Brave and the Bold Wall Decals

As a kid I would have killed for these Brave and the Bold wall decals, featuring the late, lamented series' marquee characters. Now you can have Aquaman and Black Manta square off on your wall!

These were sent in by our newest F.O.A.M. member David Nickel, who I believe is our first ever-F.O.A.M.er that hails from Iceland! Here's some of what David wrote in regards to his love of Aquaman:

As a lifelong fan and defender of Aquaman (since 1979--against all naysayers and superhero-snobs) I am very, very pleased to have found the Aquaman Shrine and The Fire and Water Podcast (I started yesterday, am on Episode 3 and thank you for making my daily commute more bearable).

I have proudly sported my 1970s Aquaman pin for decades now, and having looked over the Shrine I see that it would not be enough to get me into F.O.A.M. Nor would any of my other collectibles, so far.

I would include a picture of my two sons, since either could pass for Aquaman at age 2 or 3 (as a father I refuse to say Arthur Jr. for obvious reasons) but neither of them have any Aquaman toys/items (they're all mine).


Luckily David found these wall decals, which we have not covered before! Thanks David and welcome to F.O.A.M.!

Brave and the Bold Board Book

This nifty Batman: Brave and the Bold board book--check out that cover!--was discovered by Shrine Correspondent Russell Burbage, who was kind enough to send in some scans (which couldn't have been easy).

Inside there are two-page spreads featuring Batman teaming up with Plastic Man, Green Arrow, B'Wana Beast(!), and, yes, Aquaman:

Outrageous! Thanks Russell!

Brave and the Bold Treat Bag

F.O.A.M.er Ray DeForest sent in this pic last month, a Halloween treat bag which he found in a party store. As Ray said, "Nice [Aquaman] is big and in front." As it should be!

I called this a Halloween treat bag, but upon further reflection (taken place in between the first and second paragraphs; I work fast) it doesn't specifically connect itself to Halloween, so I guess you could use this all year around to collect treats from people: Christmas, Memorial Day, or at the office!

Thanks Ray!

Brave and the Bold: Batman and Friends

I found this cute little chapter book in a supermarket the other day, and of course once I saw Aquaman was included I dropped it in my basket, next to the Norwegian kippers and chocolate milk.

Batman and Friends is basically just a summation of some Brave and the Bold episodes, using stills of Bats and his co-stars:

There's also appearances by Green Lantern, Plastic Man, and Green Arrow, ending with a nice group shot:

B&B devotees will notice that Green Lantern is not usually pictured in the stock art shots used for a lot of the merchandise; he's been added here since he was included in the book. Am I the only one who finds this kind of stuff interesting? I am, aren't I?

I still miss this show.

Underpants Ahoy!

My Fire and Water Podcast co-host The Irredeemable Shag spied this set of children's underwear on sale (at an unspecified department store just a few miles away from stately Shag Manor), part of the DC Super Friends merchandising juggernaut. As you can see, Aquaman may not be represented on the tag, but he's there where it counts--on the product itself!

Sadly, that situation is reversed with this pair of Batman: Brave and the Bold briefs:

Here, Aquaman is pictured on the, er, package (along with some of the other B:BATB quasi-regulars), but on the product itself it's nothing but Batman. Oh well, can't win 'em all.

Thanks Shag!

Memories of Mera: Sirena Irwin

When I got the call from my agent that I was to be the voice of Mera on Batman: The Brave and The Bold, my heart skipped a beat--my crown began to tingle--and my hair turned from blonde to red. Oh what joy! In my opinion, Mera is one of the sexiest superheroes alive--not to mention strong, devoted, loving and dry humored --all of these qualities I greatly admire--in characters both fictitious and real. And, my name being Sirena (meaning ‘mermaid’), I felt a certain connection to this underwater queen.

The opportunity to voice Mera was all thanks to the incredible super-talent Andrea Romano--the queen of voice directing--whom I had met working on Spongebob Squarepants. Having the opportunity to work opposite John DiMaggio (Aquaman) made the records all the sweeter. And well, quite honestly, the entire cast, helmed by Diedrich Bader as Batman, was unbelievably welcoming and, yes, talented!

Andrea and I decided that Mera, in this embodiment, should have a voice that was strong and sexy with an underlying undeniable wife and motherly quality. Their "vacation" episode was a blast to record. I only wish that Mera had appeared more than twice in Batman: the Brave and The Bold! I would have loved to have the opportunity to explore her darker years...I find them so fascinating--so intriguing...Well, perhaps in some other incarnation. Until then, let in be known that I feel extraordinarily lucky to have had the opportunity to bring the great Mera to life--if even for just a moment.

--Sirena Irwin

Brave and the Bold Board Book Set

Shrine Correspondent Russell Burbage sent Shrine Central an early Xmas package, containing this...yes, outrageous boxed set of Batman: Brave and the Bold Board Books!

The set contains twelve books, each of them twelve pages and approximately 3" square. All the show regulars get their own book...Batman, Plastic Man, Green Arrow, Blue Beetle, Red Tornado, and Aquaman! In addition, all the characters appear in the other books, focusing on themes like Teamwork, Counting, Colors, and Power.

A great little set of books, destined to help kids (and overgrown bloggers) learn the basics! Thanks Russell!

Brave and the Bold Kite

The show may be over, but Brave and the Bold merch marches on! This is a kite featuring the standard core group of heroes (presumably Batman has some space to himself which we can't see here), which, as always, includes Aquaman! Outrageous!

Brave and the Bold Aquaman T-Shirt

Yesterday we talked with Brave and the Bold Producer Michael Jelenic, and he mentioned Aquaman being consciously included in the merchandising campaign that went along with the show.

Well, here's another fine example of that, an Aquaman shirt--emblazoned with an all-original, yet-still-in-character catch phrase--sent in by F.O.A.M.er Mac Schafer! Thanks Mac!

TV Guide - August 2011

Aquaman gets a shout-out via an interview with Brave and the Bold voice actor John DiMaggio, which appeared in an August edition of TV Guide. Say it with me...Outrageous!


(h/t: F.O.A.M.er Joe Mello)

Brave and the Bold Gift Bag

Behold this awesome Brave and the Bold style gift bag, spotted at Toys "R" Us by F.O.A.M.er John Trumbull (the artist behind this month's keen custom header!).

Outrageous, thanks John!

All-New Brave and the Bold #10 - Oct. 2011

Comics Weekend "Help Wanted" by Sholly Fisch, Rick Burchett, and Dan Davis.

Super-angry Emperor Aquaman isn't the only Sea King on this week's racks; for contrast we have another appearance of the more chipper Brave and the Bold version!

"Help Wanted" is the story of a poor schlub who's down on his luck, trying to stay employed and take care of his family. Unfortunately, the only work he can find is as a supervillain henchman!

At first he works for The Toyman, where he escapes before Superman and Batman can capture him. Afraid of being tracked down, he tells him family to pack their things, they have to leave town immediately--something that doesn't go over too well with them.

Unfortunately, the same situation existed in the next town, Star City, and soon enough the guy found work (via a sort of Monster.com for supervillains, created by The Calculator, a nice touch) with The Clock King. Again, his heart not being in it, the guy escapes before Batman and Green Arrow even notice him.

Packing up his family again, he decides to get away as far as possible:

Batman's Shark Repellant Torpedo scatters the nasties, leaving he and Aquaman to go after Ocean Master and his henchmen:

The guy returns home--silly shark costume and all--and tells his family the bad news, This time, though, his wife says they're not going anywhere: either he changes his life, or he leaves without them.

Some time passes, and now the guy has found a real job: as a security guard. He tells his mysterious drinking buddy that, sorry, he's not interested in being part of The Penguin's gang--he's "out of the henchmen business now."

We then see who he's been talking to, and despite the fake mustache, we know that he's been talking to Batman! Batman sneaks outside into an alley behind the bar, where the man's family is waiting for him. Turns out Batman had tracked this guy down, but when he talked to the man's family and found out the story, he decided to give the guy a chance to go straight, and was testing him to see if it was real.

Relieved that it is, Batman tells the man's son that "No boy should have to grow up without a father." The End!


I know I say this every time the Shrine covers an issue of Batman: Brave and the Bold, but Great Neptune do I love this series! Sholly Fisch's stories are about something other than just exercises in universe twiddling, but they also feature great little bits of characterization that harken back to the older, more iconic versions of the heroes and villains we know and love.

Add to that the superb work of Burchett and Davis, and you've got a consistently good book, full of fun superhero derring-do. Excited as I am about the new DCU, I am really happy Batman: Brave and the Bold is sticking around!

Aquaman Fight Club