Journey the the Center of the Bat!


Season: 1
Episode Number: 9
Season Episode Number: 9
Production Number: 109
Airdate: January 30, 2009

Writer: Matt Wayne
Director: Michael Chang

Voices: Diedrich Bader (Batman), John DiMaggio (Aquaman), James Sie (Atom), Dee Bradley Baker (Chemo, The Brain), Tom Kenny (Plastic Man, Babyface), Sean Donnellan (Elongated Man).

Plot: The Atom and Aquaman must team up and travel inside Batman, who has ingested a dangerous chemical virus that is destroying his body.

Review (Warning! Spoilers!): I think Aquaman is going to be one of my favourite characters of this series. For years, Aquaman has been getting the shaft when it comes to listing off important superheroes. People laugh at his Filmation and Super Friends days and the case isn't helped by Aquaman's feature film in the television series, Entourage. It's only really the fans of the comics who understand how cool Aquaman really is.

Well, this series definitely isn't going to do anything to help Aquaman be taken more seriously, but I'm sure it will make him a likable character, just not for the reasons the fans would hope. I love it and think it's a great throwback to the campy dialogue of the Silver Age and also a character that is completely different from Batman and every other character on the show. Plus, John DiMaggio does an outrageous job as the voice of the King of the Seven Seas!

Journey to the Center of the Bat is really a team up between Aquaman and the Atom, but that's okay, because we are instantly compelled to find out what will happen when they have to work together.

The Atom in this series is Ryan Choi, the current Atom in the comic books. This is the second time the series has chosen to use the contemporary version of a hero rather than the Silver Age version. The other is Blue Beetle. I don't mind the use of Ryan Choi because I don't really know anything about this character. It's just too bad that Ray Palmer didn't get more animation time over the last fifty years.

This episode is pleasure to watch despite Batman not being in it a whole lot. In fact, I hope to see more episodes that focus on the guest stars teaming up with each other, because it is often the case that they are more interesting than Batman anyway.

Bonus points to the show's creators for the teaser that featured Plastic Man and Elongated Man fighting over who Batman likes better. The two have almost identical powers so it makes perfect sense to have that rivalry. This is similar to the Batman/Green Arrow rivalry from Day of the Dark Knight.

DVD Releases:

Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Volume Three

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