Batman: The Brave and the Bold

I found that this was a really amusing episode, full of callbacks and nods to the Batman mythos that fans like me could enjoy.

For instance, the bit where Bat-Mite tried out new looks for Batman, giving several nods to various series in the mythos, yet rejecting each one for different reasons.

My favorite part, however, was the scene where Bat-Mite was speaking to a crowd of Batman impersonators, which included several (and in some cases, surprising) cameos, especially by the cast and creators.

I also enjoyed the delightfully surreal part towards the end where Bat-Mite (with Batman's help) defeated several of the latter's Rouge's Gallery, with a parody of a Daffy Duck cartoon thrown in!

Simly put, this was a well-executed episode, one I reccomend for fans of Batman, if not for the episode itself, but for all the shout outs.

If you're familiar with Paul Dini's work, you'll know he occasionally writes episodes which are meant to be comedic and funny in shows that are mostly dominated by dark, violent and serious episodes. Funny and silly is not exactly uncommon in this particular show, so this one pulls out all the stops, being so silly, so far-out, so absurd it's worth a couple of raised eyebrows. This is the most cleverly written episode this show has had, Bat-Mite is funny, great voicework from Paul Reubens. The jokes come flying. We have Calendar Man, the Comic-Con scene, "The Great Piggybank Robbery" scene and plenty of other hilarious scenes.



I laughed out loud on several occasions, the opening is good as well, but not quite as brilliant as the rest of the episode. The references to Batman: The Animated Series are a nice addition, but I think I liked Bat-Mite's reaction to the super obscure villains the most. Tiger Shark appears, yes, Tiger Shark, how's that for an obscure villain?



I love this episode it is genuinely hilarious and one of the series best. Paul Dini has delivered another masterpiece in animated entertainment.

I'll go ahead and say - I'm no fan of this Batman: Brave and the Bold show. I think it is overly childish with corny jokes, both of which are unnecessary in making a show that can appeal to both kids and adults. However, the great Paul Dini, coming off an excellent run on DC's Detective Comics (he's currently writing 2 Batman monthy comics so go check um out!) rides in to save any hope this show ever has of being half-way decent. Take note future B:BatB writers - this is how it is done! The perfect blend of comedy and action, intelligent, and well written. Was awesome to see Bat-Mite mess with Batman's costume (the Frank Miller one was great) as well as the killer nod to Batman: The Animated Series (you know, the Batman cartoon we all actually liked) with the Batman silhouette on the gotham rooftop while a lightning bolt flashes in the background - classic. He even breaks the fouth wall a few times as Bat-Mite talking about how this show is a perfectly acceptable alternative to the dark brooding detective stories (a common criticism of this show). Thanks Paul Dini for doing what seemed impossible - making an actual great ep of this show. Also - check out Pokerking5050's excellent review of this ep - he does it much better justice than I.

Brave and the Bold has been at its very best when it combines wacky Silver-Age plots, playing them up for comedy, with some cool action sequences. However, this episode becomes one of the very best with very little action sequences. Bat-Mite, who's wonderfully voiced by the Fifth Dimension, comes over to make things more exciting in Batman's life when it seems like he's going to defeat two robbers too easily. The episode quickly becomes an all-out parody of everything it can think of, and works all the better for it. With jokes coming practially rapid-fire, references to Comic-Con and old Daffy Duck cartoons, and an absolutely surreal final sequence, this is an episode I want to watch again just to see what I missed the first time. Definitely one of the best so far.

I also agree that this episode was the best out of all of them so far. Ive always loved Bat-Mite and to see him back again was enjoyable. It was nice to have Paul Reubens do the voice because everytime I watch the older versions with Bat-Mite, all I hear is ORKO from He-Man.(Same Actor). All of the toungue-in-cheek stuff was great. I hope they bring him back. There are so many stories and possibilites that they could come up with, even if just for an opening teaser! I also hope that they make a Bat-Mite action figure in the BATB toyline... SCALE to the other figures! That was one disappointment for me in the JLU toy line...No Myxpydlyk (sorry about spelling)Cant wait to see who they bring in next...Batgirl? (Seeing the First green and red costume would be fun!) Captain Marvel? A Mayor Adam West cameo? Its nice to have a reason to look forward to Fridays again!

Once I saw that Paul Dini was doing the writing for this week's Batman: the Brave and the Bold, I knew that this was going to be an amazing episode right off the bat. You didn't need the awesome sneak peeks on YouTube or the guest performance by Paul Reubens for the constantly annoying and unfittingly cartoon-wise Bat-Mite to prove that to me. I had all the evidence I needed to see that this week was going to be the best out of all the previous cross-referenced and consistently hilarious BtBatB adventures. On the contrary, I'm actually even more-than shocked as to see that this journey is even far, far better than I had expected, dosing any sort of flaw that I thought possible with adding Bat-Mite into the episode's main plot and having a serious, more storytelling-infused writer like Paul Dini handle all of this craziness. Not only is Bat-Mite by far (and in most cases ironically) the most entertaining, unique and hilarious character I've ever seen on this show yet, but since Paul Dini wrote and came up with the entire episode, he's done a fantastic job of creating the most over-the-top action scenes, worlds, and villains that we've ever seen in the show yet. This week's prologue segment, featuring CatMan (yeah, you heard it correctly) is by far the funniest in the show's collection. The ironic auctioning of a lion, the arrival of Batman's dog-sidekick Ace (also in Batman Beyond as a guard dog), and a great and very funny one-liner by Batman prove as the highlights and great moments to this intro. What really tops this one up against all the rest of them is a defeat where CatMan surrenders and climbs up on a tree away from Bats and Ace in the form of cat fear. Oh, just how well and how perfect the strange reality was in this sort of situation. While taking care of another gang of goons on a jewel heist, Batman hears a strange, squeaky voice with powers that can either increasing and one-upping thugs or transforming them into killer ninjas by the power of voice. A wonderful start and a brilliant introduction to the character Bat-Mite-the invisible squeaky voice-as his villainous irony to see Batman whip serious can while leaving his life on the line and his loyalty and scary/annoying stalking deficiency to make Batman a better hero while literally following in on his footsteps are instantly played into the episode right after the main adventure's first action scene. Then, we get a laugh-out-loud stroke of genius with an outstanding Calendar Man cameo, featuring some killer huge easter bunnies, biker santas, and "Uber-patriotic Uncle Sams." The off-the-wall over-the-top sentences that I have to come up with have only just begun. We're also handed with a Batman makeover involving Bat-Mite and a consistently chuckle-worthy giggle-tastic 5th Dimension comic-con with all the Batman comic, movie, and cartoon suit references you can handle (did I forget to mind you about the Bruce Timm and Paul Dini look-a-likes in the Harley Quinn and Joker jumpoffs?) Lastly, this trip takes us to a TAS introduction spoof, a widly subtle defeat of Gorilla Grodd (CAMEO!), and an over-the-top-of-the-top battle against most of Batman's most dangerous foes in classic 90's WB cartoon style (Featuring Mr. Pokadott, the Pokadott Man!) Most episodes are known to have half of their greatness due to the epilogues, but if "Legends of the Dark-Mite" were to stand on its known, it'd be walking on air. This episode is a masterpiece in every synch of the imagination. Almost every scene that I explained just now are of cartoon perfection. Bat-Mite's capabilities are used for the most outrageous worlds, situations, and, most importantly, laughs that the show has ever come up with. The comic convention explained before has a cartoon-styled Bruce Timm who hilariously compares this show to his former Batman works in one word, and there's a fantastic "Batman Forever/Batman & Robin" movie reference in the makeover scene ("Too icky! LOL.) One of the best parts of this episode is when Bat-Mite tries to use Batman as a toy and Batman eventually stops by sitting down on a rock, one leg over his lap and arms shrugged. I laughed so hard the firs time I saw it. The best part of having all this play out in such a show is that it all molds perfectly with the tone that this show intends to work with in mainly each episode. They're just as over-the-top as the writers expect it to be, but it still feels like that Batman cross-reference show that began with killer clock robot ducks. Paul Dini's excellent references make this episode unique in every fathom of the imagination, and does a brilliant job of meshing the show that he's writing with the whole entire decade of great WB-licensed '90s cartoons (TAS, Animaniacs, you name it.) Lastly, Paul Reubens makes Bat-Mite appearance on cartoon TV in years the very best in history. The squeaky, irritating voice, the freaky stalking, and the crazy attitude towards neglect and rejection are perfectly implemented and put to hysterical use by Reuben's authentic voice talent. The dialogue between Reubens and Diedrich Bader as Batman make for the best in the series yet, and by far the funniest. These two together keep the whole scheme of things going perfectly without dropping a single fluid of gas, and I couldn't think of a better matchup of actors to fill in these respected roles any better. There are so many jokes, gags, and reference in this episode that are so good, writing them down on a list would make my hand hurt. That is when you know that you've seen the true definition of Batman: the Brave and the Bold. Bat-Mite is perfectly cast, perfectly acted, and perfectly used to create the most out of this world adventure in the series to date. The Batman that this show has been trying to realize is played out better than ever. Other than that, there's not a single gag or piece of comedy in "Legends of the Dark Mite" that doesn't work. In fact, all the story stops, all the jokes, all the references, and all the scenes in this week's episode come together like a masterpiece. You wanted zainy, edge-of-your-seat craziness at the top of its game, well you finally got, and its in Batman: the Brave and the Bold opera that never stops even when the fat lady sings. And Bruce Timm couldn't disagree more.

Ok, this was a very strange episode of Batman: Brave and the bold. However, it was also good. It was funny to see Calendar Man, even though i was never a big fan of him. But he had a funny role in this episode. Bat Mite was kind of annoying, but he was still funny. I was shocked to see all those villians like The Joker, and Kite Man. Also, i liked Batman's dog. He was a cool dog and even in the opening part, when he was attacking Catman. Still, this episode was a little strange, but good.



Overall Grade: A