Batman and Robin, Vol. 2: Batman vs. Robin [Hardcover]

Grant Morrison (Author), Andy Clarke (Illustrator), Cameron Stewart (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: November 9, 2010

Grant Morrison continues his habit of teaming up with A-list, critically acclaimed artists by joining Cameron Stewart (SEVENSOLDIERS: MANHATTAN GUARDIAN) and Andy Clarke (BATMAN: FACE THE FACE) for the next exciting chapter of the adventures of the new Dynamic Duo!

The new Batman and Robin uncover clues involving the mysterious death of Bruce Wayne before facing off against each other in a heated battle instigated by Robin's mother that both heroes will regret - if they live through it! Featuring a 3-issues storyline that ties into the best-selling BLACKEST NIGHT event titled "Blackest Knight," this new collection is a must-have for both new readers and longtime fans of Grant Morrison's Batman epic as the superstar writer unveils more of his genre-defying masterplan!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Comicdom’s resident big-idea man, Morrison unexpectedly calls on the caped-crusader’s campy Silver Age incarnation to give the wildly popular new series a unique tone. With the original Batman—Bruce Wayne—dead (well, trapped in prehistoric times), his one-time ward Dick Grayson struggles to take over the role and find a balance with the semi-homicidal new Robin, who is actually Wayne’s own son by the daughter of megalomaniacal world-dominator Ra’s Al Ghul. The two crime-fighters contend with a resurrected but ersatz Batman and a plot to turn the new Robin into a remote-controlled Bat-assassin, all leading to the last page “surprise” return of a mystery villain (it’s the Joker, okay—are you really surprised?). The art is sterling across the board, with clean, sharp action that makes clever use of character design to lend an air of 1960s mod to all the loopiness. Despite its homage to the past, Morrison’s reinvention is most assuredly not your father’s Batman and may find a readership among those eager for something new in a familiar superhero adventure. --Jesse Karp

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics; Deluxe edition (November 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140122833X
• ISBN-13: 978-1401228330
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.5 x 11.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #389,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Grant Morrison is one of comics' greatest innovators. His long list of credits includes Batman: Arkham Asylum, JLA, Seven Soldiers, Animal Man, Doom Patrol, The Invisibles and The Filth. He is currently writing Batman and All-Star Superman.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Mystery of the Missing Batman Begins November 13, 2010

By E. David Swan VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The final sentence in my review of the first Batman and Robin book was, "I'll certainly preorder book 2 but with reduced expectations." Unfortunately over time I forgot what I wrote and given the tremendous critical acclaim the series was getting I received this with sky high expectations. Yet again I found myself let down this time even more. The art is quite good although I prefer the visuals of Cameron Stewart who did the first half of the book than Andy Clarke who seemed to be trying to emulate Frank Quitely with less than complete success. So far DC seems to be giving artist three issues and out on this series having started with Frank Quitely then Philip Tan and now Stewart and Clarke. The covers ARE done by Quitely and are always a treat.

Unlike the previous book which stood on its own this one is a continuation of the death of Batman from Final Crisis and Morrison's controversial Batman R.I.P. and less controversial Black Glove storylines from last year. Nothing is resolved in this book and it seems to be more of a setup for future stories building up the mystery of Bruce Wayne being lost in time. The first three issues center around Dick Grayson's ill advised attempt to bring Bruce back from the dead using a Lazarus Pit discovered in England. The story features an appearance by Squire and Knight who appeared in the Black Glove storyline as well as Batwoman who doesn't actually serve much of a purpose here. The three issues don't really advance the main storyline much other than to prove that Batman's corpse is not Bruce Wayne but we already knew that anyway.

Having established that Bruce is not dead but instead lost in time Dick, Damian and Alfred start to look for clues that Bruce might have left from the distant past and start to discover some interesting details about the Wayne lineage. Morrison is starting to tie in this series with his previous work on Batman R.I.P. and the Black Glove but as yet only on a very shallow level. There is mention of an interesting ancestor of Wayne's named Thomas Wayne from the 1700's and I suspect I know where Morrison is going with this one but nothing at all is established yet. The books second half also features Talia al Ghul who decides that she is not interested in having her son Damian serve as the new Robin to Grayson's Batman and hatches an unpleasant scheme to separate the two. I wont spoil the surprise but it has to do with the books cover with Damian about to take a two handed sword to Grayson's head.

I'd love to say that Morrison knocks this one out of the ballpark but in reality it felt like a filler book used to set up threads for better stories down the road. The ending is quite a neat shocker but I wish there had been more shockers throughout. Between the two books I liked the first one better. I thought the Flamingo and Circus of Strange were creative and generally well executed and I liked the idea that there might become a rivalry between Grayson and Jason Todd. In this book Morrison introduces King Coal and The Pearly Court of Crime but they're more likely to be throw away characters. Morrison has handled Grayson as Batman so well that I'm actually not looking forward to Bruce retaking the mantle but I have to say that for sheer enjoyment I would put this book below not only book 1 but also Batman R.I.P. and the Black Glove.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A good continuation November 9, 2010

By Biweely Books Review

Format:Hardcover

Overall what can someone say about Grant Morrison's run on Batman that has not been said. Personally I have enjoyed what he has done and thin that it is rapidly increasing in grandeur and quality of storytelling. This comic in particular is a little less fluid in my opinion than the last one, but the story does seem to be in the process of building to a grand conclusion, obviously the return of Bruce Wayne and Dr. Hurt.

I find the relationship between Dick and Damian in this book compelling and overall one of the strong points of Morrison's run this far is the way he has turned Damian from perhaps one of the most annoying characters I have ever encountered in comic books (he fairs well even when I widen this to all Literature) into a character that has multiple dimensions or you at least begin to truly see some in this volume. Although to be fair he does still come off somewhat stale on occasions.

The action in this book is very well done and enjoyable to see. The art overall is well done and there are few complaints that I can really make of it, short of saying it is nothing overly spectacular in my opinion.

The supporting characters are one of the more interesting elements here. Seeing the supposed edition of minor characters and the interactions between Damian and his mother in particular it seems will be important down the line for later comics in the series of the Morrison epic.

All in all if you have been taken in by Morrison thus far, you enjoyed the first volume of Batman and Robin, or you are still unsure about what you think of any of the above you should go ahead and buy this book since it does make good, albeit very short reading. If however you have not began Morrison's run of Batman and are not familiar with it you might want to try some of the earlier books such as Batman and Son or The Black Glove first since they are important to the story. You could also begin with Batman and Robin volume one which is what I did, but I do constantly feel as if I am missing things.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Grant Morrison's Bat-Saga Continues... November 17, 2010

By Seth Nunes

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I don't think I'm in the minority here when I say that Grant Morrison's run on Batman has been absolutely amazing. This latest volume of his Batman and Robin series (featuring Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne in the titular roles) continues the standard of excellence you have come to expect. The volume is split up into two different stories, each with a different artist. They might not be the crème de la crème of the DC roster, but I found Cameron Stewart and Andy Clarke to be very appropriate artists for their respective story arcs. I don't want to spoil anything too much but in the first arc Batman travels to England to close the book on the question of whether Bruce Wayne is dead and in the second arc, plot threads from RIP are continued as Dr. Hurt makes his way back to Gotham for the final showdown against good vs. evil. In closing, I cannot compliment this book enough and I have to recommend it to anyone who has been following the saga that started in Batman and Son.