Batman: Brave and the Bold actually not bad!

If you haven't realized by now, we're bat purists here at Geekanerd. We prefer our Batmen to be of the Kevin Conroy persuasion, sans pun and eyebrow. So of course Cartoon Network's latest Bat offering, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, had me cursing its name. This was the Batman of the swinging 60's; dropping lamer puns than Bond and fighting campy villains with comically over sized death traps. This was the Batman that killed comics for a good 2 decades! How dare Cartoon Network glorify this false idol!

But then I watched it. Two episodes in fact. And, well, it's pretty good. Stepping outside my love of Batman for a second, I can appreciate what this show's going for. Its unapologetic fun; basking in the inherent silliness of comics (which is frankly a nice change of pace from current generation DC and Marvel books). Capitalizing on the pulp stylings of 60's entertainment, this show is driven by the same tastes that drive The Venture Brothers. However, Batman: BnB is more homage than parody (and its opening intro music is an even better approximation of the original Johnny Quest theme than the Venture Brothers').

Is 60's nostalgia not enough to get you on board? Well, there's a secret second reason why this show is a ton of fun. In fact the show should really be called:

Yeah, a HUGE dick. Sure, he has "pithy" one liners and obvious puns for the villains... but his crimefighting companions are the ones who truly earn his oozing contempt. You really see why no one in the DC universe is good friends with the guy-he's condescending to Everyone. In the Christmas episode, the adorably robotic Red Tornado asks him why he dislikes Christmas; to which he responds in the most condescending tone possible, "I don't dislike Christmas, I dislike crime." That shut him up. We even get flashbacks of lil Brucie during Christmases past... and guess what, he was a dick looong before his parents were gunned down in an alley (which this show suggests happened on a Christmas, so I guess you can cut the guy some slack).

So don't let the clunky and unappealing character design stop you (yes, I know, also a throwback... but still it's not that attractive). Even if campy fun isn't enough to get your attention, then let the asshole we all know Batman to be win you over. I promise, even if this isn't your cup of tea, you'll still find yourself chuckling.