Customer Reviews

All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder, Vol. 1

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

It was the combination of two proven names that enticed me to take a chance on All Star Batman & Robin; writer Frank Miller (Batman: Year One, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns) and artist Jim Lee (Absolute Batman: Hush) have brought to life some of the greatest Batman stories. Unfortunately though, this one seems to fall short of greatness.

There is potential - don't get me wrong. Lee's artwork is bright and colorful and invites the reader to view the pages for just a little bit longer. On the other hand, Miller's quick and short writing doesn't allow for much taking in of the artwork. There's seems to be a conflict to say the least.

But probably the biggest problem with All Star Batman & Robin is with Batman or should I say "the g**damned Batman." At certain points, he's clearly possessed, more so than I've ever seen him. His sanity seems more at question here than it does in the psychological rollercoaster of Batman: Arkham Asylum. He's just not himself.

Bottom line: This story is okay, just OKAY. You could read it and be entertained at some points, or you could leave it and not miss out on a whole lot.

I hated this book. As an adult, I enjoy "edgy" and mature-oriented material, but this story goes too far. In it, Batman is a psychotic sadist who engages in over-the-top behavior the likes of which we have never seen before from DC Comics. For example, Allstar's Batman is a homocidal maniac who murders several police officers. He kidnaps, terrorizes, and beats Robin, a 12-year old boy in this story. His sadistic crime-fighting methods include excessive force and so much brutality that he often leaves commons thugs dead. He is clearly insane.

Frank Miller abused the artistic license often granted to edgy reboots, and made something that is completely out of character for what we expect from this popular superhero. I'm not even happy with the content of this book if you approached it from a parallel reality or Multiverse approach to this content- this is not Bruce Wayne. Other characters from the DC universe make brief appearances, and their dark & gritty portrayal quickly becomes so extreme that it is almost a sendup of popular folklore legends.

To me, Miller cashed in the "currency" he earned with his previously supersuccesful work and shouldn't be given free rein to embarass popular franchises in this manner again. The only reason I give this book any stars at all is because of Lee's wonderfully crisp and colorful artwork. He is truly a talent. As half of the creative team, I gave him 2 out of 2 1/2 stars, with Miller getting none. I took a half star off of Lee's work because he should have questioned the garbage Miller asked him to draw. Lee showed poor judgement by working on this book. Batman killing police officers for fun, and drugging & slapping young children? Totally innappropriate.

As mentioned, I enjoy both darker material AND I love Batman. So for me not to like this book it had to be really bad- and it is.

I like Miller's earlier Dark Knight work quite a bit, and I have a soft spot for Sin City, too. This is just horrible writing, though. It has none of the freshness of his other Batman writing, and the dialogue here is beyond cheesy (at one point he refers to a thug as a "wad," an insult I haven't heard since I was maybe 10 years old). I suppose this is supposed to be edgy, but I'd rather read the most mediocre of the current Batman titles within the regular continuity than this vanity project gone wrong. What a disappointment.

I waited and waited for the library to get this for me. Once they finally did, and it was in my hands, it was such a huge let down. As anyone will agree, Lee's artwork is awesome and always will be, but that's where the goodness ends (his Joker is awesome!). The storyline wanders and ultimately goes nowhere. The dialogue is simply horrible. You can't make a "darker" or "edgier" comic when you have to abide by the Comics Code and the only curse word you can use is goddamn. But they try anyhow, and use "goddamn" in every other sentence. The dialogue is something from a 15 y/o Valley Girl, for all characters involved. Which is another problem. Just how many superheroes needed to be pumped into this? Superman makes a useless three page appearance that makes no sense. Two female arch-heroes try to do something, but they only get in the way. It's just a bad story. Stay away from it. Batman and Grayson's interaction repeats itself during each issue and goes nowhere. It was a waste of my life I want back.

When i first heard that Jim Lee and Frank Miller were collaborating to retell a Batman origins tale, needless to say i was quite excited. Despite the negative reception to it, i couldn't resist and read it. After reading it I was quite horrified by the finished product. The writing is horrible and cheesy and the plot is undeveloped. Im not the type to be offended by things in media (prolly cuz im a desentizized male in my early twenties and not a parent) but i was disgusted by the sadism and child abuse rampant in the novel. Batman smacks robin around and makes him eat rats. WTF is wrong with Frank Miller? What satisfaction would a reader get from reading that their favorite superhero is a child abuser? I was hoping that Superman would lay a smackdown on Batman's ass as it was insinuated in the early part of the novel, but Superman does nothing as does the other justice leaguers who make a guest appearance. Batman also talks about how he enjoys breaking people's arms and such. Not cool. Its just dark for the sake of being dark. Put this trash down and go read batman/ superman the search for kryptonite. The review gets a star because Jim Lee is the best comic book artist out there. The drawings are awesome. It's a shame its wasted on this trash.

There is a reason why professional comics are hilariously funny and open-mic night at the corner bar is hilariously bad; comedy is a craft, just like writing a graphic novel about an iconic superhero is an art form.

Frank Miller takes the Batman franchise into his realm of schtick, which would be tolerable if he was showing the storyboards during a break in a meeting or as a special segment during a personal appearance. Miller's new Batman is more like a cheap clone of Joker and the "comedy" - mixed with crude violence and sex - quickly degenerates into scenes that are equally disturbing and bizarre.

The artwork is solid, but the text proves that every picture doesn't tell a good story.

The art is great and the story is garbage. Torture Porn is what I'd call this. Disgusting depictions of some of the most Iconic characters in Comics. The writing is overly repetitive and just plain bad. Don't walk away from this one, run.

Not counting Jim Lee's beautiful art, everything about this comic is just plain, downright terrible. Not only is the plot non-existent, the scripting completely misguided and appalling, the characterization on a par with the Joel Schumacher farce BATMAN & ROBIN, but to see that this is being published in a prestigious hardcover format is just about one of the worst things that DC has foisted on its readers (now I know how Alan Moore feels about them!).

When Rob Liefeld presented his HEROES REBORN version of Captain America, everyone and his dog blasted it as a waste of paper. Well, what Frank Miller is doing to Gotham City in this is about a billion times worse!

And let's not get started on the repeated delays to the scheduling/publishing of this book. It's not like it has a plot or any real sense of purpose or mystery. It's simply Frank Miller hack-writing to his bile's content. ENOUGH ALREADY! We get that you were a weedy kid who has to always resort to stealing from other's plots and yet always has to take all the credit and accolades bestowed upon you!

Man, that Wertham guy had nothing on what you are currently doing to the comic community! (At least he's no longer around!)

Any minute now and Alfred's gay lover is bound to stumble into the Batcave and catch Bruce with his pants down... (Don't say you weren't warned, readers! You know, there's a reason the rats are the first to abandon the sinking ship! I just wish Miller would learn from it....)

Frank Miller has brought has some great comics over the years, this is def not one of them. I feel Jim Lees art is actually pretty good but doesnt make up for the content. This book takes all our heroes morals and character and flushes them down the toilet. Especially making Batman a pshycopath, grinning and laughing as he cripples criminals. This is not the Batman I enjoy. Yes i do enjoy a darker batman but one that still had morals and is motivated by positve motives. If your a huge Frank Miller fan you might enjoy this, but personally i havent enjoyed anything miller has written in the past 15 years. So consider it if you enjoy frank miller, if looking for a good batman story leave this one alone.If your wanting a good book with All Star in the name go for all star superman and you wont be dissappointed.

Frank Miller has done some incredible work, in and out of the superhero field, and that I'm not approaching this book as a hater. I read the first volume and it left a bad taste in my mouth, but I read it again before reviewing it. I'm not really sure what Miller's doing here; is he wallowing in cheap and easy cynicism, or is he trying to make a statement about superheroes, kind of like the one that Alan Moore made in Watchmen? It's really hard to tell. Is the self-plagiarism and self-parody done knowingly, or has Miller lost the plot? This is Batman as a hyper-active, unlikable sociopath. Who kidnaps and abuses the boy who will become Robin and enjoys torturing criminals. Was this always what Batman was? I haven't read Batman in a while so it's tough to say. Maybe that's what Miller's trying to put across. But after pages of Jim Lee's 90s throwback art and awful, awful dialogue and exposition, I didn't even care very much. Even if this series is somewhat self-aware, it's still pretty bad. It's a question of one star or two stars, so I'll go with two. Grant Morrison's All Star Superman is much better, so I'd recommend that instead.