Batman: The Brave and The Bold "Emporer Joker!" Talkback (Spoilers) [Archive]

theRedDeath

10-22-2010, 07:42 PM

That was a...weird episode.

First off, the Rainbow Batman opener. Despite it's wacky concept, it was actually kind of dull. Also, the original "Rainbow Batman" comic had a surprisingly brilliant story where Batman was wearing the alternate costumes to trick a sniper into shooting an armored segment of his costume instead of in the head.

As for the actual episode, I wasn't that impressed. Maybe its this version of the Joker and his voice-actor, maybe it's the weird B&W goons, I dunno, but I could never really believe any of what was happening mattered. Even when Joker was "killing" Batman (a high point of the episode) it all felt pretty inconsequential. Until the end when Batman asked Bat-Mite to undo everything, I wasn't even sure if Joker's influence even went outside the museum and everything was just a sight-gag or what.

A few side-points worth mentioning:

-Anyone else think Joker-mite looked a whole lot like Jack Nicholson from Tim Burton's "Batman" film? I was hoping the voice would even be a Jack impression, but alas...

-Something I noticed in Joker's musical number, was that the giant golden statue in Gotham harbor with the sword is a callback to "The Batman" of all things. Where that statue was in the first Joker episode and he popped his air balloon on her sword. That was a surprising thing for them to reference in this show.

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Anthonynotes

10-22-2010, 08:44 PM

If you're wondering where I was for last week's episode, I missed it---malfunctioning DVR + being busy this past week = not getting to see it. I *did* see tonight's episode, however, and it was fun (though think the original Bat-Mite episode was more fun).

I liked seeing the mini-Joker whipped up by the full-sized one. For some reason, he reminded me of Jack Nicholson's version. Also was amused that he seemed about as evil as the regular one (trying to off Joker while he's in Batman's head)...

Also nice to see the introduction of Harley Quinn, in a 20s flapper costume in this series.

On to...

Old-but-amusing Comic References!
A long list of 'em this week... whee...

The Rainbow Batman: Actual Silver Age Batman story. Appearing in "Detective Comics" #241 in 1957, and written by Edmond Hamilton (50s/60s DC writer) and drawn by Sheldon Moldoff (one of the main Batman artists in the 50s), the original story had Bats wearing a different colored costume each night for different reasons (to distract people from seeing Robin had a broken arm, similar to one Dick Grayson had). (The cover: http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Detective_Comics_Vol_1_241 )

The Joker
Some of the Clown Prince of Crime's classic appearances over the years is referenced tonight... from what I immediately can point out:

"The Joker's Utility Belt": The Joker decides to create his *own* utility belt, to go up against Batman's. Appeared in "Batman" #73 in 1952, written by David Vern (40s/50s Batman writer IIRC) and Dick Sprang (the defining Batman artist of the Golden Age/early Silver Age, and whose Batman art style is a big basis of this TV show, plus influenced the look of Bats in "Batman:TAS").

"The Joker's Five-Way Revenge": The poster on the wall of the Joker holding a big playing card against Batman against the Gotham City skyline is the cover to "Batman" #251 from 1973. The story was about the Joker's, well, "five way revenge" against those who wronged him, and mostly responsible for re-establishing the Joker's more violent traits (though not to the over-the-top excessive degree of modern comics). Written by Denny O'Neil (the writer responsible for making Batman more serious/darker in the 70s) and art by Neal Adams.

"Death In the Family": The late 80s story where the Joker captures the second Robin (Jason Todd) and holds him hostage, planning to blow up a building he's in. DC bizarrely decided to hold a 1-900 number call-in poll to see how fans wanted the story to turn out (vote if Jason lived, or died). Narrowly, and probably out of how unpopular the post-Crisis Jason was, they voted to off him. (Interesting this story managed to make it into this otherwise light-hearted show... plus implies Batman in this show had a second Robin, unless it didn't happen the way it did in the original comics, judging from Batman not wanting to tear Bat-Mite apart...). Also noteworthy that this is the most recent story referenced in tonight's episode, other than the modern story it's loosely based on.

"The Laughing Fish": The Joker tries to get a copyright (and thus royalties) on fish treated with his special Joker-toxin (to give them his face), and threatens violence if he isn't given copyright (when the Copyright Office says "no"). Published in "Detective Comics" #475 in 1978, and was written by Steve Englehart (who wrote a highly regarded run on Batman in the late 70s) and drawn by Marshall Rogers.

"Emperor Joker": The story tonight's episode is very loosely based on. A storyline published in the Superman comics in 2000 about the Joker somehow gaining Mr. Mxyzptlk's powers, and uses them to remake the world in his own image (including repeatedly killing Batman like he does in tonight's episode). Given I can't stand the modern comics' version of the Joker (he sums up much of what I consider wrong with modern superhero comics in general---one reason among many that I've been reading reprints/non-mainstream-set titles/stuff like Archie and Uncle Scrooge) and was in between moves at the time, I didn't read this one, but sure tonight's episode was probably way better (and shorter).

And to wrap this up...
Who's Who: In the opening, Bat-Mite is seen reading the Ten-Eyed Man's entry in an issue of "Who's Who," a series of comics released in the mid-80s (during/after the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" story) that was meant to provide basic biographical/origin info on every DC character, from Batman and Superman to minor guys like the Ten-Eyed Man. Unfortunately, things went off the rails toward the end of the series---they tried to shoehorn in the then-brand-new John Byrne Superman origin story, and didn't publish an entry for the Silver Age Superman... same thing happened to Wonder Woman (Batman, his entry appearing early on and not majorly changed by "Crisis", was unscathed).

The Ten-Eyed Man: What Bat-Mite said in tonight's episode summed him up. :-P First appeared in "Batman" #226 (in 1970), and was created by Frank Robbins (a DC writer of the time) and art by Irv Novick (longtime artist on various comics).

The statue in Gotham's harbor: IIRC, per Gotham City being a NYC analogue, it has its own mock-"Statue of Liberty," in this case a statue in Gotham's harbor named "Lady Gotham." Don't recall when it first appeared, but believe it dates back by some decades...

And finally, Batman pulling his cape over part of his face after shaking Robin's hand in the opening, of course, is a reference to the 60s Batman TV show opening.

Next week:
Something with the Riddler, from what someone above said?

-B.

HEATXZ

10-22-2010, 10:04 PM

Awesome episode :anime:
The Joker musical was great :anime:
My favorite parts are Bat-Mite reading the Who Who's DC Book,Joker killing Batman a lot, and Bat-Mite breaking the 4 Wall and hitting people with cue cards XD

PeppeRaskell1

10-22-2010, 10:11 PM

Totally "awesome sauce!" as Bat-Mite said.

I identified the four Joker henchmen guys as Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, and Oliver Hardy, but I'm wondering which famous silent comedienne Harley Quinn was dressed up as? Jean Harlow? Clara Bow? Mabel Normand? Being a semi-regular viewer of TCM, those were the only early movie comediennes I could think of....

Hordesman

10-22-2010, 10:38 PM

but I'm wondering which famous silent comedienne Harley Quinn was dressed up as? Jean Harlow? Clara Bow? Mabel Normand? Being a semi-regular viewer of TCM, those were the only early movie comediennes I could think of....

Marion Davies?

Yojimbo

10-22-2010, 11:14 PM

"What ever you got in your pocket, pal, that's where it stays!" and the cactus gag were :D.

Interesting to note that Batman refers to Joker as a "Palefaced Pagliacci". Seems Pagliacci gets referenced everytime Joker appears on an animated series. In The Batman, he stolr Pagliacci's costume in "Strange Minds" and in The New Batman Adventures' "Legends of the Dark Knight", the 50's era tale has him stealing the Pagliacci Score from the Walker Music Center. :cool:

was that the giant golden statue in Gotham harbor with the sword is a callback to "The Batman" of all things. Where that statue was in the first Joker episode and he popped his air balloon on her sword. That was a surprising thing for them to reference in this show. Yep, looks the same statue to me, too. It was in the "The Rubber Face of Comedy" episode? Then I believe the statue first appeared on TBATB in the teaser for "Hail the Tornado Tyrant!" when Batman and Green Arrow chase the Joker then Catwoman.

Who's Who: In the opening, Bat-Mite is seen reading the Ten-Eyed Man's entry in an issue of "Who's Who," a series of comics released in the mid-80s (during/after the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" story) that was meant to provide basic biographical/origin info on every DC character, from Batman and Superman to minor guys like the Ten-Eyed Man. Unfortunately, things went off the rails toward the end of the series---they tried to shoehorn in the then-brand-new John Byrne Superman origin story, and didn't publish an entry for the Silver Age Superman... same thing happened to Wonder Woman (Batman, his entry appearing early on and not majorly changed by "Crisis", was unscathed).If you want to get so nerdy it hurts, this Who's Who that appeared was Who's Who The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Volume 1 Issue 23 (http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Who%27s_Who:_The_Definitive_Directory_of_the_DC_Universe_Vol_1_23)

Totally "awesome sauce!" as Bat-Mite said.

I identified the four Joker henchmen guys as Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, and Oliver Hardy, but I'm wondering which famous silent comedienne Harley Quinn was dressed up as? Jean Harlow? Clara Bow? Mabel Normand? Being a semi-regular viewer of TCM, those were the only early movie comediennes I could think of....

Marion Davies?Director, Ben Jones confirms the henchmen were Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, and Fatty Arbuckle. Harley looks to just have been based on a flapper.

In "Emperor Joker!", were Joker's henchmen based on Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, Ollie Hardy, Charlie Chaplin and was Harley Quinn based on Clara Bow? (http://www.formspring.me/IdiotStyle/q/1382535931)

Harley, I think, wasn't based on anyone specific - just sort of generically flapperish. I could be wrong about that.

But if you substitute Fatty Arbuckle for Oliver Hardy, you're spot on for the henchmen.Link: Formspring Reply (http://www.formspring.me/IdiotStyle/q/1382535931)

jph139

10-22-2010, 11:14 PM

Wow, very fun episode. I love the work they put into these things, geek-wise - Who's Who's gave me the biggest grin, and the museum of Joker issues was definitely a highlight. The rest of the episode didn't really go anywhere, but the Joker is so much fun in this show you can't really complain much about it. It was Joker having his spotlight, and worth every minute.

I liked their shot at Harley - not traditional, of course, but another cute accent and she made for a good parter with Bat-Mite.

Best scene, though? Ten-Eyed Man catching a cactus. Had me rolling.

Bat-Fan Beyond

10-22-2010, 11:34 PM

Sometimes this series just gets too over-the-top, ridiculously silly for me -- yet it seems that the most over-the-top, ridiculously silly episodes are the ones with Bat-Mite, but for some reason, I love them.

Radical

10-22-2010, 11:39 PM

AWESOME/EPIC/hilarious episode and my top favorite,

The highlights:
Robin is back with a new voice sounding like Finn.
Rainbow Batman looks colorfully cool.
Firefly is back which I love his original design.
Cool that my favorite lesser rogue of Batman's returns, the Rainbow Creature, yaaaay!!!!!
The Emperor Joker story is finally animated, YEESS!!!!!
The Ten-Eyed Man returns, cool.
Bat-Mite returns, yaaaayyy, he's awesome/hilarious, and nice that he's reading the Batman:Who's Who issue, hehehe.
Ten-Eyed Man's cactus defeat was funny/painful, hahahaha.
The Trophy Room with every Batman vs. The Joker battle is pretty sweet.
The Laughing Fish/Death In The Family parts are great.
The Joker is back, thanks to Bat-Mite, hahahaha.
I love this new version of Harley looking Mabel Normand-style with the Brooklyn accent who is pretty hot:anime:.
The Joker's weird goons looking like the famous classic 1930's-40's comedians, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, and Fatty Arbuckle is sweet.
Bat-Mite's crush on Harley is so cute.
Bat-Mite accidently giving the Joker his powers is gonna be fun.
Joker-Mite is cool/ugly/super creepy looking a little like Jack Nicholson's Joker:ack::D!!!!!
Emperor Joker along with his new costume is awesome.
The Joker's musical number:"Where Is The Fun In That?" was totally amazing out of all villains' musical numbers next to Sideshow Bob/Mumbo Jumbo/Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz's, hehehe:p:D.
Batman's many deaths by the Joker are pretty brutal/gruesome.
Jester Bat-Mite looks funny, hehehe.
Joker-Mite being traitorous like Starscream was surprising/cool.
Bat-Mite/Harley's teamwork along with the cue cards as weapons was great/funny, hahaha.
Batman's own mind defeating poor Joker was brilliant.
Nice to see Joker's "Jack Napier" form during that scene.
Bat-Mite wanting to play with Joker-Mite all day was funny.
You gotta love Bat-Mite pulling the Porky Pig "That's All Folks" ending, hahahaha.

Jeff Bennett was amazing with the Joker's singing along with playing Joker-Mite as well.

BigFatHairyDeal

10-23-2010, 12:00 AM

"Emperor Joker": The story tonight's episode is very loosely based on. A storyline published in the Superman comics in 2000 about the Joker somehow gaining Mr. Mxyzptlk's powers, and uses them to remake the world in his own image (including repeatedly killing Batman like he does in tonight's episode). Given I can't stand the modern comics' version of the Joker (he sums up much of what I consider wrong with modern superhero comics in general---one reason among many that I've been reading reprints/non-mainstream-set titles/stuff like Archie and Uncle Scrooge) and was in between moves at the time, I didn't read this one, but sure tonight's episode was probably way better (and shorter).

Definitely shorter, Batman's repeated deaths and Joker's psychological dependence on Batman were pretty much taken from the source. Cartoon is better in regard Batman was the centerpiece against his nemesis, but I liked the problem solving aspect in the miniseries.

What about modern Joker bothers you? I get annoyed with the character here and there.

Light Lucario

10-23-2010, 01:31 AM

I haven't seen a new Brave and the Bold episode for a long time and I get one involving Bat-Mite. Nice. I enjoyed the first part with a reference to a line from The Dark Knight, the unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, as well as other lines describing their rivalry and the references to major conflicts they've had in various comics. I didn't expect Harley Quinn to be completely like a character from a black and white movie. I thought that Joker's song was pretty fun and it was sung quite nicely.

I was shocked that not only Batman died, but Joker was happy about it. I know that he's an obvious psychopath, but given his constant fights against Batman, I didn't think that he would be that happy to really kill him. Though, having powers to warp reality probably made the idea of killing Batman happier to him. And man, did he kill him. The ways he killed him were pretty gruesome and that skeleton floating in the acid is going to haunt my mind tonight. I didn't know about the comics the main story was based on, but that was still pretty darn intense for me.

The ending with Batman showing Joker his dependency for his existence made sense and it was fun to see Bat-Mite team up with Harley. Too bad that she still had feelings for Joker, but at least he has his own villain to fight in his own dimension. It was an enjoyable episode, even though those death scenes for Batman were pretty scary.

the greenman

10-23-2010, 05:02 AM

Yep, looks the same statue to me, too. It was in the "The Rubber Face of Comedy" episode? Then I believe the statue first appeared on TBATB in the teaser for "Hail the Tornado Tyrant!" when Batman and Green Arrow chase the Joker then Catwoman.

Hmmmm, this isn't the same statue that appeared in BTAS? I think you can reference the episode "Off Balance" for comparison.

KillerMoth

10-23-2010, 05:31 AM

Hopefully the musical number will be intact, unlike the Australian airing.
Damn you home country Australia!

Also, the original "Rainbow Batman" comic had a surprisingly brilliant story where Batman was wearing the alternate costumes to trick a sniper into shooting an armored segment of his costume instead of in the head.

Not it wasn't. The reason in the story for Batman wearing different coloured costumes was to distract attention from the fact that Robin injured his arm, otherwise people might notice the similarity of Dick and Robin's injuries.

The comic you are thinking of may be The Dark Knight Returns, where Bruce's thought box indicates he has the yellow bat-symbol so people will shoot where the kevlar armour is thickest.

maybe it's the weird B&W goons,

They were copying the look of famous 1930's-40's comedians, because they were robbing the comedy museum of some of the greats.

-Anyone else think Joker-mite looked a whole lot like Jack Nicholson from Tim Burton's "Batman" film? I was hoping the voice would even be a Jack impression, but alas...

I think it may have been a slight reference to him yes, the overall demeanour was very Jack-like in that he was silly and over-the-top, but not nearly as wacky and out-there as BTBATB's Joker.

I identified the four Joker henchmen guys as Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, and Oliver Hardy, but I'm wondering which famous silent comedienne Harley Quinn was dressed up as? Jean Harlow? Clara Bow? Mabel Normand? Being a semi-regular viewer of TCM, those were the only early movie comediennes I could think of....
I was under the assumption she was as Mabel Normand, since several articles have named her as such.

"What ever you got in your pocket, pal, that's where it stays!" and the cactus gag were :D.

Oh my we have dirty minds.

Sometimes this series just gets too over-the-top, ridiculously silly for me -- yet it seems that the most over-the-top, ridiculously silly episodes are the ones with Bat-Mite, but for some reason, I love them.
Probably because Batmite is an entirely justifiable excuse to go all out in terms of wackiness and fourth-wall crushing.

Anyhoo, seeing the ep in full length makes me appreciate it all the more, it seem apart from the musical number there was also a small Batmite vs Jokermite fight cut that was in the first half. Also, the Ten-Eyed Man segment goes on longer, so it makes more sense now.

I loved the episode to bits, everything about it for me screams perfection. The best BTBATB eps are the ones which have an underlining thematic exploration beneath all the crazy happenings, and Emperor Joker! has it in spades, specifically the dynamic between Joker and Batman, the former's reliance on the latter, and of course showing the true reason Batman never really fails against the Joker; not because he's smarter, because ultimately he's more determined and truly believes his cause.

Some nice bits others have mentioned, but I don't think anyone's noted that the jewelry store Ten-Eyed Man is stealing from is the same one Joker stole from in Game Over For Owlman!. There's also the excellent teaser, which even with all its referencing to two famous Silver Age covers, still goes the extra length of calling Batman's costume red, when everyone can see its pink, just like in the comic.

Will post more late, but I'm glad the musical number was worth the wait. Not as good as Birds of Prey, but fantastic touches and the Joker's lyrics really sums up his character and his demented goal of making Batman like him.

Yojimbo

10-23-2010, 05:50 AM

Hmmmm, this isn't the same statue that appeared in BTAS? I think you can reference the episode "Off Balance" for comparison.Hey, yeah, could be! It was in "Shadow of the Bat" Part Two in the finale, right? I remember it being less gold and more like the Statue of Liberty of what it was based on. Will look into it. :cool:

They were copying the look of famous 1930's-40's comedians, because they were robbing the comedy museum of some of the greats.Even further back to the 1910's I think. I don't think they ever talked which would be another nod they were in silent movies like with Harley's mute problem later on.

Oh my we have dirty minds.That's sorta Silver Age dialogue at its best. Meant what it sounded like back then but now, it's interpreted as innuendo.

Also, the Ten-Eyed Man segment goes on longer, so it makes more sense now.The fight scene was still pretty cool like when Batman spins him or when Ten-Eyed Man sidesteps the two Batarangs and throws them back at Batman.

theRedDeath

10-23-2010, 06:42 AM

Not it wasn't. The reason in the story for Batman wearing different coloured costumes was to distract attention from the fact that Robin injured his arm, otherwise people might notice the similarity of Dick and Robin's injuries.

The comic you are thinking of may be The Dark Knight Returns, where Bruce's thought box indicates he has the yellow bat-symbol so people will shoot where the kevlar armour is thickest.

Yeah, except I OWN THE ISSUE and am HOLDING IT IN MY HANDS at this moment!

The END reveal was that he did it to hide Robin's arm, but an awesome penultimate scene before the ending they were at an archery/shooting contest, and one of the costumes Batman was wearing was a white suit with black target patterns on it.

It made sense to wear it at an archery/shooting contest, and no one questioned Batman wearing a wacky costume because he'd been wearing the techni-color ones all week. But Batman really wore it because he knew that a sniper would try and shoot him, and if he did the sniper would naturally fire for the target on his chest, which Batman had prepared for by wearing body armor underneath.

I OWN the original comic, I know what I'm talking about and it was awesome. Would have been much better than the Firefly teaser IMO. Thanks for "correcting" me though....as if I can't tell the difference between classic Batman and DARK KNIGHT RETURNS.

Sheesh.

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KillerMoth

10-23-2010, 06:59 AM

Even further back to the 1910's I think. I don't think they ever talked which would be another nod they were in silent movies like with Harley's mute problem later on.

*Checks* You're right indeed, I guess I was just assuming they were all around the time of Chaplin. And even he goes back further than the 30's, I was just stuck in The Great Dictator time :o

That's sorta Silver Age dialogue at its best. Meant what it sounded like back then but now, it's interpreted as innuendo.

I guess it's too much to hope for a "Joker's Boner" retelling though? ;)

The fight scene was still pretty cool like when Batman spins him or when Ten-Eyed Man sidesteps the two Batarangs and throws them back at Batman.
Yeah, I was surprised at how much I liked him here, since he's a wacky villain even I can't get behind, and I loved Mr Camera!

So that makes 4 characters introduced in this episode: Firefly, Rainbow Monster, Ten-Eyed Man and Harley Quinn. Really hoping the last one appears again, I want to see her in her costume proper, and she was just all-round likeable while being different to the BTAS Harley.

I OWN the original comic, I know what I'm talking about and it was awesome. Would have been much better than the Firefly teaser IMO. Thanks for "correcting" me though....as if I can't tell the difference between classic Batman and DARK KNIGHT RETURNS.

Sheesh.
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Calm down now, we're only discussing a Batmite episode. I'm sorry if you took my post as condescending but that was not my intention, so I'd rather there not be a need for "sheesh"ing please. It seems you are correct, the scans I've viewed of the Rainbow Batman story must have cut them in order to show the main story. I think it sounds interesting, but I'll happily take the Firefly teaser still though, since I love the use of the original Firefly's colour powers and the Rainbow monster.

Mesousa

10-23-2010, 07:59 AM

I think I was that high while watching this episode.

I think my brain died after seeing Batman died the first time, and spouts wings and even the halo and harp strings.

And just when I think it was gonna go back to normal...Joker then kills him a lot of times. :ack:

No, really, what an episode.

Ghostbuster Man

10-23-2010, 10:20 AM

This is why I love the Brave and the Bold.

All the great references and homages to the old and new DC Comics stories are just wonderful.

Jacob T. Paschal

10-23-2010, 11:33 AM

Wow, that Joker-Mite was disturbing. Kudos to the production team for going down that route.

theRedDeath

10-23-2010, 11:46 AM

Calm down now, we're only discussing a Batmite episode. I'm sorry if you took my post as condescending but that was not my intention, so I'd rather there not be a need for "sheesh"ing please. It seems you are correct, the scans I've viewed of the Rainbow Batman story must have cut them in order to show the main story. I'm extremely annoyed by people on the Internet who feel the need to constantly "correct" other posters, especially when their "correction" is wrong.

But I wouldn't have been half as bothered if you hadn't suggested I was confusing it with "Dark Knight Returns". Not only is that completely ridiculous, but I hate DKR.

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Itchy

10-23-2010, 12:13 PM

That was a decent episode. Not to bad but not awesome either. Bat-mite's voice sounded to normal to me, I was expecting it to be more nasal or high-pitched. But Harley's was spot on. I also liked that we got to see what "Jack Napier" looked like in the BAB universe. Joker-mite was fun, though as Red pointed out they should've made him sound more like Nicholson. A missed opportunity there.

Silverstar

10-23-2010, 12:18 PM

KillerMoth

10-23-2010, 05:18 PM

I'm extremely annoyed by people on the Internet who feel the need to constantly "correct" other posters, especially when their "correction" is wrong.

But I wouldn't have been half as bothered if you hadn't suggested I was confusing it with "Dark Knight Returns". Not only is that completely ridiculous, but I hate DKR.
---
How have I constantly "corrected" other posters? And it isn't ridiculous, people, myself included, mix up completely different things all the time. And I had no way of knowing you hate DKR, so you had no need to overreact and be so rude over such a minor comment.

This was on OK episode, but I have one minor nitpick: I hope the next time we see Harley Quinn appear on B&tB, she'll be in her more familiar attire. Nothing against the Mabel Normand look, but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a character called 'Harley Quinn' to not look like, you know, a harlequin.
Agreed, while I like Harley here, I'm really hoping she appears again in the series in her usual costume, and of course get another speaking role.

M.O.D.O.K.

10-23-2010, 05:36 PM

Haven't seen this one. An old friend came to town and decided hanging out with her was a higher priority. Yes, even higher than Joker singing. :p

Also, I hate to be THAT guy, but "Emperor" in the title of this thread is misspelled.

AdamYJ

10-23-2010, 07:03 PM

This was on OK episode, but I have one minor nitpick: I hope the next time we see Harley Quinn appear on B&tB, she'll be in her more familiar attire. Nothing against the Mabel Normand look, but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a character called 'Harley Quinn' to not look like, you know, a harlequin.

At least they paid homage to it.

What, nobody noticed?

Bat-Mite was wearing Harley's suit when he was turned into Joker's "court jester". :D

theRedDeath

10-23-2010, 10:10 PM

How have I constantly "corrected" other posters? I didn't realize "People on the internet" meant only you.

you had no need to overreact and be so rudeSays the guy who quoted and corrected me in the first place. THAT'S rude. You quote me and open your response with "No it wasn't." You do that and you're asking for a confrontation, there was nothing polite about that. Especially when...again...you were in fact wrong to do so anyhow.

But whatever champ, move on. Yadda yadda yadda Batman.

So hey, this Robin was done by a different voice actor than the one in the last teaser, and Bat-Mite referenced "Death in the Family". While I have a hard time believing Jason Todd was brutally murdered in the BatB continuity, you think there's any chance that the Robin in this teaser was actually Jason Todd?

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Yojimbo

10-23-2010, 10:20 PM

So hey, this Robin was done by a different voice actor than the one in the last teaser, and Bat-Mite referenced "Death in the Family". While I have a hard time believing Jason Todd was brutally murdered in the BatB continuity, you think there's any chance that the Robin in this teaser was actually Jason Todd? I wondered about that one, too. I'm guessing that would have been a concern in the making of this episode. But I figure that since Bat-Mite lives in the 5th Dimension, is magical, and is a total fanboy, he can somehow watch various Batmen across the Multiverse. It'd be funny if they reveal that method as basically Bat-Mite flipping channels on a TV in his mom's basement. I think that might get addressed...

But going back to the Todd thing, I think it was from a different universe. I don't think there could have been 2 Robin's at the same time unless Jason Todd was Robin really briefly in Season 2 and killed offscreen.

I guess it's too much to hope for a "Joker's Boner" retelling though? ;)I have no idea what you're talking about and I'm not sure I want to look it up. :p

Yeah, I was surprised at how much I liked him here, since he's a wacky villain even I can't get behind, and I loved Mr Camera!Discovering all these 50's-70's era Rogues is pretty fun itself, imo. It took me awhile to finally find what comic The Brand was from.

So that makes 4 characters introduced in this episode: Firefly, Rainbow Monster, Ten-Eyed Man and Harley Quinn. Really hoping the last one appears again, I want to see her in her costume proper, and she was just all-round likeable while being different to the BTAS Harley.Yeah, it was cool seeing the Rainbow Creature. I thought it was only going to be a quick cameo in "Legends of the Dark Mite!" along with all the other monsters and aliens.

Deadman

10-23-2010, 10:27 PM

i love these bat mite episodes. the musical number was great, and it was cool seeing the joker brutally murder batman repeatedly.

AdamYJ

10-23-2010, 10:28 PM

It's nice to see Firefly back in the "light" gimmick he started with, instead of the whole pyromaniac schtick he developed later on.

Bat-Fan Beyond

10-23-2010, 11:12 PM

Probably because Batmite is an entirely justifiable excuse to go all out in terms of wackiness and fourth-wall crushing.

I believe that is exactly the reason why I accept and enjoy the Bat-Mite episodes so much more.

...I figure that since Bat-Mite lives in the 5th Dimension, is magical, and is a total fanboy, he can somehow watch various Batmen across the Multiverse. It'd be funny if they reveal that method as basically Bat-Mite flipping channels on a TV in his mom's basement. I think that might get addressed...

That's actually a pretty cool idea. Is that how Bat-Mite is in the comics or did you just make that up?

Dorko

10-23-2010, 11:33 PM

Not get in the middle of a flame war here...but both Red Death and Killer Moth are extra mucho over reacting. First:

First off, the Rainbow Batman opener. Despite it's wacky concept, it was actually kind of dull. Also, the original "Rainbow Batman" comic had a surprisingly brilliant story where Batman was wearing the alternate costumes to trick a sniper into shooting an armored segment of his costume instead of in the head.

---

You make no mention of any other reason why Batman is wearing the funky costumes in that issue. Therefore, it is somewhat reasonable for KM to respond:

Not it wasn't. The reason in the story for Batman wearing different coloured costumes was to distract attention from the fact that Robin injured his arm, otherwise people might notice the similarity of Dick and Robin's injuries.

Though I admit that the "No it wasn't" comes off a little too confrontational, you ultimately reinforce what he was saying by elaborating

The END reveal was that he did it to hide Robin's arm, but an awesome penultimate scene before the ending they were at an archery/shooting contest, and one of the costumes Batman was wearing was a white suit with black target patterns on it.

---

So yeah. While you were corrected somewhat rudely Red Death, your original post did not include that there were two reasons for the Rainbow Batman. Seeing as the latter reason is the one more likely to show up in short descriptions and summaries one would find online (which more people have access to), it wasn't all that rude for Killer Moth to try correcting something that comes off as incorrect. The assumption you might be mixing it up with DKR comes from Miller ripping off that plot point for his story. My first though when I read your initial post was "Hey, like in DKR!" so it is not like he's the only person to have the thought.

Sorry if I'm overstepping. I was a mod on another board for a while. Habits die hard.

Anyhoo, I loved the episode. The musical sequence was great (get that on iTunes, ASAP) and it was generally real fun. Those deaths got very dark very fast. Seriously, this show gets more messed up than "Batman The Animated Series" at times.

Yojimbo

10-23-2010, 11:38 PM

That's actually a pretty cool idea. Is that how Bat-Mite is in the comics or did you just make that up?Thanks! I made up the idea but the setting of a basement pad came from the trailer (http://hamfist.blogspot.com/2010/09/bat-news.html) for TBATB Video Game made by Ben Jones, Michael Goguen, and Michael Jelenic. But idk, maybe it was in the comics?

KillerMoth

10-24-2010, 03:23 AM

But going back to the Todd thing, I think it was from a different universe. I don't think there could have been 2 Robin's at the same time unless Jason Todd was Robin really briefly in Season 2 and killed offscreen.

Yeah, my take is Batmite literally read Death in the Family and put that there. Batmite may be pretty ignorant in ways, but he's certainly not cruel. And you'd have to be mighty cruel to show someone your "epic" memorial of their adopted ward's death.

I have no idea what you're talking about and I'm not sure I want to look it up. :p

Nothing as bad as it sounds. The Greatest Joker Stories trade I own has it, along with the utility belt story. "Boner" used to mean a big slip-up, like a mistake, so Joker's plan to embarrass Batman now sounds a little...well....take a look yourself:
http://superdickery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=32:seduction-index&id=303:batmans-boner&Itemid=36

I think my favourite has to be Bruce and Dick looking through the "Greatest boners in History" in their library.

Discovering all these 50's-70's era Rogues is pretty fun itself, imo. It took me awhile to finally find what comic The Brand was from.

Which one was the Brand again?

I believe that is exactly the reason why I accept and enjoy the Bat-Mite episodes so much more.

He's a perfect suit as the introducer of the Strangest Tales! ep too, which will be neat.

Not get in the middle of a flame war here
Sorry if I'm overstepping. I was a mod on another board for a while. Habits die hard.

No I appreciate it Dorko, I hadn't realised that my initial post came off as more arrogant than I had intended, since I had posted it in a haste before leaving. Obviously the entire argument has arisen from poor communication, so I apologise to TheRedDeath if I came across as rude, since my intention was not so. I hope we can leave it at that. :)

Those deaths got very dark very fast. Seriously, this show gets more messed up than "Batman The Animated Series" at times.
I think the messed up level by now has at least equaled BTAS, though the latter is more psychological in nature generally. Really, Brave and the Bold is the master of stealth darkness. Its more noticeable in a light cartoon, but by nature of being a lighter cartoon it can get away with some truly shocking stuff.

Yojimbo

10-24-2010, 03:49 AM

Yeah, my take is Batmite literally read Death in the Family and put that there. Batmite may be pretty ignorant in ways, but he's certainly not cruel. And you'd have to be mighty cruel to show someone your "epic" memorial of their adopted ward's death.Ben Jones answered a question I submitted about it. Here's his take:

So...the Death in the Family/Jason Todd shrine in "Emperor Joker!". That was when Bat-Mite was observing a different universe than The Brave and The Bold? (http://www.formspring.me/IdiotStyle/q/1397849679)

With Bat-Mite's fifth-dimensional perception, it is indeed entirely possible that the Death in the Family tableau was a reference to an alternate continuity.Link: Formspring Reply (http://www.formspring.me/IdiotStyle/q/1397849679)

Nothing as bad as it sounds. The Greatest Joker Stories trade I own has it, along with the utility belt story. "Boner" used to mean a big slip-up, like a mistake, so Joker's plan to embarrass Batman now sounds a little...well....take a look yourself:
http://superdickery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=32:seduction-index&id=303:batmans-boner&Itemid=36

I think my favourite has to be Bruce and Dick looking through the "Greatest boners in History" in their library.Lol, there I went again thinking something else. :sweat:

Which one was the Brand again?Here: The Brand (http://www.dcauresource.com/braveandtheboldprofiles/bad/b/thebrand.php) and here: First comic book appearance (http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Batman_Vol_1_137)

I think the messed up level by now has at least equaled BTAS, though the latter is more psychological in nature generally. Really, Brave and the Bold is the master of stealth darkness. Its more noticeable in a light cartoon, but by nature of being a lighter cartoon it can get away with some truly shocking stuff.That was the beauty of the Silver Age comics. They could easily play with the light and dark dichotomies with mastery. "Chill of the Night!" made me miss the detective noir prevalent in B:TAS.

KillerMoth

10-24-2010, 04:41 AM

Ben Jones answered a question I submitted about it. Here's his take:
Link: Formspring Reply (http://www.formspring.me/IdiotStyle/q/1397849679)

Ah, I like that take. Then bits put back into the episode really enhanced it, I espeically loved Batmite specifically referring "That's the appeal of your show" once again abandoning all pretense of the show being "real".

Here: The Brand (http://www.dcauresource.com/braveandtheboldprofiles/bad/b/thebrand.php) and here: First comic book appearance (http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Batman_Vol_1_137)

Cool, thanks. I loved seeing Sweet Tooth there as well.

That was the beauty of the Silver Age comics. They could easily play with the light and dark dichotomies with mastery. "Chill of the Night!" made me miss the detective noir prevalent in B:TAS.
Indeed, the Many Deaths of Batman scene managed to be both utterly shocking and hilarious, which is how the Joker should really be done all the time. Still doesn't stop me from squirming at the guillotine bit though, it's the wet thud of Batman's head that get's me.

Yojimbo

10-24-2010, 05:06 AM

Ah, I like that take. Then bits put back into the episode really enhanced it, I espeically loved Batmite specifically referring "That's the appeal of your show" once again abandoning all pretense of the show being "real".That's true.

Cool, thanks. I loved seeing Sweet Tooth there as well.Welcome. That bar scene was awesome. Tiger Shark, Killer Moth, Signal Man, The Eraser, Calendar Man, Zebra Man, Polka Dot Man, King Cobra, Ten-Eyed Man, Cavalier, The Brand, Firefly, Planet Master, Cat Man, Cluemaster, Mr. Camera, Sweet Tooth, The Spinner, Dr. No-Face, Atomic Man, Zodiac Master, Simon the Pieman, and Mirror Man. A Dr. No-Face vs Question episode would rock. Still waiting for Moon Man. Maybe even Zarbor...

Indeed, the Many Deaths of Batman scene managed to be both utterly shocking and hilarious, which is how the Joker should really be done all the time. Still doesn't stop me from squirming at the guillotine bit though, it's the wet thud of Batman's head that get's me.Ugh, yeah. Most of them had squishy sound effects when applicable. I think even the hammer in that first bit had a squish in it.

NinjaGal

10-24-2010, 03:50 PM

I realized something in this episode, Bat-mite = Larry from Teen Titans. I'd actually like to see those two meet. xDDD

dothesmartthing

10-24-2010, 04:09 PM

It was great to see Bat-Mite again in this episode!

90'sCartoonMan

10-24-2010, 05:52 PM

Another fun episode. I kind of wish that all throughout the series we had partially teasers where Batman teams up with other heroes and the other half of the time teasers from his case files where we could see classic Batman stories.

Joker was seriously frightening in this episode. Seeing him kill Batman was pretty gruesome, particularly the acid part.

And to wrap this up...
Who's Who: In the opening, Bat-Mite is seen reading the Ten-Eyed Man's entry in an issue of "Who's Who," a series of comics released in the mid-80s (during/after the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" story) that was meant to provide basic biographical/origin info on every DC character, from Batman and Superman to minor guys like the Ten-Eyed Man.

Anyone notice Deathstroke the Terminator was on the page next to Ten Eyed Man?

This was on OK episode, but I have one minor nitpick: I hope the next time we see Harley Quinn appear on B&tB, she'll be in her more familiar attire. Nothing against the Mabel Normand look, but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a character called 'Harley Quinn' to not look like, you know, a harlequin.

I thought that too, but it was even funnier that Bat-Mite wore the traditional Harley costume. Speaking of which, I loved his little crush on Harley. The whole bit with the hearts reminded me of the way Bat-Mite would always react to Batgirl in The New Adventures of Batman cartoon.

I wondered about that one, too. I'm guessing that would have been a concern in the making of this episode. But I figure that since Bat-Mite lives in the 5th Dimension, is magical, and is a total fanboy, he can somehow watch various Batmen across the Multiverse. It'd be funny if they reveal that method as basically Bat-Mite flipping channels on a TV in his mom's basement. I think that might get addressed...

But going back to the Todd thing, I think it was from a different universe. I don't think there could have been 2 Robin's at the same time unless Jason Todd was Robin really briefly in Season 2 and killed offscreen.

It's already been established that Bat-Mite is aware of different interpretations of Batman, heck, he broke the fourth wall and addressed that very issue with the fanboys in his first appearance!

Dick was still Robin when he broke off from Batman and only became Nightwing fairly recently, so yeah, if Jason exists in this continuity, he'd have a VERY narrow window to exist in.

It's funny, with Batman's long history being revealed on this show piece by piece, you start to question how it all fits together. The mind plays tricks on you. You play tricks back! It's like you're unraveling a big cable-knit sweater that someone keeps knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting...

Livy1213

10-24-2010, 06:36 PM

The Jason Todd thing was very confusing. I wish we'd gotten a shot of a clueless look from Batman so it was established that it hasn't happened to him either yet or at all (the fact that Batman didn't try to strangle Mite might have been a sign but I'm afraid it needed to be a little more spelled out than that). Is it the future, an alternate reality, what? It was more confusing that the Robin they showed looked just like Dick on the show. I don't really understand what the point of the whole reference was.

Anthonynotes

10-24-2010, 06:52 PM

Anyone notice Deathstroke the Terminator was on the page next to Ten Eyed Man?

Yeah, Who's Who lists his entry under "Terminator" (ironically between Ten-Eyed Man and Terra), thus the Slade cover appearance.

What about modern Joker bothers you? I get annoyed with the character here and there.

To me, his modern comics' self is just a one-note mass-killing machine, and just an excuse for the writers to show cheap shock-value violence ("OMG Joker just slaughtered a room full of five year olds and then had his way with their teacher!" "OMG he just killed more people than a Civil War battle!" "He can't be stopped, not even by Batman, he's worse than Stalin, Hitler and Jeffrey Dahmer put together!!! Be afraid, be very afraid!!!" Meh...). And of course, all for no reason other than "he's craaaaazy"/"he's the Joker, he doesn't *need a reason!" (going against everything I learned in four years of expensive college English courses :-p ). A chimp from the local zoo with a machete could be substituted for the Joker and you'd get the same story, IMO. While he always seemed overrated to me anyway, stuff like that puts me off on him completely.

Such one-note shock-value violence/snuff film-like writing is one reason why I've stopped reading mainstream-set superhero comics, and stick with other stuff these days (Johnny DC titles---including Batman:TBATB's, Archie, Uncle Scrooge, Love and Capes, Dykes to Watch Out For, comic strips, etc.).

-B.

AdamYJ

10-24-2010, 07:33 PM

Yeah, Who's Who lists his entry under "Terminator" (ironically between Ten-Eyed Man and Terra), thus the Slade cover appearance.

Yeah, that's what Wolfman originally wanted to cal him. Just "The Terminator". He's even referred to as such by some of the Titans in the comics. However, James Cameron had other ideas and they had to call him "Deathstroke the Terminator", which makes it sound kind of like Slade is overcompensating.

To me, his modern comics' self is just a one-note mass-killing machine, and just an excuse for the writers to show cheap shock-value violence ("OMG Joker just slaughtered a room full of five year olds and then had his way with their teacher!" "OMG he just killed more people than a Civil War battle!" "He can't be stopped, not even by Batman, he's worse than Stalin, Hitler and Jeffrey Dahmer put together!!! Be afraid, be very afraid!!!" Meh...). And of course, all for no reason other than "he's craaaaazy"/"he's the Joker, he doesn't *need a reason!" (going against everything I learned in four years of expensive college English courses :-p ). A chimp from the local zoo with a machete could be substituted for the Joker and you'd get the same story, IMO. While he always seemed overrated to me anyway, stuff like that puts me off on him completely.

Such one-note shock-value violence/snuff film-like writing is one reason why I've stopped reading mainstream-set superhero comics, and stick with other stuff these days (Johnny DC titles---including Batman:TBATB's, Archie, Uncle Scrooge, Love and Capes, Dykes to Watch Out For, comic strips, etc.).

-B.

That's pretty much my take on it as well. Ever since "Killing Joke" and "A Death in the Family", he's been little more than a serial killer who giggles when he shoots you. As the Joker sings in this episode: "Where's the fun in that?"

I sometimes wonder what happened to the days when it was okay for Batman's enemies to just be colorful thieves rather than a whole bunch of psychotic killers?

KillerMoth

10-24-2010, 07:44 PM

*snipped Joker stuff*

Utterly agreed in practically every way possible. It's quite sad really, when the actual source material is almost always surpassed by its adaptations. It's why I love BTBATB's Joker and Mark Hammil's Joker so much; both of them will kill you, but it won't be anything as simple as an average gun or crowbar. There's no joke with those.

It's why my ultimate comics Joker will always be the one found in The Joker's Five-Way Revenge and Sign of the Joker/The Laughing Fish. THAT'S the Joker I know and love; unpredictable, hilarious, inventive, frightening, not at all one-note and of course he is genuinely nuts. The current comics Joker just gets glee from killing. That's not insane, that's just cruel. In The Laughing Fish Joker's plan makes no sense, he talks to himself, breaks the 4th wall, really can't understand WHY no one is giving him his fish profits and his plan of action will not work. And it's wonderful.

And yes, its these reasons as well as the absolutely shocking racism, sexism and classism prevalent in so many DC stories that I quit buying comics altogether apart from buying the occasional Batgirl series. And I've yet to regret that decision.

Anthonynotes

10-25-2010, 01:02 AM

Utterly agreed in practically every way possible. It's quite sad really, when the actual source material is almost always surpassed by its adaptations. It's why I love BTBATB's Joker and Mark Hammil's Joker so much; both of them will kill you, but it won't be anything as simple as an average gun or crowbar. There's no joke with those.

It's why my ultimate comics Joker will always be the one found in The Joker's Five-Way Revenge and Sign of the Joker/The Laughing Fish. THAT'S the Joker I know and love; unpredictable, hilarious, inventive, frightening, not at all one-note and of course he is genuinely nuts. The current comics Joker just gets glee from killing. That's not insane, that's just cruel. In The Laughing Fish Joker's plan makes no sense, he talks to himself, breaks the 4th wall, really can't understand WHY no one is giving him his fish profits and his plan of action will not work. And it's wonderful.

And yes, its these reasons as well as the absolutely shocking racism, sexism and classism prevalent in so many DC stories that I quit buying comics altogether apart from buying the occasional Batgirl series. And I've yet to regret that decision.

Hmm, worst part is his plan *would* probably work these days (just patent the chemical he used on the fish...Monsanto's used a similar tactic IIRC). Thank you, 20-30 years of corporate-friendly copyright-and-patent-"reforms"... :-p

But yeah, guess I liked it better when he just stuck to trying to kill off Batman and/or steal stuff (like in this episode), vs the "Joker as a leading cause of death rate somewhere between lung cancer and auto accidents" bit... (shrug). So call me corny... :-p

BigFatHairyDeal

10-25-2010, 02:18 AM

To me, his modern comics' self is just a one-note mass-killing machine, and just an excuse for the writers to show cheap shock-value violence ("OMG Joker just slaughtered a room full of five year olds and then had his way with their teacher!" "OMG he just killed more people than a Civil War battle!" "He can't be stopped, not even by Batman, he's worse than Stalin, Hitler and Jeffrey Dahmer put together!!! Be afraid, be very afraid!!!" Meh...). And of course, all for no reason other than "he's craaaaazy"/"he's the Joker, he doesn't *need a reason!" (going against everything I learned in four years of expensive college English courses :-p ). A chimp from the local zoo with a machete could be substituted for the Joker and you'd get the same story, IMO. While he always seemed overrated to me anyway, stuff like that puts me off on him completely.

-B.

I figured that might be your reason. Even though I always make fun of stories like Joker Fish, or how Joker is always hijacking the airwaves, it's probably a bit better than how they use him these days. It's almost as though creators can come up with any sort of criminal plot, and at the end of the conference say, "But why don't we try that with Joker as the villain?"

I guess the irony of the previous paragraph is that Emperor Joker sort of is that situation. With 5-D powers, he can do any crazy plot that works within the framework of the story. :eek:

M.O.D.O.K.

10-25-2010, 05:02 PM

In this episode's teaser, in order to provide a sneak peek of the upcoming "Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Greatest Cases" episode, we are treated with a recreation of the infamous cover where Batman wears costumes of different colors. The story then takes an original turn, where he uses it to fight Firefly and his Rainbow Creature. While not as outrageous and crazy as last week (and that's saying a lot!), this teaser was fun. I especially loved the use of the Rainbow Creature. I was surprised we went so far ahead without seeing him.

The main episode gets even crazier, however. Bat-Mite shows up while Batman is fighting obscure foe Ten-Eyed Man. The fifth dimensional fan insists that Batman can fight a better villain like the Joker, and puts them to fight. Promising he wouldn't use his powers, he tries to give them to Batman instead to make a more interesting fight, but accidentally gives them to Joker instead. The Clown Prince of Crime uses them to bend and remake reality to his own whims, and proceeds to kill Batman, then kills him again...and again...and again. While Bat-Mite is dealing with his crush on Harley Quinn and the antagonism of Joker-Mite, Batman tricks Joker into going into his mind, showing him a horrific world where the Joker is terribly sane. As Joker begs to be turned back to normal, Bat-Mite and Harley fight Joker-Mite, who plans on betraying his boss. Joker gives his powers back, Bat-Mite fixes everything, and asks Harley on a date, but is rejected. Batman reminds him that he has his own archenemy in Joker-Mite, and a happy Mite takes him back to the fifth dimension

Wow, talk about crazy! One of the funniest episodes in a while, and probably one of the grisliest as well. I don't want to repeat what everyone else has already said (since I got to this one late) but I loved all the homages to the history of the Joker in the comics. In fact, the Death in the Family mention caught me off-guard. The many deaths of Batman were also surprising, but the use of slapstick was great! And I found Bat-Mite's crush on Harley to be cute and a clever direction to take both characters in. And the musical number ROCKED! Didn't know Jeff Bennett could be a great singer.

Oh, and one more thing: Am I the only one who thought that Ten-Eyed Man as a sympathetic villain?

5/5

NEXT WEEK: Batman and Atom, while fighting the Bug-Eyed Bandit, get the unexpected help from Aquaman. The retired crimefighter Batwoman gets her chance to get back at the villain who humiliated her, the Riddler, when Felix Faust switches her body with Batman's.

Anthonynotes

10-25-2010, 11:29 PM

I figured that might be your reason. Even though I always make fun of stories like Joker Fish, or how Joker is always hijacking the airwaves, it's probably a bit better than how they use him these days. It's almost as though creators can come up with any sort of criminal plot, and at the end of the conference say, "But why don't we try that with Joker as the villain?"

I guess the irony of the previous paragraph is that Emperor Joker sort of is that situation. With 5-D powers, he can do any crazy plot that works within the framework of the story. :eek:

Heh, never did think of him hijacking the airwaves. Though it seems like a lot of villains seem capable of doing that for some reason... guess they must sell the "ACME(TM) Airwave-Jammer 3000 Kit" at DCU Wal-Marts or something... :-p

-B.

AvatarBlues

10-26-2010, 02:21 PM

I demand MOAR rainbow Batman:p

I loved Batmite's "A Death in the Family Reference (I wonder which way he voted) that, and I just love Batmite:anime:

Jokermite creeps me out:crying:

And finally Joker's singing now makes me wish we'd get Brave and the Bold Album thith at least half the heroes on the show having there own song. The Music Meister episode could make up almost half that.

Road to Gotham

10-27-2010, 02:32 AM

Another FUN-FILLED episode of B:TB&TB.
GOSH, I LOVE this show.

Firefly in his original custome (UGLY).
The rainbow creature.
The homage to Detective Comics #241.
Wish we could have seen Batman wear all those color uniforms.
But Multi-Colored Bat-Suit was GROOVY.

Bat-Mite returns and he wants another Batman/Joker battle.
Unfortunately he gives Joker his power. Zany Mayhem Happens.
Batman dies a 1000 and 1 deaths at the hands of Clown Prince.
But when Joker enters Batman's mind, it drives him sane.

Two Bat-Mite episode equals two episodes of pure brilliance.

Maybe I need new glasses, But does anyone think that Joker-Mite kind of
looks like Bruce Timm?

Temple Fugate

11-03-2010, 11:20 PM

This episode is yet another example of how B:TBATB can stand apart from any other Batman show. When the writers want to have fun with some of the traditional conventions, they can do so in outrageous ways.

It was hilarious and disturbing to watch Batman bite it again and again. The first time when he thought he had lived through the death trap and then was crushed by the mallet made me laugh out loud like I haven't laughed at a cartoon in a while.

I've got to give the writers a nod to taking inspiration from a Julie Schwartz cover for their teaser segment. It's so perfect the way Bader delivers his line with end-of-the-world sobriety: "I must, Robin. I must wear a different color costume every night." Pure cheese. Well intentioned, homage-filled cheese, but cheese all the same.

Maybe I need new glasses, But does anyone think that Joker-Mite kind of
looks like Bruce Timm?I was thinking the same thing. It made me wonder if Bat Mite was modeled after Paul Dini. It's a funny idea to be having him fawn after Harley Quinn, if that's the case.

The only thing that bugged me about the situation though, is that this is Harley's debut in the cartoon and she isn't recognizable at all. It wasn't until Joker called her Harley that I even suspected it was her. I did like the silent comedian dress-up theme, though.

Joker's musical number was great. It might be blasphemous of me to say, but it was better written than half of Music Meister's episode. I was a little miffed about the repeated use of mild swearing. It came across as pointless and lame in an otherwise decent song. In my opinion, if you want to swear, you either come right out and say it, or you don't even bother. Since this is a children's cartoon, you can only take one of those options.

90'sCartoonMan

11-04-2010, 01:35 AM

The only thing that bugged me about the situation though, is that this is Harley's debut in the cartoon and she isn't recognizable at all. It wasn't until Joker called her Harley that I even suspected it was her. I did like the silent comedian dress-up theme, though.

At least she had the accent, that was a tipoff. The thing that bugged me is the fact that her name is such a pun and it didn't even get addressed (aside from the Bat-Mite costume).

Robert McSantos

11-04-2010, 05:36 AM

I was a little miffed about the repeated use of mild swearing. It came across as pointless and lame in an otherwise decent song. In my opinion, if you want to swear, you either come right out and say it, or you don't even bother. Since this is a children's cartoon, you can only take one of those options.

Ah, but Joker had to use "darn" in his song, because he was referencing an old 1930's song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzRUs8I9f64). "Make the world a better, brighter place" indeed.

ShadowStar

01-13-2011, 06:34 AM

Fun episode, though I think it should've been on a bigger scale than it was. When you have the awesome premise of the Joker gaining God-like powers, you don't restrict the episode's cast to just four characters (not counting the henchmen, Ten-Eyed Man and Joker-Mite, because they're not in the same league as the other four)! I would have loved to have seen Joker wreaking havoc across the globe and Earth's heroes trying in vain to stop him. When I first heard about this episode and the fact that the Joker would sing, I imagined him in a pharoah get-up with lots of civilians bowing down to him - it would've been a nice inclusion in the musical number but never mind.

For the most part though, this episode was still a delight. The Who's-Who bit with Ten-Eyed Man was a great way to reintroduce Bat-Mite and there were plenty of funny bits as the episode progressed. I felt that the Joker's song ended too abruptly and that the episode lacked a strong conclusion but those are minor criticisms.

From the moment that Joker-Mite was created, I knew that he'd try to double cross the Joker, though I didn't suspect that Harley would rebel like that. Speaking of Harley, Meghan Strange did a good job voicing her. I think her voice here was more fitting than her The Batman voice (which sounded odd given that it was meant to be for a 25-30 year old woman). I wasn't keen on the design (why did she look like she was from a black and white television show anyway?!) but I became accustomed to her. I'd like to see her return in season 3 if they find a good use for her.