New Batman show offers team-up fun

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The kid-friendly Cartoon Network series “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” is based on the comic book of the same name that teamed Batman up with other DC Comics characters.  In the most recent episode, “Journey to the Center of the Bat,” the Atom and Aquaman must miniaturize themselves to save Batman from a disease.
The TV-G rated series has the goofy charm of the 1960s “Batman,” and has introduced more than a dozen DC Comics characters in its first nine episodes.   The original Batman team-up “Brave and Bold” comics are available in three black-and-white “Showcase” editions from DC. The first comic book based on the “Brave and the Bold” cartoon was released this week.
If you or a youngster are enjoying “Brave and Bold,” here’s more information about some of the included characters, and comic-book collections to seek out for further reading.

AQUAMAN
The cartoon’s version of Aquaman is somewhat arrogant, but in a fun way.  While this version is an amalgam of the various ways Aquaman’s been portrayed throughout the years, if you’re looking for goofy retro fun, check out the two “Showcase” reprint volumes.  If you’d prefer a more modern take, Peter David’s “Aquaman: Time and Tide” recaps the character’s origin.

THE ATOM
The shrinking scientist Ray Palmer has two “Showcase” volumes.  Science-fiction meets sword-and-sorcery in the “Sword of the Atom” collection.  And Palmer’s successor, Ryan Choi, is introduced in “The All-New Atom: My Life in Miniature.”  This Atom is showcased in “Journey to the Center of the Bat!”

BLUE BEETLE
Hispanic teen Jaime Reyes is  the current Blue Beetle; four volumes of his current adventures are available.  The episode “The Fall of the Blue Beetle” introduces his predecessor, Ted Kord, and the best place to find his stories are in the “Justice League International” collections.

GREEN ARROW
The “Brave and the Bold” version is the clean-shaven Batman rival, not the goateed political activist.  Your best bet to find representative stories is the “Showcase Presents Green Arrow” volume.