Probably since the first appearance of Dick Grayson as Robin: the Boy Wonder, the publishers of the Batman comics tried hard to give kids a ‘window’ in to the Batman mythos. After Robin, there have been two other Robins, two Batgirls, Alfred, Huntress, Damian (his son), many lovers, and even Ace the Bathound to make up the ‘Bat-Family’. With the exception of his son Damian, all of these characters have been essentially adopted by Bruce Wayne, but then one gets the feeling that he wants these people near him, but he doesn’t want them too close. As for his biological son? Well, it shames me to admit that my favorite super hero of all time is essentially a deadbeat dad. So Batman as family man is a dead end.

It seems that the creators of Batman: The Brave and the Bold understand this about Batman, so given the format of the show: Batman teaming up with other heroes, the creators have turned to other characters to give us the family feel. Plastic Man has  adventures with Baby Plas, all while trying to convince his wife that they are on a regular family outing.

Batman, Plastic Man, Woozy Winks (Plastic Man's sidekick), and Baby Plas are ready for action!

Mera asks, 'Are you even listening to me?' as Aquaman daydreams of super heroing on his family vacation.

Aquaman takes his wife and Arthur Jr. on a family vacation, complete with RV.

It all begs the question: are super hero fans just getting old? As a family man myself, of course I identify with these characters’ desires to have a family, but hang on to what they love to do. While promising his wife that he will not participate in any super heroics, Aquaman lets slip, ‘But we’re super heroes! It’s what we do!’ I think that ‘Brave and the Bold’ is acknowledging the fact that, yes, the super hero fans are growing up and having families of their own. But it also is allowing kids to watch not just good guys beating on bad guys, but super heroes that have lives and families too.

I love this show for being amazingly fun and for giving us a Batman that’s not afraid to smile and crack jokes and hang out with dopey dads like Plastic Man and Aquaman. I hope this show has a very long run, and continues to poke fun at super heroing and family life.

For as long as it lasts, you can watch Aquaman’s family vacation here: ‘Aquaman’s Outrageous Adventure‘.

Let's go, Squaddies!

Before my wife and I started having kids, I imagined some day in the distant future, bouncing my son or daughter (or both!) on my knee and trying to figure out how to introduce them to the wonderful comic book characters I knew as a child. The movies are too adult and the cartoons I watched as a kid are just plain old.

I started buying toys. Then, there was a line from Marvel called ‘Spiderman and Friends‘. These featured little kid versions of my favorite Marvel heroes. I snatched up everything from teethers to board books to action figures and vehicles, anticipating the demise of the current Super Hero trend.

The beginning...

When I was a kid, I would literally sit down with the TV Guide and plan my Saturday morning. I remember the excitement of revisiting old animated friends and finding new ones. I remember the slow let down as noon fast approached, and I knew that the animated adventures would soon give way to golf and Star Trek reruns (I just didn’t get Star Trek at the time. Now I get excited when I happen to find one, but I digress)…

I’ve mourned the loss of cartoons to get excited about for quite some time. I just can’t get into Phineas and Ferb, Chowder, or the like. They’re just… boring. I’ve watched my three year old watch these shows, and she looks kinda bored too.

But I am delighted to report that the folks at The House of Ideas, the wonderful people at Mighty Marvel have once again unleashed good old fashioned action and adventure to the Saturday morning lineup in the form of Super Hero Squad!

Now I’ve seen other blogs/reviews that are miffed that this show is for kids and not for ‘Marvel fans’. I’d like to offer an alternative stand point. I happen to think this is the perfect show for Marvelites.

Even if I didn’t have a young child in my home, I would love this show. It has everything you could want: Dr. Doom, M.O.D.O.K., Fin Fang Foom, and relics scattered across the world that offer infinite power. And that’s just the first episode! Make mine Marvel!

I’m continually confused by so-called ‘true fans’ that poo-poo every new version of their favorite heroes. What did you find appealing about super heroes in the first place? I’d bet it wasn’t for hard-hitting deep dark storylines. If you’re anything like me, it was the appealing way that good and evil were in an epic struggle and there were no blurring of the lines. Sure, that’s not real life, but since when did stories about mutants and monsters have to be ‘realistic’?

Back when I blogged about ‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold‘, I applauded Warner Bros. for bringing camp back to Batman and reminding us what Saturday morning was all about. I now applaud Marvel for bringing us more fun than you can shake an Infinity Sword fractal at.

With Super Hero Squad, Marvel has come up with a way to keep children and their parents happy. Children may delight in the action, but adults can appreciate the humor. And it’s not the ‘let’s talk over the kids’ heads and giggle at the innuendo’ kind of humor that’s found in most cartoons. Lines like ‘Hulk not do math. Hulk SMASH!’ and a bumbling Silver Surfer are all in good fun. The title cards are send offs of classic Marvel covers. I could go on and on.

My point is, you’re only as old as you feel. If you’re a Marvel fan and don’t like this cartoon, then you must be feeling pretty old. Lighten up, or better yet…

I dare you not to hum the theme song to yourself after watching this…

If you want to know more about Super Hero Squad or want to stream full episodes, make sure you visit the official home of Super Hero Squad online!