WAM! POW! Batman: The Brave and the Bold Delivers a Family Punch!
I have already reviewed Batman: The Brave and the Bold, but at that time, I had only seen one episode. That was over a year ago, and as I’ve continued to watch the show, I’ve become more enthralled with it’s family atmosphere. Not just in the ‘no one cusses or makes a lot of innuendos’ sort of family atmosphere, but a genuine sense of family among the characters.
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‘.
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Tags: Add new tag, Aquaman, Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Dick Grayson, Plastic Man, Robin, Superhero
Twitter: CK_Lunchbox
says:
Great commentary on this show. My oldest son loves it and rehashes every episode with me. Interesting point about Bruce being a dead-beat dad, especially when many portrayals of his own dad show a father who’s very instrumental in Bruce’s life. Reminds of the recent issues of Superman where he’s raising Zod’s son as his own, and then of course, there’s watching over Supergirl. I’d have to go back and relook at some history, but from what I can recall, Clark’s too overprotective of Zod’s son and over-preachy with Kara. I’m off topic.
I do like this show. It’s one of the few I can trust for the kids to watch without worrying about any seemly surprises that would make me wince as a parent.
Clark Kent’s Lunchbox´s last blog ..Paranormal Proclivity
I’m pretty behind in my comics reading. (I just recently found out Batman is ‘dead’. And I wasn’t all that choked up. After being there for Supes as he died and returned and Bruce broke his back and healed, I’m numb to these big shocker storylines.) So i had no idea Superman was raising Zod’s son. That’s kinda cool!
I agree, Clark can get preachy. Bruce would just look disapprovingly and walk away. Either way, they’re two extremes that I think I fall somewhere in the middle of as a father.
Glad you liked my write up! Here’s to more family friendly cartoons that can include everyone!
I, too, dig Batman Brave and the Bold. The creators have a done a nice job at makign a show that I as a recovering comic book collector can enjoy with my kids and not have it be too violent or too unenjoyable for both me and the kids.
yes comic book and superhero fans are getting older.
William´s last blog ..Looking Ahead
Why would you be a RECOVERING comic book collector? I haven’t actually bought a funnybook in a very long tme, but my enthusiasm remains strong. I’m not recovering so much as … on hiatus.
And yes, I’ve written quite a bit here about loving the current wave of family friendly super heroes. Batman: B&B, Super Hero Squad, Spectacular Spider-Man, etc. reminds me of what got me in to comics and super heroes in the first place: because they’re FUN! I loved ‘The Dark Knight’ as much as the next guy, but my 3 year old daughter won’t be able to watch it for another 12 years. In the meantime, we have Brave and the Bold, FTW!
i’m notoriously behind in comics as well. 12plus years.
i had to wikipedia about bruce’s son.
i do have an elseworlds issue where Batman’s and Ras’s daughter had a child. tallant. Batman was dead. Ras took the league of assassins to the batcave and used all of Batman’s old designs (except the one with Clooney’s nipples) and made a Brotherhood of the Bat.
Tallant joins in the 1990s version of the suit and kicks butt to become the new batman.
Nothing to do with your great post though.
Eric´s last blog ..The Pudding Skin
Well, since ‘Son of the Demon’ happened in the 80′s, maybe you just weren’t paying attention!
And about Clooney’s nipples: why do we have to look at them and not Alicia Silverstone’s? Just sayin’. Stupid Schumacher…
Seems they have their audience pegged. I haven’t kept up on comics since I was in high school. I don’t know what kids these days find compelling in Superheroes. I’m pretty sure they have a different set of heroes than what are represented here. These seem a bit old school, ones we’d appreciate more.
Keith Wilcox´s last blog ..How to Answer a Question Without Guessing
I think there’s something in the old school heroes still for today’s kids, because the creators that are handling the characters were kids growing up with them and remember what made these guys cool.
But to your point, since I have a three year old and a sixteen year old in the house, it’s like I have my own varied focus group, and while the teenager tends to prefer anime and manga, she can still sit down and enjoy a good Batman cartoon with the rest of us, and one of her friends is a die-hard Batman fan. There’s no school like the old school!