Thu, 22 Oct '09

Batman: The Musical!

Tremble as the caped crusader faces his most dreaded foe ever: show tunes!

We know what you’ve all been thinking: Batman is a near perfect superhero franchise—riveting hero, legendary back story, iconic villains—but if only there were more singing.

Nonexistent wish granted!

Cartoon Network’s Batman: The Brave and The Bold will pull a Buffy tonight by unleashing an all-singing, all-dancing musical episode. The story, entitled “Mayhem of the Music Meister,” will follow Bats as he faces off against the titular Music Meister (pictured), a fabulous—in a Broadway sense—villain who forces others to do his evil bidding by ensnaring them in toe-tapping musical numbers. Guest singing as the voice of Mr. Meister is none other than Neil Patrick Harris, a.k.a. Doogie Howser, a.k.a. Dr. Horrible, a.k.a. That Guy Who Just Hosted The Emmys.

The episode received a standing ovation when screened at Comic-Con, and anyone hoping for a desk-side preview can troll for extended YouTube clips. If the songs end up doing their nefarious job by nesting in your brain, the soundtrack will be available for purchase tomorrow on iTunes and Amazon.

Admittedly the songs really are pretty catchy. Which is bad news for Batman. Sure, he can’t be beat in a fight, but does he stand any chance of fighting the beat?