Customer Reviews

All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Basically if you want great art and an overly angry Batman with little story then this is for you. If not you should wait and see if Vol. 2 ever gets completed and see if the story picks up.

This collects the first 9 issues of this series. I bought the first 9 single issues, even though they were often delayed. My problem wasn't the over the top take on Batman and the rest of the Justice League (which at times is annoying and a bit much), my problem is that nothing seems to happen in these 9 issues. Sure Jim Lee's art is great and Batman being a d&%$ is kind of fun but outside of Robin's tragedy and some random thugs and cops getting beaten up it's all set up. Set up for a second run that will take God knows how long for them to complete, if it ever happens.

If you want Frank Miller and Batman buy: Batman Year One or Dark Knight Returns.

If you want Jim Lee and Batman buy: Hush.

I completely and utterly disapprove of the way Millar portrays Batman. He comes off as a raving lunatic and has spouts cheesy Spiderman-like lines as he beats up bad guys. I sometimes got confused and thought that it was Wolverine in a Batman suit, with all the "bub," "kiddo," and "snot-nosed punk" dialogue. I'm pretty sure that he or somebody else says "Shut up!" like 900 times in the 200 or so pages that the story takes to unfold. And nothing really does unfold at that. This is mainly the reinventing of the story of the Boy Wonder's recruitment into the Bat family and it starts with Batman kidnapping and psychologically torturing Grayson after the hit on his parents. Miller's Batman is a disgusting, unlikable brute with none of the detective skills or sense of morality that separates the Dark Knight from a street thug. Maybe that's what he was going for, but I found it dispiriting and utterly unheroic. By the end, I found myself in complete agreement with Clark that Batman had to be stopped and that he was more dangerous than some of the criminals on the street. He laughs like a lunatic as he springs into action, takes joy in how many bones he's broken over the course of the evening and says things like, "I love being the goddamn Batman." Maybe that works for the Punisher, but I like my Bruce Wayne to stick a little closer to the light side of the gray line.

Few things can be said about Frank Miller. To some, he's one of the greatest things to even happen to the comic book industry, creating some of the most influential comic stories of all time. Others would rather have him roll over and die. All Star Batman falls between the two of these options, you either hate it, love it, or think it needs to tighten up a little bit.

I fall into the third option. I wasn't sure on whether to pick up this collection because so many people were just trashing this book. But I figured that I should try it and decide afterwords. While there are some gripes I do have about this book, overall I thought it was a good story and needed a little work. one of the biggest redeeming factors is Jim Lee's art work. It's just plain incredible. His Batman is how the character should look. But this Batman isn't the right Batman. I much prefer his work in Batman: Hush.

Now the main issue I have with All Star Batman is Batman himself. Miller makes him a deranged psychopath. It's like he's Joker in tights with his jumping off buildings while laughing maniacally. It just doesn't fit at ALL! Add on the fact that Batman partakes in random acts of fornication. Like I said, nothing fits. Gordan is a cheating sleaze, Wonder Woman is pure estrogen (more than she usually is), Superman and Green Lantern act like pansies, and Plastic Man is...well, he's just nuts.

While I have my issues with this series, I did enjoy the story. Redoing Robin's origin is a strong base to start from, though I was expecting more Batman and Robin teamwork and more Joker.

Overall, this collection is an okay collection to tear into, despite the extreme character changes.

What can I say that hasn't been said already... Oh yeah, this is an incomplete story, it just kinda stops. But fear not, this story will be continuing in February 2011 under the name Dark Knight: Boy Wonder with Miller and Lee finishing it, FINALLY!

I liked it, it's not the greatest piece of literature, but it's fun if you like your Batman dark, gritty and dealing with more mature content.

Not for Children or people looking for a Comics Code Authority approved Batman.

For decades writers have hinted that Batman is just as psycho as those he fights. Miller and Lee stop hinting and show it outright. This Batman is a sociopath and he knows it. He relishes the pain he causes the bad guys, and he gives in to baser instincts and his passions. I loved this story, but I have to admit that for the first time in my life I don't like this Batman. That's what makes this great. By the way, Jim Lee can draw sexy women! Vickie Vale and Black Canary never looked hotter.

This is Frank Miller's Batman. It's not "your" Batman; it's not a "classic" Batman. People have lost their damn minds over this comic, what with the swearing and the "woeful" and "preposterous" use of the characters in the universe. But people are short sighted. Horrible though Miller's movies may be, he's pretty adept at drawing out the virus of Batman's dementia, and he has been, from DARK KNIGHT RETURNS ONWARD. People act like this version is repulsive in his demeanor and actions. IN THE DAMN PROLOGUE TO DKR, Miller calls Batman, "The Cruel One." He's always had this picture in his mind of a realistic Batman--one who psychologically is broken to the point where he, with no powers to speak of, puts on a suit and fights crime. If it helps you to understand it, picture it as Miller's version of the Watchmen, and Batman is a mix of Night Owl and Rorschach. PSYCHOLOGICALLY SPEAKING this is infinitely more likely than a saintly choir boy with the 200 IQ and the total absence of a sex drive. I was absolutely blown away by the redrawing of the lines in this story, and as "non-canonical" as some wish to deem it, it represents a number of characters in different, and assuredly Miller-esque, lights. Let go of your pretensions, think about it long and hard, and if you were to be forced to envision a human who dresses in a costume and physically fights criminals, you'd be hard pressed to come up with a better rendition than Frank Miller's All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder. After DKR became one of the most popular graphic novels of all time (UTILIZING THE SAME PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE OF BATMAN), "poor" Frank Miller must be scratching his head something awful after the critical reception to this novel... [although, to address some downsides... Miller's attempts at updating the dialog fail miserably. Dude simply hasn't got a handle on it.]

and Jim Lee's art is abso-flipping-lutely fantastic.

Please, please, please, I would love to see this work finished properly.

There's no question that Frank Miller is a creative genius. Unfortunately, Miller's gift is never a sure thing. For every "Dark Knight Returns," there is a "Dark Knight Strikes Again." And for every "Batman: Year One," there is an "All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder."

This could, I suppose, be titled "Robin: Year One," except that Chuck Dixon beat Miller to the punch several years prior, and he did a great job with it, too. This effort, which takes us from just before the murder of Dick Grayson's parents through his early days of training in the Batcave and first few outings as Robin, is a story only a sadist could love. "All-Star" gives us a Batman who is brutal, maniacal and without conscience. He doesn't rescue Grayson: he abducts him, then subjects him to mental, emotional and physical torture. He doesn't work with Gotham City's police department in any capacity; figuring the cops are all corrupt anyway, he beats them or kills them if they get in his way. And Jim Gordon, Batman's only ally on the force, doesn't seem to mind too much if a few cops get wasted on his watch. Meanwhile, Miller continues to show his disdain for the other DC heroes: Superman is a pompous oaf, Green Lantern is a talentless idiot, Wonder Woman is a raging man-hater. Other characters are rewritten to suit Miller's whims: Black Canary is now an Irish bartender who goes on a rampage after one too many customers called her "sweet chunks," Jimmy Olsen now works in Gotham, Vicki Vale is a hard-hitting columnist who goes damp at the mere mention of Bruce Wayne's name and Batgirl is just an eager girl with a gimmick.

The text -- both the dialogue and Batman's, Robin's and everyone else's inner monologues -- is endlessly repetitive and needlessly profane. The plot is simple and shallow, lacking any real direction beyond Miller's attempt to shock his readers. But, after so many stories that have actually shocked us with some purpose, this bland and witless parody falls flat. It's not edgy, Frank, it's just violent. On the plus side, Jim Lee's art is simply fantastic.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(net) editor

When I first heard that Jim Lee and Frank Miller were collaborating to do a Batman origins tale, I was really excited. Despite the negative reviews surrounding it, I decided to give it a shot. Big mistake. The dialogue is cheesy, and the story is nonsense. I was absolutely shocked by the rampant child abuse and violent behaviors of Batman in this work. (From a desentisized young 20 something year old who usually doesnt care about that kinda stuff, that says something.) Batman smacks Robin in the face and calls him stupid and feeds him rats. It is pretty disgusting and completely out of character. More stupid than anything. I thought Superman would give this psychopathic Batman a smackdown as it was insinuated in the beginning of the novel, but he doesnt. Cameos of other Justice Leaguers prove to be useless as well. Skip this work and read Batman/ Superman the Search for Kryptonite. This work tries to be edgy and cool but it turns out to be stupid. It gets a star for the awesome art work of Jim Lee. Too bad its wasted on this trash.

I'm not going to lie. The main reason I bought this book was because it was drawn by Jim Lee, comic artist extraordinaire. For that reason alone this book is worth picking up. His artwork is detailed, realistic, energetic and emotional. Usually an artist won't give you all of those together, but that is why Jim Lee is one of the greats.

There is a story on top of all that art and it ain't half bad. It is written by Frank Miller, who some would say is a quintessential Batman writer. You may recognize his name as the creator of 300 and Sin City. This guy has some chops, dark and dirty chops. This story paints Batman as a guy who is a few marbles shot. Which we know has to be true, the guy dresses up as a bat. This story really brings that personality to the forefront.

Reviewed by Chris for Book Sake.

I love Jim Lee's artwork. He and Michael Turner are/were my two favorite comic artists. This book is graphically up there with the best of them. It's gorgeous to look at and turning each new page is as beautiful as the previous one.

However, I will never understand why people like Frank Miller. His version of Batman is cold, uncaring, crazy, heartless and overbearing. I find it hard to believe that Batman would be good enough to take an orphan into his home, and then treat him like dirt all the time just to make him tougher. Who would ever like this guy? This is not the Batman that I grew up with. This Batman has no emotion whatsoever... well, maybe hatred... but that's about it. I know that many people are going to tell me I'm nuts and that I don't understand... and they're right. I've read Batman comics my ENTIRE life and I don't understand this version of him.

This book could have been amazing, and Jim Lee consistently proves himself as an amazing artist, but Frank Miller is holding the potential of this book back. Jim Lee makes Batman look as crazy as Frank Miller writes him, but unfortunately, this Batman might as well be the villain. I bought it for Lee's artwork, and it sits alone on my shelf because of Miller's writing.

I will continue to buy Lee's books, but I'm finished with Miller's sludge.