Frank Miller wrote The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One; perhaps two of the most influential stories in the long storied history of the Caped Crusader. He also wrote The Dark Knight Strikes Again, which is a little less regarded. Unfortunately, when it came to this All-Star Batman & Robin series, we got the latter Frank rather than the former Frank… which is a shame because the dream pairing of Miller and Jim Lee seemed like a foundation for a truly great Batman book.
This trade paperback, which came out earlier this year, collects the first nine issues of the series; the tenth and (as of this writing) final issue of the series – the beginning of a new arc, mind you – isn’t included. I guess when this dumpster fire is canned, they’ll make an updated edition that includes this tenth and whatever else follows.
So let’s get the positives out of the way; Jim Lee produces some good comic book artwork and visual eye candy. There, that’s over and done with.
So basically, Dick Grayson’s parents are killed and then Batman kidnaps him, tortures him, and eventually he becomes Robin… sorry if I spoiled the story for anybody, but it doesn’t really matter. The way Miller goes about telling this story (again) borders on banal and mean-spirited. Dick Grayson is a whiny kid, Batman is an abusive psychopath who comes off as more Punisher than Batman, Superman feels useless, Wonder Woman hates men, Black Canary beats people up and then has sex with Batbrain without a second thought, all the other superheroes that show up in some form or another comes off as boobs, and at no point do I feel like this is anything more than a parody of all the usual Batman gimmicks we’ve associate with the character over the years.
Oh, and apparently, Goddamned Batman is a thing.
Fans of Frank Miller’s Dark Knight stuff will eat this up, without question. For those wanting more sensible and worthwhile reading material, skip this one and just read Batman: Year One or Dark Knight Returns again, since those are, you know, good.
BONUS – ALL-STAR BATMAN & ROBIN #10
The issue begins a new arc, which sees Barbara go into business for herself as Batgirl and be in over her head while Jim Gordon is dealing with his own family issues. Batman & Robin aren’t much of a presence this time around; the focus seems to be mostly on the Gordon family and while I appreciate a break from the usual Dynamic Duo silliness, our buddy Frank seems to have no clue on how to write a teenager, opting to give Babs a potty mouth and such. To date, this is the last issue of the series and who knows if there’s even going to be another one.
Truth be told, there’s a perverse interest in seeing how low this series can go next, but if this does end up being neglected and forgotten about, we’re not really missing much.
dtm666 