Way to Go, Kid!

The new Batman: Brave and the Bold cartoon premieres tonight. Could be fun, if for no other reason then it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. '60s style Batman fighting aliens with current Blue Beetle? I suppose. Not to mention it stars (I never thought I'd write these words) The Drew Carey Show's Diedrich Bader as The Caped Crusader!



Still, I gotta wonder...does this show mean anything at all to the youth of today? Sure, the recent Fisher-Price-esque Super Friends toy line introduced kids to the peppy, Dick Sprang-era Batman. But wouldn't they want a Batman who at least slightly resembles Christian Bale? From a brand management standpoint, I can't help but think that Warner Bros. would want to have a dark (at least in look) Batman toon on the air right about now. Dark Knight has only earned a billion dollars worldwide, in large part due to multiple viewings from kids and tweens.

Back in 1992, the groundbreaking (and still unsurpassed to this day) Batman: The Animated Series debuted a couple of months after Batman Returns, giving older and younger fans alike a Batman that was at least tonally similar to the one they saw in theaters. Seamless corporate synergy which resulted in the best animated Batman in the character's history.

That said, while this new show appears to be a blatant answer to the "Batman is too dark for kids" argument, it also looks like a lot of fun. And way more exciting than Clone Wars, a show which somehow manages to replicate the experience of watching paint dry while on Nyquil and being repeatedly hit over the head.