Speculation is swirling around the latest Batman installment, as previously reported via the Cartoon Network Upfront. Batman: The Brave and the Bold is the latest animated upheaval in the history of the caped crusader. The 26-episode order is currently slated for March 2009, and should air in tandem with the highly anticipated Star Wars vehicle. As voice recording begins, Diedrich Bader ("Surf's Up", The Zeta Project) has been confirmed in the title role.

For those just tuning in, the last fifteen odd years have been dominated by what's been called the DC animated universe (not to be confused with "DC Universe"). From the brief toon renaissance of Batman: The Animated Series to the appointment television of Justice League Unlimited, the various series and spin-offs have certainly left their marks on American animation. What could possibly rattle the Dark Knight of the small screen?

It's a return — some say a regression — to kid-friendly humor and high peril set in and outside Gotham. The new series will not be connected to the aforementioned "DCAU", nor departing series The Batman and Legion of Superheroes.  World's Finest Online posted the initial announcement for the action-adventure series. The look is retro, a good fifty years in the making.

There promises to be a surfeit of dastardly enemies, funky gadgets, harrowing capers, and friends... lots of friends.

Besides some character designs, only one element has been confirmed: a multitude of team-ups, including Green Arrow, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman. Director Ben Jones blogged an outburst of spoilers with all the names cheerily redacted. Others involved in the project are similarly enthused about the new take.

Initial Reactions Mixed

Changing horses mid-stream or rebooting Batmobiles are always tricky maneuvers, and the pre-emptive reactions have been mixed. Though this reporter is ill-equipped to examine the leap from comic books, the earliest concerns seem to boil down to three main points. Is this series replacing or displacing its predecessors? Is Batman about fun and adventure, or angst and darkness? And: how light is light-hearted, i.e. which audience is it anyway?

Overall, creating something for younger viewers is a tricky task, because one has to be sure it's for the actual younger viewers (who seem to get savvier the more adults age), and not solely for the adults' inner child. Many fans are hopeful that this will be as much of a breath of fresh air as advertised. While questions like "Will this talk down to kids?", "Will there be female characters?", and "Will this be fun on a Friday night?" are valid, we simply won't know until the show airs.

Either way, this reporter can't help thinking that Stargate's Rodney McKay might enjoy this series very much.