Batman Brave & Bold - Aquaman & Prince Orm Television 

Five Thoughts on Batman: The Brave &the Bold‘s “Terror on Dinosaur Island!” & “Evil Under the Sea!”

By | May 28th, 2018
Posted in Television | % Comments

Batman’s had a lot of different animated incarnations over the past 30-years, and while Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League are certainly iconic, one should not overlook Batman: The Brave & the Bold. Is it a bit campy? Yeah, but that’s what makes it so utterly charming. Follow along as we go through the all 3 seasons and experience a Batman that can be loved by all. Plus, feel free to comment down below and make this as interactive as possible, because Batman: The Brave & the Bold is first and foremost, fun. And now… “Terror on Dinosaur Island!” & “Evil Under the Sea!”

1. The Cold Open

Gentlemen Ghost, Fire, Plastic Man, The Atom & Felix Faust all join Batman in the teaser’s for these two episodes. The opening teasers are responsible for at least half of this series charm. Just think of another venue where you could pit the Gentlemen Ghost in a “Day of the Dead” parade being hunted down by Batman and Plastic Man. It’s spectacular. The vibe, the action, the skull bullets Gentleman Ghost fires. Throw in a Brazilian hero in Fire (as an FYI, Brazilians also celebrate “Day of the Dead”, it’s not limited to Mexico,) and you get as diverse of a team-up as Batman has ever had. The eclectic mix of characters we see in  The Brave & the Bold are a testament to how incredible DC comics are, and how they’ve just scratched the surface in other media. Then, in the next episode you get The Atom & Felix Faust, just in case you thought that the series would shy away from the occult.

2. Spotlight on the Team-Up

We get a B-lister in Plastic Man, and one of the big guns in Aquaman.  Each is in their own respective episode and they couldn’t be more different. You have to like this rendition of Plastic Man as he’s kind of greasy dude. Sure, he’s somewhat turned his back on his criminal activities, but that greed is still right below the surface. It’s also nice to have Batman play the role in his origin instead of comicbook version where he’s shot down by a random nightwatchman. It links the two together nicely. And then we have Aquaman. I absolutely love this Aquaman! He’s pompous, he’s a blowhard, he is incredibly full of himself. But… it flows perfectly with the character. This isn’t a modern day interpretation. We’re talking good old fashioned green tights and orange top Aquaman. He’s cheesy as all hell, his loves speaking to fish, and above all, he loves talking about himself. There’s something so utterly charming about this guy. He’s like an underwater Super-Man that believes his own hype.

3. Things you wouldn’t think the Bat-Suit could do

Nothing completely crazy in these two episodes. Sure, Batman is able to travel to the ocean depths wearing his Bat-Suit and only a breathing mask. But, we already know the Bat-Suit can handle the rigors of space, so why not the pressure of the ocean floor. In place of any wacky Batman gadgets, we got instead a litany of things that Plastic-Man can turn into. Everything from a hand-glider, to a gold brick firing machine gun. Plastic Man is so ridiculously pliable in his episode that it feel as if he is floating through space as his body contorts into any plausible configuration.

4. And the Bad Guy is…?

First up we get Gorilla Grodd, and he is a bad-ass. Yes, his plan to turn all humanity within a 500 mile radius into apes (including Florida which he goes out of his way to mention for some strange reason), is more than a bit questionable. It’s dumb in all honesty, but he’s still awesome. His battle with Batman is great. The animation really brings home his strength and I can’t wait to see him again. Grodd is a big upgrade from Kanjar Ro in the pilot episode. Next, Batman’s trip to Atlantis pits him against Ocean Master and Black Manta. Both look really cool, with Ocean Master’s battle suit a significant upgrade over his everyday Orn persona. And this time we actually get a nefarious plan that makes sense! One quip though, I can’t see how anyone could get their head inside that Black Manta helmet? That thing looks like a Frisbee disk with eyeballs.

Continued below

5. Give me the Bat-Humor

Ah, poor Plastic Man. The guy is going to be on the wrong end of a lot of interactions. First up, we have Batman’s inner monologue contemplating whether he should eject Plastic Man from the BatWing. You can’t really blame Batman though, we all know somebody who won’t shut up. Hands down though, the best scene is when Plastic Man disguises himself as a shovel, and is subsequently used by the apes to shovel manure. That made me immediately want to see a 90’s Plastic Man movie staring Jim Carey. Oh well…

Next week we have Guy Gardner, Green Arrow, Red Tornado, and two of the stranger episodes from season one. Have a great Memorial Day, and see you next week!


//TAGS | 2018 Summer TV Binge | Batman: The Brave & The Bold

Rodney Ortiz

When not writing about comics you can find Rodney blogging about home improvement and cars at SmartEnoughtoDIY. He's also read every Star Wars Legends novel which is not as impressive as it once was.

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