying to make the case that there is MORE to Bats than that! That there are MANY interpretations of Batman; and that ALL ARE VALID! There is ROOM for all of them! Just wanted to put that out there, for those unfamiliar with my take on Batman.

Back to my original point; which was to express my joy over the fact that the rocky relationship between Supes & Bats that has tiresomely plagued comics for pretty much TWO DECADES, got a SPECTACULAR REPRIEVE this Friday night on the Cartoon network! Ever since fairly early on in the series' run; fans of B&B have asked the question: "WHEN is SUPERMAN going to pop in for a visit?" Well; after 50 episodes and two seasons; (and one BRIEF glimpse in an earlier ep) Season Three, episode 51 FINALLY delivers the goods! WITH A VENGEANCE!!!

Now, I SHOULD mention, in fairness; that this LONG WAIT; was NOT the fault of the show's producers! Indeed, they were just as excited to see this teaming as the fans! But, legal proceedings in the never ending battle between DC Comics and the Siegel estate prevented it; and it looked, for a while, as if we'd NEVER see it happen. DC, of course; over the past couple of years has had a comic book tie-in to the series; which was canceled, re-titled, then re-released with a new number one issue. Seen here.

While this was nice; and I've enjoyed the comic; in THIS CASE; the SHOW IS THE THING! And, well; you know what they say about all good things! What we got on Friday night was in a word; MAGICAL! Yes, I KNOW; Supes is highly vulnerable to magic! Fortunately; his fans are not! This was, as in keeping with this great show; a loving stroll through many aspects of the Superman mythos! It's funny how the spell check doesn't even acknowledge the word "mythos" Let's face it; it's pretty much a GEEK WORD!;-)

There have been MANY GREAT EPISODES of Batman: The Brave And The Bold so far; and season Three's premiere episode; "BATTLE OF THE SUPER-HEROES" ranks at the very TIP TOP!!! (SHOULD have been titled "WORLD'S FINEST" but, oh well; can't have EVERYTHING!;-) However, even though it's TRUE that you can't have EVERYTHING; when it comes to THIS episode; you can't ask for much more!

This was an EXTRAORDINARY ROMP through Superman's rich history, the likes of which even I could not have dreamed of! You NAME the era; GOLDEN, SILVER, BRONZE, EVEN RUST, they all get touched on in this one! ESPECIALLY SILVER!!!

******SPOILER ALERT*********
From MXYZPTLK to Jimmy Olsen as a giant turtle (not to mention MANY other strange faces Jimmy has worn) from silver age mad scientist Luthor, to silver age Brainiac! From red kryptonite, to the bottle city of Kandor! From the Fortress Of Solitude to Mayor Swan (YES, DRAWN AS CURT SWAN IN FACT!!!) From Krypto to the Toyman! Oh, and even Batman wearing his exo-skeleton suit from Miller's Dark Knight Returns! (Hence the rust age reference!) And the list goes on! There are SO MANY references that it would and no doubt WILL take multiple viewings to catch them all!

The story is simplicity itself: Lois and Jimmy receive gifts from (they are led to believe) Superman. For Lois, a red jewel necklace. For Jimmy; a new signal watch. As soon as they come in contact with Supes again; he is effected by what Batman later deduces is Red K! Superman immediately begins to act like a jerk! And there is even a nod to a famous website Superdickery.com An HILARIOUS site with zillions of REAL covers from the golden and silver age on which Superman is acting like, well; a TOTAL DICK! ;-)

Supes IS being a DICK in this episode, thanks to the effects of Red K! And it's up to Batman and Krypto to stop him; or, at least keep him in check until it wears off; which it always does after 24 hours! MANY comics from the old days are payed homage to in this ep; this is very simple stuff. It's ALSO VERY FUN STUFF!!!

*****SPOILER ALERT ENDS*****

It's hardly necessary to continue with the details of the episode. I believe I've made my point, or, at the very least, conveyed my excitement about this great cartoon tribute to DC comics' past! Is it my number one out of all of the incredibly excellent episodes of this wonderful, soon to to be, (UNFORTUNATELY) canceled series? Perhaps! It's hard to say. It's a good possibility! At any rate; what's most relevant is that this wonderful show and it's producers, and indeed ALL involved get the kudos and credit they deserve!

If you had told me back in 2008, just before the show's debut, and the same year that mainstream audiences were blasted with the EXTRAORDINARILY OVERRATED, OVER BLOWN FILM: THE DARK KNIGHT; (or, as some of us call it, BATMAN: FOR DUMMIES!;=) that we were going to get such a wondrous ride through our childhoods, I'd have been skeptical in the extreme!

BTW; I'll elaborate on my disdain for Christopher Nolan's Dork Knight movie another day. THIS, is a day for rejoicing, after all! For appreciating a simpler, lighter time, when HEROES WERE HEROES and they were pretty damn SUPER TOO!

I will TRULY be sad the day that we have seen our last episode of BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD! And, UNFORTUNATELY, that day is soon to come. And as much as I CURSE the GODDAMN Cartoon Network for taking it away from us; fairness forces me to acknowledge the utter unlikelihood of the show's very existance in the first place! Therefore; I AM thankful that when it's all said and done, we'll have had 65 episodes of one of the most awe inspiring animated series' of all time! And that fact, like Friday's episode is; well; in a word....

SUPER!!!