Sunday, October 30, 2011

Batman: The Brave and the Bold - Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth


Much to Guy Gardner's (James Arnold Taylor) chagrin the JLI hosts a special meeting with the Justice Society of America aboard their satellite. The gives Fire, Ice (Jennifer Hale), Captain Marvel (Jeff Bennett), Captain Atom, Aquaman (John Di Maggio), Booster Gold, Blue Beetle (Will Friedle), Martian Manhunter (Nicholas Guest), and Guy Gardner the opportunity to mix with Jay Garrick (Andy Milder), Alan Scott (Corey Burton), Hourman, Doctor Fate, Wildcat (R. Lee Ermey), Doctor Midnight (Burton), Hawkman, the Spectre, Sandman, Mister Terrific, and Starman (Bennett).

While the party gets off to a rocky start (including Aquaman performing an Atlantean musical for the guests, "the greatest games of charades ever," and even a pie fight) Batman takes on an army of ninja assassins and is captured by Ra's al Ghul (Peter Woodward).

The final battle sees the two leagues put their differences aside to beat up an entire base full of Ra's al Ghul's men while the two Lanterns work together to save Batman and Talia (who is set to share Batman's fate after she rescued him from her father's first death trap).

The episode works quite well and includes a few fun jokes including an off-hand comment by Aquaman about what J'onn when he eats too many cookies and Gardner and Scott's argument over which weakness in each others power rings is more ridiculous. The only complaint is so many characters are used that a few such as Hakwman, Sandman, Captain Atom, Booster Gold, Fire, the Spectre, Hourman, Doctor Fate, and Mister Terrific get very little screentime (and no actual lines).

The opening segment finds Batman being roasted, both literally and figuratively, by his rogues gallery (Gorilla Grodd, Mr. Freeze, Penguin, Solomon Grundy, Two-Face, and Poison Ivy, among others) lead by the Joker (Bennett). It's an odd opening, and not only because Jeffrey Ross appears as an animated version of himself, but it does have the feel of the old Batman Silver Age Batman death traps he so often found himself in.

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