World Famous Comics: All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder, Vol. 1
All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder, Vol. 1
By: Frank Miller Publisher: DC Comics Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: DC Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 240 Publication Date: July 08, 2008 Release Date: July 08, 2008
Product Description: The talents responsible for some of Batman's greatest tales, Frank Miller (BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, Sin City) and Jim Lee (BATMAN: HUSH) team up for the first time to bring you Batman and Robin like you've never seen them before in this reinvention of these classic characters.
All hell breaks loose at the circus as Bruce Wayne and gal pal Vicki Vale witness a young boy's life shattered before their eyes. Orphaned, Dick Grayson has nowhere to go and no one to turn to -- no one but Bruce Wayne! Expect action, adventure, guest-stars and the unexpected as Miller and Lee deliver the ultimate tales of the Dynamic Duo!
Not nearly as good as "DKR," but really good by today's standards All Star B&R, is one of DC's most outrageous runs on batman ever... its funny, weird and even a little shocking at times. Definitely not for everyone... But, if you loved Millers Dark Knight Returns, Its a 5 star book. Also if you're begging for a comic thats really entertaining and even a little engaging Pick this up!
difficult to digest. I'm writing this fresh off my first reading. I'm still struggling with this book. This review is an attempt to go through some of the unique aspects of the work, and discuss some of the factors that I think have lead to the mixed critical response it has generated among critics and readers.
As other reviewers have noted, the writing is just insane. Every characterization is over-the-top and ridiculous: Hal Jordan as an idealistic and stupid hot-dog munching goof. Batman as a disgustingly arrogant and crazed pulp-noir blabbermouth with a 1950's vocabulary. Wonder Woman as spasmodic radical feminist man-hating would-be dictator. Black Canary as a Irish Brogue-spewing, sexually harassed bartender looking for opportunities to kick men in the balls. Superman as a hunky moron. Every situation is absurd, every piece of dialog is hammy and groan-inducing.
A few more choice morsels from this absurdist litany:
-Batman and Black Canary boning each other in costume on a rain-swept pier. -Wonder Woman delivering crazed FemiNazi rants and then suddenly making out with Superman. -Batman and Robin stealing Green Lantern's ring while plying him with lemonade. -Plastic Man. -Dick Grayson: "You're out of your mind! You're nuts! Batman: "Nuts? You want to see nuts kid? I'll show you nuts!"(as the Batmobile runs over several police officers.)
The entire thing is completely ridiculous, an insult to anyone who tries to take superhero comic books seriously (Geoff Johns, anyone?) And of course, this approach calls into question Miller's own work on Year One and Daredevil.
This extreme satire seems to share the sensibility of The Dark Knight Strikes Again (Miller), or, over at Marvel, Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E., a satirical take on Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D by Warren Ellis, or the Ultimates by Mark Millar, which reinterpreted the Avengers as egotistical, self-serving bastards.
What I can't quite get my head around how this farce is supposed to work with the art by Jim Lee. There's nothing satirical about his incredibly earnest, straight-ahead superhero work. His previous work on the X-men and WildCats is exactly the type of stuff Miller, Millar, and Ellis seem to find so worthy of skewering.
In other satirical superhero books, the artwork serves the joke. The art in DKSB or Nextwave was just as ridiculous as the writing. The art by Bryan Hitch in the Ultimates was apparently an attempt to bring a "widescreen" or Hollywood blockbuster sensibility to comics, which worked for such overblown and breezy material.
But with Lee, what we have is sort of the ne plus ultra of traditional super-hero comics art. I don't know how the earnest, straight-facedness of it is supposed to play with the absurd satire of the writing. Maybe I'm just not getting something here. But this confusion certainly seems to explain the mystified and disappointed responses from a lot of reviewers here and elsewhere. Readers see Jim Lee's bold and classic heroic artwork, they expect straight-ahead superhero action. They certainly don't expect to be reading something that seems to be saying "the joke is on you, fanboy!"
I'm open to your comments on these ideas.
A Parody by Frank Miller In order to appreciate All Star Batman at any level in terms of actual story, you have to look at it as a satire, a total comedy. While it's always a matter of debate whether Frank Miller is making a statement about how Batman's been characterized in recent years, or if he's just lost his touch and gone completely insane, you have to admit, unintentional or not, All Star Batman's characterization is a biting parody and attack on this uber-cold, crazed bastard of a man Batman has been portrayed as the past 15 years or so.
And for that, I think the book succeeds very well. It does really make you laugh, and make you think about just how Batman has been characterized recently, and if it's really the right type of characterization for the character.
The one big thing that truly is a bad aspect of the righting, is the pacing of the plot. It may be partially due to the book's delays, but, at times, it truly feels like even though issue after issue has passed, the plot hasn't moved at all. Which is definite complaint, but when all the issues are read together, it really is a lot less event.
Obviously, the art on the book is spectacular. As good as Lee has ever been. Unfortunately, that's dampened by the fact that it took Jim Lee so long to draw this series, that it's fallen into a hiatus it may never find its way out of.
All in all, I find it to be a pretty enjoyable read, and really great book to look at. You just have to read it with a mindset that this interpretation of Batman isn't serious. Frank Miller isn't writing the quintessential Batman. Or even an "out-there" interpretation of Batman. Frank Miller is writing a joke. A parody. Don't go into this book expecting anything else.
Keep an Open Mind My advice to anyone who wants to pick up this comic is to keep an open mind. If you don't, you're not going to have a very good reading experience. To people who follow the good old classic Batman, really I don't see any point of you even touching this one. I believe that this comic is aimed for the twenty first century generation. The modern Batman. The Batman that could have been if he was created this century.
The plot basically follows after the old stories. Dick Grayson's, age 12, parents are shot during a performance and the Batman captures and shakes his whole life up. Admittedly I was a little surprised when Dick was thrown into the Batmobile, but I trust those Godly figures we call Jim and Miller with my life, so I stuck with it. Creating `Robin' was also a little different from the original story line, and so is the Batmobiles name but it works.
Many people have niggled about the humour, and character portrayal. In all honestly, I love the humour to bits and still laugh at Dick's comment on the Batmobile. I'm also going to forgive Bruce's random acts of insanity for the sake of him being new at the vigilante job. It actually reminds me strongly of how Jason acted, so maybe the point of the craziness is Bruce learning from his mistakes. He's also young, and full of bitterness and rage of his parent's murder. And who hasn't questioned Bruce's state of mind anyway? The thing that pulled it back for me was the horribly portrayal of Wonderwoman and Superman. Two of kindest souls on earth have been trampled all over and spat on. Or maybe I just need to read more about them.
People who are fans of Jim's artwork will not be disappointed. Each page is as breath taking as the next, and he and Miller are just the best combination ever. I suggest that anyone who wants a fresh, very new look on the dynamic duo pull out their wallets and pay up. It doesn't disappoint.
Leave the Comedy to the Pros 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.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
