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Deep Cover for Batman!
Original Airdate - February 27th, 2009
When parallel worlds collide, Batman swaps
places with Owlman--his criminal counterpart in
an alternate universe--to stop the Crime
Syndicate from taking over their world. Crime
fighters in one world must battle their evil
counterparts in a crime spree melee. Meanwhile
back on Earth, Owlman has been perpetrating
crimes disguised as Batman and assembled all the
villains to join him. When Batman returns, he
finds himself on the wrong side of the law and
hunted by Green Lantern, Aquaman, Blue Beetle,
Red Tornado and Plastic Man. It’s a strange
twist of fate that leaves Batman with only one
option - to team up with Joker and take Owlman
and the Crime Syndicate down!
Written by Joseph Kuhr
Directed by Michael Chang
Animation by MOI
Animation
Review by James Harvey
Media provided by Warner Bros. Animation |
Cast
Deidrich Bader as Batman / Owlman Jeff
Bennett as Red Hood / The Joker James Sie as
Dyna-Mite Corey Burton as Red Tornado /
Silver Cyclone Will Friedle as Blue Beetle /
Scarlet Scarab James Arnold Taylor as Green
Arrow / Blue Bowman
Music
Theme Written and Performed by Andy Strumer
Music by Michael McCuisition, Lolita Ritmanis,
Kristopher Carter
Note: Review
below is for both parts of the story. Beware of
spoilers! |
Images
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Review
"Like looking into a funhouse mirror...of evil!" is
going down as one of my favorite lines of the series to
date! The quote in question comes from “Deep Cover for
Batman!,” the first of a Batman: The Brave and The
Bold two-part event.
As odd as this may
sound, it seems as though the entire season has been
leading up to this episode. Well, both episodes,
actually. All the heroes that appear, all the villains,
it all seems logical. As if every appearance before this
was laying the groundwork for this clearly epic two-part
Batman: The Brave and The Bold episode. And, boy,
will fans ever get a lot out of this episode. Even if
you're not a fan of the series, I strongly recommend
that you give at least the first of this two-part corker
a shot.
So what's this two-part event about? When
parallel worlds collide, Batman swaps places with Owlman--his
criminal counterpart in an alternate universe--to stop
the Crime Syndicate from taking over their world. Crime
fighters in one world must battle their evil
counterparts in a crime spree melee. Meanwhile back on
Earth, Owlman has been perpetrating crimes disguised as
Batman and assembled all the villains to join him. When
Batman returns, he finds himself on the wrong side of
the law and hunted by Green Lantern, Aquaman, Blue
Beetle, Red Tornado and Plastic Man. It’s a strange
twist of fate that leaves Batman with only one option -
to team up with Joker and take Owlman and the Crime
Syndicate down!
Without spoiling too much, it's
safe to say that this is the most ambitious installment
of the series to date. Not to fall onto the typical
cliches that comes with discussing an installment such
as this, but this episode certainly does set a new
precedent for the series. Not only that, but it really
does bring a couple things to light.
This episode
really lets Deidrach Bader shine and, boy, is he ever a
great Batman. True, he's held his own in each episode of
the series so far, but he really goes above and beyond
in this one. These two episodes really showcase Bader's
work and, here, he doesn't disappoint. Given the fact
that he voices multiple Batman, he really gets to flex
his muscle, and does an admirable job doing so.
“Deep Cover for Batman!” and “Game Over for Owlman!”
have so much going for them, for both long-time comic
fans and fans of just the Dark Knight. The
shadow-drenched opening teaser for the two-part story is
dripping with style, providing probably the best tease
of the series. Not only that, but with the teaser
obviously tied into the overall storyline, it really
does whet the appetite all the more for what comes
after. There's plenty of firsts in this two-part
episode, including a first look at the Batcave, our
first extended trip through Gotham, our first look at
the Joker, and much more. Again, I seriously don't want
to ruin all of the surprises here, but there are moments
that will make fans seriously giddy. Whether it's the
various interpretations of Batman that comes to light,
the superb work by Jeff Bennett in bringing an excellent
Joker to life, or the work seeing the villainous
opposites of many of our favorite heroes, there's so
much to enjoy in these two episodes.
One of the
great aspects of this series is seeing the bigger DC
Universe and here, we get it in spades. Not only is the
universe to this series expanded upon, but we get
countless nods to comics and previous incarnations of
these characters. There's more than a couple homages to
the classic 1960's Batman series, as well as a
very cool homage to the 1989 live-action Batman
film by Tim Burton (one word: “Stop”).
And, I
have to admit, for a brief moment, when we see Batman on
the run from the law in Gotham, it's a great look at
Batman's stomping grounds. While the headlining heroes
of the city try to capture the Dark Knight, this section
feels surprisingly intimate for the series. In fact,
these two episodes provide the closest look into
Batman's home turf in this two-parter, something fans
will both love and want to see more of. Hopefully we'll
be seeing more of the Batcave and Batman's home in the
future.
There's a lot of action to be found here.
The blistering fights between Batman and Owlman easily
are breathlessly staged, calling back to the brilliant
staging and fight scenes that Justice League
Unlimited and Teen Titans accomplished during
their run. But, the fight scenes are still manage to
also be fun. It's hilarious to see the tension between
Batman and Owlman cut when we see Joker hilariously
tip-toe through the scene with a ticking bomb. Of
course, in this series, there's always a great visual
gag around the corner, and this two-parter is no
exception. The plethora of Batman who come to save the
day in the second part of this two-part adventure are an
equal mix of hilarious and awesome. Whether it's the
amazing Vampire Batman or the hilarious gigantic-cranium
Batman (a great homage to the classic Flash storyline),
there's so much that long-time comic readers and
Bat-fans will get a kick out of.
There are some great jaw-dropping moments, too, moments
that will surprise and excite! Batman: The Brave and
The Bold really pulls out all the stops and,
thankfully, doesn't suffer at all. While I was initially
skeptical of a series so packed with heroes in every
episode, the series has managed to surpass my
expectations at nearly every turn, and this two-part
episode is no exception. Only this series can get away
with a plethora of Batman teaming up with a host of DC
heroes to duke it out with a plethora of evil
duplicates, nearly twenty characters, and never once
feel too cramped. It's a testament to the creative team
of this series that they're able to handle so many
characters without ever missing a beat. Everything moves
as it should., and is unrelentlessly exciting! Directors
Micheal Chang and Ben Jones do a great job bringing
Joseph Kuhr's exhilarating script to life!
The
Batman: The Brave and The Bold two-part special
event, made up of “Deep Cover for Batman!” and “Game
Over for Owlman!,” is the culmination of thirteen
episodes, erupting in both a gigantic and simultaneously
intimate look at this interpretation of the Caped
Crusader. For fans of the series, I have no doubt this
will be one of the most talked-about installments of the
series. Without a doubt, this adventure comes Highly
Recommended. For those interested in checking out
the series for the first time, this is a definitely
great place to start. Seriously, it may seem like it's a
very involved two-parter, and it is, but the creative
team has also done an excellent job at also making it
accessible to new viewers. Batman: The Brave and The
Bold has been a breathe of fresh air for Bat-fans,
and this two-part installment manages to both continue
that and easily produce the best of the series to date!
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