The fact that Batman, whose only superpower is money, is the unquestioned leader of the heroes in the Brave and Bold universe is the kind of conceit that could easily be chalked up to "it's just part of the premise". But the fact that the episode spent an episode exploring how it's all the more impressive that Batman is as effective as he is given his lack of powers (replete with a delightful montage of him getting blasted by various superpowered baddies after his alliterative quips), but showed Captain Atom learning that lesson firsthand and squeezing a bit of pathos out of a kind of jerky character made this one stand out.
At the same time, they didn't skimp on the sense of whimsy or humor that the series is known for. The PSA motif (which gave me serious flashbacks to the G.I. Joe bits they were aping) was a great way to drive the theme of the episode home, and end on a slight subversion to the whole "Captain Atom learns an important lesson" structure. Aquaman's song wasn't the cleverest thing the show's done lyrically, but the visuals of Aquaman inhabiting various other heroes' costumes was a treat. And Batman's nonchalance about Captain Atom's comments, plus the training room scenarios drove the point home nicely in a low key way.
To boot, the league of Batmen facing off against a cadre of international Jokers is the kind of imaginative toybox fun that this show specializes in. The different takes on the characters were silly and enjoyable (I especially liked Russian dancing Joker) and opened the episode on a high note with that teaser.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-03-21T20:16:05Z
The fact that Batman, whose only superpower is money, is the unquestioned leader of the heroes in the Brave and Bold universe is the kind of conceit that could easily be chalked up to "it's just part of the premise". But the fact that the episode spent an episode exploring how it's all the more impressive that Batman is as effective as he is given his lack of powers (replete with a delightful montage of him getting blasted by various superpowered baddies after his alliterative quips), but showed Captain Atom learning that lesson firsthand and squeezing a bit of pathos out of a kind of jerky character made this one stand out.
At the same time, they didn't skimp on the sense of whimsy or humor that the series is known for. The PSA motif (which gave me serious flashbacks to the G.I. Joe bits they were aping) was a great way to drive the theme of the episode home, and end on a slight subversion to the whole "Captain Atom learns an important lesson" structure. Aquaman's song wasn't the cleverest thing the show's done lyrically, but the visuals of Aquaman inhabiting various other heroes' costumes was a treat. And Batman's nonchalance about Captain Atom's comments, plus the training room scenarios drove the point home nicely in a low key way.
To boot, the league of Batmen facing off against a cadre of international Jokers is the kind of imaginative toybox fun that this show specializes in. The different takes on the characters were silly and enjoyable (I especially liked Russian dancing Joker) and opened the episode on a high note with that teaser.