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All-Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder #1-9
All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder
At the circus, all hell breaks loose as Bruce Wayne and gal pal Vicki Vale witness a young boy's life shattered before their eyes, and now, the orphaned boy, Dick Grayson, has nowhere to go and no one to turn to--no one but Bruce Wayne.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
77 people are currently reading
1912 people want to read
About the author
Frank Miller
937 books5,280 followersFrank Miller is an American writer, artist and film director best known for his film noir-style comic book stories. He is one of the most widely-recognized and popular creators in comics, and is one of the most influential comics creators of his generation. His most notable works include Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Year One and 300.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 689 reviews
September 21, 2022
Frank Miller and Jim Lee are given free reign over Batman, Robin, Commissioner Gordon, Black Canary, Catwoman, Batgirl, Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman, Plastic Man etc. and so produce a fantastic story with one major drawback… many years have passed since the comic books were first published and the series is still to be completed. Still, this is a great re-imagining of the Batman and more essentially the Robin, Boy Wonder franchises. 8 out of 12.
2012 read
2012 read
June 9, 2011
OH...HOW...I...HATED...THIS...BOOK!! Mr. Miller, you have done violence to noble American icon and have earned both my enmity and a well deserved NUCLEAR FAIL...
People please grizzly bear with me as I am trucking around a sack full a scorn and I need to rant it out. Where to begin? Well, as you can tell from some of my previous reviews, I have, until now, been a fan of Frank Miller's work, including his previous stints on Batman. I thought that Miller’s work in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns was original, ground-breaking and generally superberrific. I also doted pretty heavily on his talents in The Hard Goodbye which I thought raised Miller’s star even higher among the elite of the graphic novel community.
...AND THEN…this asteroid-sized bookturd comes crashing down on your world threatening an Extinction Level Event for my love and admiration of your work.
This re-imagining of the origin of the Batman/Robin duo…SUCKS …loudly and painfully. In this graphicnovel travesty, Miller has cast Batman as an unhinged psychopath who is a utterly unlikable and impossible to identify with as his actions are unrecognizable as the Dark Knight. Now let me be clear gentle readers, that I am not talking about a Batman who is just "darker” and “grittier" than normal or more willing to rough up a bad guy and fight fire with fire. I am cool daddy down with that.
No, I am talking about Miller portraying Batman as a disturbed and DESPICABLE person…Yes, it’s true, you read that correctly. Frank Miller just made me describe the Batman as a “despicable” person.
The Batman in this horror show HATES authority and cops, USES women as objects and actually ABUSES Robin in order to "toughen him up" for the work ahead. Holy “WTF” Batman…I’m sorry, that is just way, wayer and wayest TOO MUCH and left me speechless as a choked on the bile rising in my gorge from the furnace of my white hot rage....
Okay, I feel a little better now. Let me go ahead and end this review with a little nugget of droppings from this literary cat box. Here is quote from the story that I think exemplifies how “off the reservation” the Batman is in this book. At one point, Batman actually says to Robin, "Do you know who I am...I am the God Damn Batman."
No, sir….you are not. I don't know who you are, but you are certainly not the God Damn Batman. When the real Batman finds you, he is going to taser your abusive, woman defiling, cop hating ass and plant you in a cell in Arkham next to the Joker so you can pass love notes to one another.
As for you Mr. Miller, since I can not do it in person, I send you a great, big virtual SLAP:
0 STARS!!!
People please grizzly bear with me as I am trucking around a sack full a scorn and I need to rant it out. Where to begin? Well, as you can tell from some of my previous reviews, I have, until now, been a fan of Frank Miller's work, including his previous stints on Batman. I thought that Miller’s work in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns was original, ground-breaking and generally superberrific. I also doted pretty heavily on his talents in The Hard Goodbye which I thought raised Miller’s star even higher among the elite of the graphic novel community.
...AND THEN…this asteroid-sized bookturd comes crashing down on your world threatening an Extinction Level Event for my love and admiration of your work.
This re-imagining of the origin of the Batman/Robin duo…SUCKS …loudly and painfully. In this graphic
No, I am talking about Miller portraying Batman as a disturbed and DESPICABLE person…Yes, it’s true, you read that correctly. Frank Miller just made me describe the Batman as a “despicable” person.
The Batman in this horror show HATES authority and cops, USES women as objects and actually ABUSES Robin in order to "toughen him up" for the work ahead. Holy “WTF” Batman…I’m sorry, that is just way, wayer and wayest TOO MUCH and left me speechless as a choked on the bile rising in my gorge from the furnace of my white hot rage....
Okay, I feel a little better now. Let me go ahead and end this review with a little nugget of droppings from this literary cat box. Here is quote from the story that I think exemplifies how “off the reservation” the Batman is in this book. At one point, Batman actually says to Robin, "Do you know who I am...I am the God Damn Batman."
No, sir….you are not. I don't know who you are, but you are certainly not the God Damn Batman. When the real Batman finds you, he is going to taser your abusive, woman defiling, cop hating ass and plant you in a cell in Arkham next to the Joker so you can pass love notes to one another.
As for you Mr. Miller, since I can not do it in person, I send you a great, big virtual SLAP:
0 STARS!!!
September 29, 2022
Holy Awkward Dialogue, Batman!
Wow. Wow. Wow. This was a total train wreck, complete with body bags and flaming wreckage. I tried, but I couldn't look away!
When I saw this in the library the other day, I nearly fell over myself trying to snatch it up. All Star Batman and Robin! Wheee!
Do Not Be Fooled like I was! This is not like All Star Superman: Volume 01. In fact, if Morrison's All-Star Superman had an evil twin, this is what it would look like.
Let's start with the art since I have the least complaints in that area. It was pretty good, other than the fact that Batman seemed to magically sport some kind of Don Johnson facial hair when he put the suit on. Which I thought was strange, considering he was looking less than scruffy five minutes earlier on his date with Vicki Vale. It shouldn't have annoyed me so much, but it's hard to concentrate when you have the theme song for Miami Vice running through your head.
Still, the sound of synthesizers in the background wouldn't have been so bad if the writing hadn't been so...stupid. All of the characters repeated themselves so much that by the end of the book it was almost funny. You could make a drinking game out of every time Batman says Shut up.
My guess is that Miller decided he was going to rewrite Batman. Make him dark and edgy! Sadly, Batman is already dark and edgy. Do you know what happens when you go one step past dark and edgy? You get evil and unhinged.
It's called a fine line for a reason.
So what you're left with is a Batman who kidnaps a 12 year old boy immediately after the death of his parents, slaps him around a little bit, then dumps him in the Batcave and leaves him all alone. All this in the high hopes that Alfred won't feed him...so he'll get hungry enough to eat the rats because that'll teach 'em some character.
Hmmm. Let's see, wasn't there already a psychotic character who mentally and physically abused one of Batman's sidekicks? What was his name? It's on the tip of my tongue...
Beyond the obvious awfulness, there are also quite a few strange unanswered questions I have about All-Star B & R.
1) Why does Batman do a Clint Eastwood impersonation when he first meets Robin? No, I'm not talking about him acting like a cowboy. He actually tries to make his voice sound like Clint Eastwood. WTF?
2) Why does Alfred look like Vin Diesel when he takes his shirt off? Alfred is known for his receding hairline...not his muscles. Creepy.
3) When did the Black Canary get an Irish accent? Possibly this is just something I've never noticed? Also, why the @$!k was she dressed like that while she was working as a bartender?
4) Did Wonder Woman seem a little um, strange to anyone besides me? I would have thought maybe Miller was going in a different direction with her, especially after Batman's lesbo comment. But then there was that odd kiss between her and Superman...so I guess not?
Ok. So in the end this gets a 1.5 star rating.
1 star for the art, and a half star for the It's-So-Bad-It's-Good entertainment value.
Wow. Wow. Wow. This was a total train wreck, complete with body bags and flaming wreckage. I tried, but I couldn't look away!
When I saw this in the library the other day, I nearly fell over myself trying to snatch it up. All Star Batman and Robin! Wheee!
Do Not Be Fooled like I was! This is not like All Star Superman: Volume 01. In fact, if Morrison's All-Star Superman had an evil twin, this is what it would look like.
Let's start with the art since I have the least complaints in that area. It was pretty good, other than the fact that Batman seemed to magically sport some kind of Don Johnson facial hair when he put the suit on. Which I thought was strange, considering he was looking less than scruffy five minutes earlier on his date with Vicki Vale. It shouldn't have annoyed me so much, but it's hard to concentrate when you have the theme song for Miami Vice running through your head.
Still, the sound of synthesizers in the background wouldn't have been so bad if the writing hadn't been so...stupid. All of the characters repeated themselves so much that by the end of the book it was almost funny. You could make a drinking game out of every time Batman says Shut up.
My guess is that Miller decided he was going to rewrite Batman. Make him dark and edgy! Sadly, Batman is already dark and edgy. Do you know what happens when you go one step past dark and edgy? You get evil and unhinged.
It's called a fine line for a reason.
So what you're left with is a Batman who kidnaps a 12 year old boy immediately after the death of his parents, slaps him around a little bit, then dumps him in the Batcave and leaves him all alone. All this in the high hopes that Alfred won't feed him...so he'll get hungry enough to eat the rats because that'll teach 'em some character.
Hmmm. Let's see, wasn't there already a psychotic character who mentally and physically abused one of Batman's sidekicks? What was his name? It's on the tip of my tongue...
Beyond the obvious awfulness, there are also quite a few strange unanswered questions I have about All-Star B & R.
1) Why does Batman do a Clint Eastwood impersonation when he first meets Robin? No, I'm not talking about him acting like a cowboy. He actually tries to make his voice sound like Clint Eastwood. WTF?
2) Why does Alfred look like Vin Diesel when he takes his shirt off? Alfred is known for his receding hairline...not his muscles. Creepy.
3) When did the Black Canary get an Irish accent? Possibly this is just something I've never noticed? Also, why the @$!k was she dressed like that while she was working as a bartender?
4) Did Wonder Woman seem a little um, strange to anyone besides me? I would have thought maybe Miller was going in a different direction with her, especially after Batman's lesbo comment. But then there was that odd kiss between her and Superman...so I guess not?
Ok. So in the end this gets a 1.5 star rating.
1 star for the art, and a half star for the It's-So-Bad-It's-Good entertainment value.
April 1, 2016
This was a weird one!
Not Batman-and-an-elephant-in-a-Tijuana-sideshow weird, more like a two-headed-koala-bear- preserved-in-a-jar-of-formaldehyde weird.
Frank Miller brings his uniquetwisted sensibilities to the origin story of Robin, the Boy Wonder, but it’s still Batman’s show and this Batman is a piece of work.
Miller implies that Bruce Wayne was a mama’s boy with violent tendencies before his parents were gunned down and that he used his grief to fuel a sadistic rage against pretty much anything and anyone that didn’t fit into his twisted wheel house of justice.
Fair enough, so we won’t expect Batusi lessons.
Fresh off watching his parents gunned down in front of him, Dick Grayson is “abducted” by Batman and drafted into his war on crime.
No homo-erotic sub-text here.
This brings him into conflict with a nascent Justice League which consists of Superman, a doltish Green Lantern, a lunatic Plastic Man and an overdrawn Wonder Woman.
Yep, Jim Lee. If you’re looking for objectified, flesh-baring, fan-boy-esque, ultra-cosplay depictions of women, then look no further than this volume.
Let’s empower a female character, give them intelligence, wit, abilities, super-powers and then undercut them by having them wear the cheesiest costumes a horny 14 year old boy can conjure up and sadly, the above gif is one of the tamer examples.
Miller doesn’t stop there. Batman and his brutal crime fighting methods are fetishized by women, including Barbara Gordon/Bat Girl and Dinah Lance/Black Canary (just don’t call her “Love Chunks”).
The only redeeming aspect of this book is Miller’s cracker-jack dialogue and wit. The last issue contained here – a confrontation between Batman, Robin and the Green Lantern is almost worth the price of admission.
In order to counteract the Green Lantern’s power, he has Robin, himself and the meet-up room painted the color yellow, Lantern’s one weakness. Ha!
Bottom Line: Miller’s done some brilliant stuff in the past – this one, doesn’t even come close. Jim Lee – Get a freaking girlfriend!
Not Batman-and-an-elephant-in-a-Tijuana-sideshow weird, more like a two-headed-koala-bear- preserved-in-a-jar-of-formaldehyde weird.
Frank Miller brings his unique
Miller implies that Bruce Wayne was a mama’s boy with violent tendencies before his parents were gunned down and that he used his grief to fuel a sadistic rage against pretty much anything and anyone that didn’t fit into his twisted wheel house of justice.
Fair enough, so we won’t expect Batusi lessons.
Fresh off watching his parents gunned down in front of him, Dick Grayson is “abducted” by Batman and drafted into his war on crime.
No homo-erotic sub-text here.
This brings him into conflict with a nascent Justice League which consists of Superman, a doltish Green Lantern, a lunatic Plastic Man and an overdrawn Wonder Woman.
Yep, Jim Lee. If you’re looking for objectified, flesh-baring, fan-boy-esque, ultra-cosplay depictions of women, then look no further than this volume.
Let’s empower a female character, give them intelligence, wit, abilities, super-powers and then undercut them by having them wear the cheesiest costumes a horny 14 year old boy can conjure up and sadly, the above gif is one of the tamer examples.
Miller doesn’t stop there. Batman and his brutal crime fighting methods are fetishized by women, including Barbara Gordon/Bat Girl and Dinah Lance/Black Canary (just don’t call her “Love Chunks”).
The only redeeming aspect of this book is Miller’s cracker-jack dialogue and wit. The last issue contained here – a confrontation between Batman, Robin and the Green Lantern is almost worth the price of admission.
In order to counteract the Green Lantern’s power, he has Robin, himself and the meet-up room painted the color yellow, Lantern’s one weakness. Ha!
Bottom Line: Miller’s done some brilliant stuff in the past – this one, doesn’t even come close. Jim Lee – Get a freaking girlfriend!
August 24, 2016
The storyline lost its course at some point…
I got this in its single comic book issues (and nope, I don’t have the infamous #10 issue) but I chose this TPB edition to make a better general review about the story.
This TPB collects “All-Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder” #1-9.
Creative Team:
Writer: Frank Miller
Illustrator: Jim Lee
Inks: Scott Williams
A WRONG TURN IN ALBUQUERQUE
Damn. No matter what I say—no matter how I play it—this kid just won’t scare.
You may think that having the goshdang writer of The Dark Knight Returns and the goshdang artist of Batman: Hush nothing would wrong in this series but…
…something went wrong…
…WAY wrong.
But hey! Don’t think that it was Jim Lee! Nope! Good ol’ Jim Lee always delivers (sometimes delayed but delivers greatness translated into drawing), everything is better in comics with him,…
…Jim Lee’s artwork is so goshdang good that even storylines with too simple storylines like Justice League: Origin (with Geoff Johns) or too uneventful ones like Superman: For Tomorrow (with Brian Azzarello), still are worthy to be bought just for the striking Jim Lee’s artwork.
Oh, and Scott Williams? Well, if with Jim Lee is better, well, if you add Scott Williams’ inks to Jim Lee’s drawings…
…it becomes AWESOME!!!
The problem here was Frank Miller, and that’s something that I’m not glad of commenting since I have huge respect for this man’s writing work. And it’s not the angle of having a sadistic violent Batman, oh no! I can deal with that. He’s the goshdarn Batman! My problem was with the lost of north in the main plot of the storyline.
THE WASTED PAGES
If I don’t keep the pressure up, he’ll find time to grieve. I can’t let him grieve. Grief is the enemy. There’s no time for grief. There’s no room for grief. Grief turns into acceptance. Forgiveness. Grief forgives what can never be forgiven. Never.
All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder was supposed to show an updated telling of how Batman recruited Robin in his war on crime, and while it presented a lot about it, taking in account that we have just 9 issues in the storyline…
…you have an issue and a half invested in Black Canary (without any valuable purpose for the main plot), you have half an issue invested in Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) (again without contributing to the main plot), you have two issues invested in the Justice League (loosely related but again, this is supposed to be a Batman title, not a Justice League one) soooo…
…you have easily the equivalent of four issues wasted in characters with sub-stories lacking of any contribution to the main plot. Four issues. Almost half the lenght of the volume.
And the other half?
Well, easily half of the half, presenting characters like Vicky Vale and The Joker, with valuable contributions for the main plot, BUT there isn’t following up to them, you don’t know what happened with them, so it’s kinda again, wasted pages, since while it’s certain that they’ll contribute to the main plot, if you don’t develop further those contributions, well, hardly you can value the pages invested in them.
So, at the end, you have only the equivalent of two issues (out of nine) in the expected main plot of the recruitment of Robin in Batman’s war on crime.
THE GOSHDARN BATMAN
Here’s lesson number one: Never talk to cops. Not in Gotham. – Never let a cop get near of you. Not in Gotham. – Gotham cops. They’ll kill you just as soon as look at you. -- -- And I know most cops you’ve seen have been all right.
Sure. They’ve been okay. Up until tonight, anyways.
Most are. Most places. That’s why most cities don’t need me. But Gotham needs me. -- Gotham needs me.
Still, I liked a lot many stuff of this Batman.
Sure, I could live without so many insults to Superman and the rest of the Justice League, and while I didn’t have trouble with the sadistic violence, I have to admit that it could be tone down a bit.
However, you have to admit that if you were an 8 years old boy witnessing the murder of your two parents, growing up with financial wealth, and training to reduced to pulp to criminals, it’s way believable to get a grown up Batman, enjoying to dress as a bat, inflicting fear in the hears of wrongdoers, and even not fully mentally matured.
Even you may think that while circus' life made Dick Grayson to think as an adult sooner; Bruce Wayne keeps some part of his childhood in his psyche.
I liked the employment of batarangs poisoned with animals’ neurotoxins. I found that quite clever and useful.
I liked that he’s definitely the world’s greatest detective, since he knows the secret identities of other heroes and its weaknesses (even he is aware of abilities that those heroes have yet to discover themselves).
I really liked the idea that Batman wasn’t really attempting to recruit Dick Grayson still as a small boy to convert him into a teenage sidekick. But he was aware of him, recognizing his potential to become a crimefighter, and the idea was to approach him when he’d an adult (however fate got in the mix), so Batman well knew that it was a bad idea to expose a kid to the war on crime, but since things got speed up, now Batman needs to re-adjust the mission. He thought that he’d have a fighting partner, but he got a son instead, and Batman isn’t sure how to deal with that.
And of course…
…you have the best goshdang Batcave ever drawn in the history of comic books!!!
A fold-out display that just goes on and on and on…
THE LIVING END…?
He’s driving me nuts with all his questions… …and I’m plenty crazy enough as it is.
The TPB ends in issue #9, but there is the infamous #10 issue that it was recalled by DC Comics due having profanities (dang!) but don’t think that it’d much change since you don’t have anything related about the training of Robin and leaving even more without a closure to the storyline.
It’s a shame that the storyline was left without finishing it. Since my very first exposure to Batman’s world were Batman ’66 TV series and the Superfriends where Batman operates along with Robin. Now, as adult, I can realice how irresponsible and dangerous is to involve a child in crime-fighting business, but again, to me is like natural that they are a team: Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder.
That’s why I enjoyed a lot the run of Batman and Robin Reborn that while they were Dick Grayson and Damien Wayne, and not Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, besides the benefit of a change in the status quo of the characters, it was the idea of the team: Batman and Robin.
There are rumors that Frank Miller and Jim Lee may join forces again to do a second volume and giving a proper ending to this storyline.
If that ever happens…
…count me in!
I got this in its single comic book issues (and nope, I don’t have the infamous #10 issue) but I chose this TPB edition to make a better general review about the story.
This TPB collects “All-Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder” #1-9.
Creative Team:
Writer: Frank Miller
Illustrator: Jim Lee
Inks: Scott Williams
A WRONG TURN IN ALBUQUERQUE
Damn. No matter what I say—no matter how I play it—this kid just won’t scare.
You may think that having the goshdang writer of The Dark Knight Returns and the goshdang artist of Batman: Hush nothing would wrong in this series but…
…something went wrong…
…WAY wrong.
But hey! Don’t think that it was Jim Lee! Nope! Good ol’ Jim Lee always delivers (sometimes delayed but delivers greatness translated into drawing), everything is better in comics with him,…
…Jim Lee’s artwork is so goshdang good that even storylines with too simple storylines like Justice League: Origin (with Geoff Johns) or too uneventful ones like Superman: For Tomorrow (with Brian Azzarello), still are worthy to be bought just for the striking Jim Lee’s artwork.
Oh, and Scott Williams? Well, if with Jim Lee is better, well, if you add Scott Williams’ inks to Jim Lee’s drawings…
…it becomes AWESOME!!!
The problem here was Frank Miller, and that’s something that I’m not glad of commenting since I have huge respect for this man’s writing work. And it’s not the angle of having a sadistic violent Batman, oh no! I can deal with that. He’s the goshdarn Batman! My problem was with the lost of north in the main plot of the storyline.
THE WASTED PAGES
If I don’t keep the pressure up, he’ll find time to grieve. I can’t let him grieve. Grief is the enemy. There’s no time for grief. There’s no room for grief. Grief turns into acceptance. Forgiveness. Grief forgives what can never be forgiven. Never.
All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder was supposed to show an updated telling of how Batman recruited Robin in his war on crime, and while it presented a lot about it, taking in account that we have just 9 issues in the storyline…
…you have an issue and a half invested in Black Canary (without any valuable purpose for the main plot), you have half an issue invested in Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) (again without contributing to the main plot), you have two issues invested in the Justice League (loosely related but again, this is supposed to be a Batman title, not a Justice League one) soooo…
…you have easily the equivalent of four issues wasted in characters with sub-stories lacking of any contribution to the main plot. Four issues. Almost half the lenght of the volume.
And the other half?
Well, easily half of the half, presenting characters like Vicky Vale and The Joker, with valuable contributions for the main plot, BUT there isn’t following up to them, you don’t know what happened with them, so it’s kinda again, wasted pages, since while it’s certain that they’ll contribute to the main plot, if you don’t develop further those contributions, well, hardly you can value the pages invested in them.
So, at the end, you have only the equivalent of two issues (out of nine) in the expected main plot of the recruitment of Robin in Batman’s war on crime.
THE GOSHDARN BATMAN
Here’s lesson number one: Never talk to cops. Not in Gotham. – Never let a cop get near of you. Not in Gotham. – Gotham cops. They’ll kill you just as soon as look at you. -- -- And I know most cops you’ve seen have been all right.
Sure. They’ve been okay. Up until tonight, anyways.
Most are. Most places. That’s why most cities don’t need me. But Gotham needs me. -- Gotham needs me.
Still, I liked a lot many stuff of this Batman.
Sure, I could live without so many insults to Superman and the rest of the Justice League, and while I didn’t have trouble with the sadistic violence, I have to admit that it could be tone down a bit.
However, you have to admit that if you were an 8 years old boy witnessing the murder of your two parents, growing up with financial wealth, and training to reduced to pulp to criminals, it’s way believable to get a grown up Batman, enjoying to dress as a bat, inflicting fear in the hears of wrongdoers, and even not fully mentally matured.
Even you may think that while circus' life made Dick Grayson to think as an adult sooner; Bruce Wayne keeps some part of his childhood in his psyche.
I liked the employment of batarangs poisoned with animals’ neurotoxins. I found that quite clever and useful.
I liked that he’s definitely the world’s greatest detective, since he knows the secret identities of other heroes and its weaknesses (even he is aware of abilities that those heroes have yet to discover themselves).
I really liked the idea that Batman wasn’t really attempting to recruit Dick Grayson still as a small boy to convert him into a teenage sidekick. But he was aware of him, recognizing his potential to become a crimefighter, and the idea was to approach him when he’d an adult (however fate got in the mix), so Batman well knew that it was a bad idea to expose a kid to the war on crime, but since things got speed up, now Batman needs to re-adjust the mission. He thought that he’d have a fighting partner, but he got a son instead, and Batman isn’t sure how to deal with that.
And of course…
…you have the best goshdang Batcave ever drawn in the history of comic books!!!
A fold-out display that just goes on and on and on…
THE LIVING END…?
He’s driving me nuts with all his questions… …and I’m plenty crazy enough as it is.
The TPB ends in issue #9, but there is the infamous #10 issue that it was recalled by DC Comics due having profanities (dang!) but don’t think that it’d much change since you don’t have anything related about the training of Robin and leaving even more without a closure to the storyline.
It’s a shame that the storyline was left without finishing it. Since my very first exposure to Batman’s world were Batman ’66 TV series and the Superfriends where Batman operates along with Robin. Now, as adult, I can realice how irresponsible and dangerous is to involve a child in crime-fighting business, but again, to me is like natural that they are a team: Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder.
That’s why I enjoyed a lot the run of Batman and Robin Reborn that while they were Dick Grayson and Damien Wayne, and not Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, besides the benefit of a change in the status quo of the characters, it was the idea of the team: Batman and Robin.
There are rumors that Frank Miller and Jim Lee may join forces again to do a second volume and giving a proper ending to this storyline.
If that ever happens…
…count me in!
November 2, 2011
Why do I do this to myself? I just had to see how bad Frank Miller had gotten. Couldn't I take the other reviewers at their word? No, I just had to see with my own eyes what a steaming pile All-Star Batman and Robin is. I don't think I can express it in words, but I'll try anyways.
Once upon a time, Frank Miller wrote some excellent Batman stories. He knew who Batman was, what made him tick. I don't know what happened to Frank Miller, but he writes like somebody who's just heard of this Batman character and thinks he may be kind of like Wolverine, and what's the difference, bub? Batman is certainly a dark and complex character, but there's nothing complex here. This Batman is simple-minded and I can in all honesty say that he's written like the villain of the piece. He did, after all, kidnap and torture poor Dick Grayson immediately after his parents were murdered. He did, after all, decide to beat down (an out-of-character, but who isn't?) Green Lantern just because he kind of bugs him. There's nothing heroic about this Batman, sadly. He's as big a creep as any of the crooks. Joker is off, too. When did he become the straight man?
I also have to comment on the treatment of women here. We open with Vickie Vale walking around her apartment in lacy underwear, complete with panels lingering, in close up, on the only parts of her that really matter. And no, I'm not talking about her brain. She's dictating her column, and of course we ladies always work in our underwear, am I right? Move on to a bafflingly out-of-character Wonder Woman, who spends her entire appearance playing straw feminist. And then there's Black Canary, whose initial appearance has her beating down and robbing a bar full of guys because she had her fill of them catcalling her. Page after page of uncomfortable and weird (love chunks? really?) catcalling. Oddly, neither Frank Miller nor Jim Lee seem at all aware of the fact that they and their panels of closeup T&A are, in a metaphorical sense, those guys in the bar. Batgirl is the only woman in the book not treated at least in part like a sex object, but she's only on a few pages. The end result, for a female reader like myself, is a giant neon sign saying, "NO GIRLS ALLOWED". I can take the hint, and I'll likely be avoiding more of Miller's work.
I can see what happened here. Let's make it DARK. Let's make it EDGY. Let's make it SEXY. It's not. It's a lot of trying way too hard to be dark and edgy and sexy, and ending up, well, vulgar. This is not the Goddamn Batman, in no small part because he calls himself the Goddamn Batman. This is just a sociopath in a mask. That seems to be Miller's point, that superheroes are inherently broken themselves, but that point was made in a far better and more nuanced way in Watchmen. This is just a poor imitation in tone.
Once upon a time, Frank Miller wrote some excellent Batman stories. He knew who Batman was, what made him tick. I don't know what happened to Frank Miller, but he writes like somebody who's just heard of this Batman character and thinks he may be kind of like Wolverine, and what's the difference, bub? Batman is certainly a dark and complex character, but there's nothing complex here. This Batman is simple-minded and I can in all honesty say that he's written like the villain of the piece. He did, after all, kidnap and torture poor Dick Grayson immediately after his parents were murdered. He did, after all, decide to beat down (an out-of-character, but who isn't?) Green Lantern just because he kind of bugs him. There's nothing heroic about this Batman, sadly. He's as big a creep as any of the crooks. Joker is off, too. When did he become the straight man?
I also have to comment on the treatment of women here. We open with Vickie Vale walking around her apartment in lacy underwear, complete with panels lingering, in close up, on the only parts of her that really matter. And no, I'm not talking about her brain. She's dictating her column, and of course we ladies always work in our underwear, am I right? Move on to a bafflingly out-of-character Wonder Woman, who spends her entire appearance playing straw feminist. And then there's Black Canary, whose initial appearance has her beating down and robbing a bar full of guys because she had her fill of them catcalling her. Page after page of uncomfortable and weird (love chunks? really?) catcalling. Oddly, neither Frank Miller nor Jim Lee seem at all aware of the fact that they and their panels of closeup T&A are, in a metaphorical sense, those guys in the bar. Batgirl is the only woman in the book not treated at least in part like a sex object, but she's only on a few pages. The end result, for a female reader like myself, is a giant neon sign saying, "NO GIRLS ALLOWED". I can take the hint, and I'll likely be avoiding more of Miller's work.
I can see what happened here. Let's make it DARK. Let's make it EDGY. Let's make it SEXY. It's not. It's a lot of trying way too hard to be dark and edgy and sexy, and ending up, well, vulgar. This is not the Goddamn Batman, in no small part because he calls himself the Goddamn Batman. This is just a sociopath in a mask. That seems to be Miller's point, that superheroes are inherently broken themselves, but that point was made in a far better and more nuanced way in Watchmen. This is just a poor imitation in tone.
January 7, 2024
Leave it to Frank Miller to obliterate an opportunity to be creative. All Star. That's supposed to mean something. Grant Morrison's All Star Superman is a favorite among even non-fans of Superman it's so classic and accessible. But the goddamn Batman is terrible.
Goddamn Batman, if that doesn't sum it up. Vulgar, rude, abusive, heartless, reckless, violating The Rule. It's like he's forgotten who he is and what he stands for, breaking bones and knocking out teeth, driving over and burning criminals alive. Kidnapping Dick Grayson and turning him into a mean brat and vengeful killer like Damian Wayne. It's not even fun to read them. They're dark and moody and unsure of themselves. Dick is charmless, a wannabe bad boy, and Bats is downright mean, unsympathetic. While I sometimes wish Batman was more brutal, I take it all back after reading this.
I can't help but feel that Frank Miller is a misogynistic creep. He beats, endlessly objectifies, tries to rape, date rapes, and kills women all throughout this book. It's despicable. Babs Gordon is literally the only decent female character here and her introduction goes nowhere. She gets like eight pages. Bye bye, Babs. Black Canary is catcalled for sixteen pages and then rides a Harley like a "roaring lion between her legs." So much for justice and empowerment. Then there's the sex scene. Was that really necessary?
Some of my "favorite" quotes:
"She's got the right. THOMAS JEFFERSON and all that."
"Damn you and your lemonade!"
"I am the goddamn Batman."
"Love chunks."
There were too many to write them all down.
It seems what Miller did here was apply the same balls-to-the-wall philosophy of The Dark Knight Returns, but without any tact or subtlety whatsoever. This lacks any appreciable creativity because this retelling of Dick Grayson's origin simply makes him a depreciable asshole. Nicely done. Fans are sure to love that. Then women are thoroughly debased: They're all dressed like prostitutes, Vicki Vale gets bashed up, Black Canary is objectified throughout the entire book (and also sexually fulfilled), and Batgirl is carelessly tossed aside along with any chance of redemption for female characters. Gotham Police are assaulted and killed. And Miller throws in Joker last minute to date rape and strangle, for no purpose. So yeah, an "enlightening" read, humorless, off color, and a piss poor attempt to rewrite these well known characters. One star for horrid entertainment value, one star for Jim Lee's fantastic artwork.
Goddamn Batman, if that doesn't sum it up. Vulgar, rude, abusive, heartless, reckless, violating The Rule. It's like he's forgotten who he is and what he stands for, breaking bones and knocking out teeth, driving over and burning criminals alive. Kidnapping Dick Grayson and turning him into a mean brat and vengeful killer like Damian Wayne. It's not even fun to read them. They're dark and moody and unsure of themselves. Dick is charmless, a wannabe bad boy, and Bats is downright mean, unsympathetic. While I sometimes wish Batman was more brutal, I take it all back after reading this.
I can't help but feel that Frank Miller is a misogynistic creep. He beats, endlessly objectifies, tries to rape, date rapes, and kills women all throughout this book. It's despicable. Babs Gordon is literally the only decent female character here and her introduction goes nowhere. She gets like eight pages. Bye bye, Babs. Black Canary is catcalled for sixteen pages and then rides a Harley like a "roaring lion between her legs." So much for justice and empowerment. Then there's the sex scene. Was that really necessary?
Some of my "favorite" quotes:
"She's got the right. THOMAS JEFFERSON and all that."
"Damn you and your lemonade!"
"I am the goddamn Batman."
"Love chunks."
There were too many to write them all down.
It seems what Miller did here was apply the same balls-to-the-wall philosophy of The Dark Knight Returns, but without any tact or subtlety whatsoever. This lacks any appreciable creativity because this retelling of Dick Grayson's origin simply makes him a depreciable asshole. Nicely done. Fans are sure to love that. Then women are thoroughly debased: They're all dressed like prostitutes, Vicki Vale gets bashed up, Black Canary is objectified throughout the entire book (and also sexually fulfilled), and Batgirl is carelessly tossed aside along with any chance of redemption for female characters. Gotham Police are assaulted and killed. And Miller throws in Joker last minute to date rape and strangle, for no purpose. So yeah, an "enlightening" read, humorless, off color, and a piss poor attempt to rewrite these well known characters. One star for horrid entertainment value, one star for Jim Lee's fantastic artwork.
May 16, 2018
This is exactly the way Batman should NOT behave in a comic book. He is a murderous, cackling psychopath. It is entirely out of character.
It is also my absolute favourite depiction of Batman, anywhere.
You see, Batman has a pop culture omnipresence that makes him hard to avoid. Even though I didn't get into comics until a few years ago, I was well aware of Batman's deal. His parents died, he became a costumed hero who patrolled Gotham City at night and would dispatch villains without resorting to killing. The thing is, I've seen so much of that. I get it. I want something different.
Well, this one was different. In fact, different is an understatement. This is perhaps the most perplexing and alienating version of Batman you will find. I don't take exception with anyone who criticizes this book. In fact, I feel for them. This is not the Batman they have come to know and love. But if your jam is occasionally seeing a beloved cultural icon lose their shit and set off on a campaign of murder, psychological torture and public indecency, you may very well enjoy All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder.
It is also my absolute favourite depiction of Batman, anywhere.
You see, Batman has a pop culture omnipresence that makes him hard to avoid. Even though I didn't get into comics until a few years ago, I was well aware of Batman's deal. His parents died, he became a costumed hero who patrolled Gotham City at night and would dispatch villains without resorting to killing. The thing is, I've seen so much of that. I get it. I want something different.
Well, this one was different. In fact, different is an understatement. This is perhaps the most perplexing and alienating version of Batman you will find. I don't take exception with anyone who criticizes this book. In fact, I feel for them. This is not the Batman they have come to know and love. But if your jam is occasionally seeing a beloved cultural icon lose their shit and set off on a campaign of murder, psychological torture and public indecency, you may very well enjoy All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder.
July 17, 2008
This is not a good comic on purpose. In fact, this is a kind of a completely awful comic. Jim Lee's art is my least favorite sort of mainstream superhero vomit. And Frank Miller, well god knows what he's trying to say here. But this is indeed a good comic. Because it's crazy. That stunning sort of genius that results simply because someone really crossed the line. At his best, Miller was a stunningly-gifted storyteller with some very dark places that you occasionally got shoved into. Here, he's sort of riffing on the extreme right-wing Batman that he created in Dark Knight Returns. But it is apeshit insane this time round. I mean, this is Frank Miller blowing his loathing for everything stupid about superheroes into the one book all of the fanboys wanted him to write. This is Batman as a twitchy, psychotic Clint Eastwood, who paints a room (and himself, and Robin) yellow so he can beat the living shit out of a half-wit Green Lantern because Hal Jordan annoys him. This is Frank Miller as Alejandro Jodorowsky, but not on purpose. All Star Batman and Robin is like a creepy homeless guy with Aryan Brotherhood tattoos showing you his cock while he sings Paul Anka songs, drawn in Jim Lee's ludicrously polished style. "I'm the goddamned Batman" indeedy.
February 17, 2009
All Star Batman and Robin is a retelling of the first days of the "Dynamic Duo" by the celebrated creative team of writer Frank Miller and artist Jim Lee. This retelling set in the modern era (Robin originally made his debut as "The Sensational Character Find of 1940" - a bit dated) and is the rumored precursor to Miller's award-winning Batman end-of-life-story: The Dark Knight Returns.
Despite the hype, the packaging, and the high-profile creative team, I believe this story is illustrative of everything that is wrong with today's superhero comic books.
The Characters:
Miller's Batman is a cackling narcicist who want to flaunt his labido and drive over anything in his way as much as he wants to "save" Gotham City. Miller has taken the Batman character beyond a tormented soul, lost in a life fighting darkness in the lowest places, but burning with justice inside - to a man who lusts attention, thrills, power (over both villians and heroes) and women.
Wow.
Batman just went from being one of the most original characters in comics history to your average 21-year-old muscle-head.
Miller's Batman is a man more concerned with kicking people's teeth out and laughing while they bleed, than protecting the innocent and throwing every punch to make positive change in Gotham City. Instead of just disagreeing with the Justice League he mocks them as imbeciles, and instead of coaching Robin to be a hero he psychologically abuses him into a life of crime.
He's a mess. He even beats Robin after the boy acts the way Batman trained him to and says "And stay down" with one last crack to the 12-year-old's jaw.
And it's not just Batman. Every character Miller touches in this story is a perverse version of who the character is in the rest of the DC Universe. This is not the place to pick them all apart, but suffice it to say, no character is left unsoiled.
This represents one of the largest problems in superhero comics today: all the heroes are disappearing.
But Miller was only half of the superstar creative team. Jim Lee's art exemplified another major problem in modern comics: sex on every page.
Whether it was Black Canary's grotesquely disproportionate quintuple D cup-size, or the completely pointless splash page of Vicky Vale in lingerie on p.3 to start the series (yes, a splash page, I thought those died with embossed covers in the 90's too) - Lee's female figures were a senseless distraction.
Excess of one element is bad in any art form: too many leading tones burdens the cadence, too much sugar kills the souffle', too many fight scenes ruins the action movie.
In comics as well, too much sex detracts from the story, ruins the flow of the art, and turns the book into soft porn.
The Wrap:
All Star Batman and Robin is a senseless perversion of a central story to the DC Universe. Lee's over-the-top sexuality, and Miller's narcissist brutality combine to make an ugly mess of a story with little conceivable purpose beyond titillating the lowest common denominator of human taste.
Despite the hype, the packaging, and the high-profile creative team, I believe this story is illustrative of everything that is wrong with today's superhero comic books.
The Characters:
Miller's Batman is a cackling narcicist who want to flaunt his labido and drive over anything in his way as much as he wants to "save" Gotham City. Miller has taken the Batman character beyond a tormented soul, lost in a life fighting darkness in the lowest places, but burning with justice inside - to a man who lusts attention, thrills, power (over both villians and heroes) and women.
Wow.
Batman just went from being one of the most original characters in comics history to your average 21-year-old muscle-head.
Miller's Batman is a man more concerned with kicking people's teeth out and laughing while they bleed, than protecting the innocent and throwing every punch to make positive change in Gotham City. Instead of just disagreeing with the Justice League he mocks them as imbeciles, and instead of coaching Robin to be a hero he psychologically abuses him into a life of crime.
He's a mess. He even beats Robin after the boy acts the way Batman trained him to and says "And stay down" with one last crack to the 12-year-old's jaw.
And it's not just Batman. Every character Miller touches in this story is a perverse version of who the character is in the rest of the DC Universe. This is not the place to pick them all apart, but suffice it to say, no character is left unsoiled.
This represents one of the largest problems in superhero comics today: all the heroes are disappearing.
But Miller was only half of the superstar creative team. Jim Lee's art exemplified another major problem in modern comics: sex on every page.
Whether it was Black Canary's grotesquely disproportionate quintuple D cup-size, or the completely pointless splash page of Vicky Vale in lingerie on p.3 to start the series (yes, a splash page, I thought those died with embossed covers in the 90's too) - Lee's female figures were a senseless distraction.
Excess of one element is bad in any art form: too many leading tones burdens the cadence, too much sugar kills the souffle', too many fight scenes ruins the action movie.
In comics as well, too much sex detracts from the story, ruins the flow of the art, and turns the book into soft porn.
The Wrap:
All Star Batman and Robin is a senseless perversion of a central story to the DC Universe. Lee's over-the-top sexuality, and Miller's narcissist brutality combine to make an ugly mess of a story with little conceivable purpose beyond titillating the lowest common denominator of human taste.
August 26, 2012
I read this when it first came out a few years back but decided to re-read it after reading a poorly researched article in the Guardian that claimed Frank Miller made Batman take a life in this book (he doesn’t).
And while I have fond memories of this book, I didn’t see the problems this book had that stuck in others’ craws. Sure Miller takes some liberties but it wasn’t that bad. Well, upon re-reading I can definitely see some of the arguments against this as a good Batman book.
The characterisation is the biggest flaw. Miller turns Batman into Marv from “The Hard Goodbye” in a Bat-suit – he’s spitting out tough guy phrases “I’m gonna be the best friend you could ever hope for… and the worst enemy you could ever imagine” or the oft quoted “Who the hell do you think I am? I’m the Goddamn Batman!”. Batman’s an angry, angry man. He calls Robin names, mostly “little snot” but also “brat”, “boy”, and “kid”, and his attitude towards training him to be his protégé is to neglect him, leaving him in the Batcave without clothes to keep him warm or food to feed him all because in his mind - “on your feet soldier – you’ve just been drafted into a war” –there’s a war on and he’s the drill sergeant this recently orphaned child needs.
Batman doesn’t kill anyone but he sure does his best to mess people up. When he is driving the Batmobile through police cars turning them into raging infernos or shooting toxic venom into criminals faces so they’ll never think straight again, or even breaking peoples’ arms and legs in ways that ensures life-long injury, he’s jumping into battle while laughing hideously and looking down upon fellow heroes like Superman and Green Lantern, calling them stupid and foolish.
I don’t know about you but this isn’t who I picture Batman to be. Sure, it’s an eye-catching and memorable version of the character, but at the cost of losing the kind, honourable man who suddenly does a 180 on the personality built up over decades and becomes a slobbering roided-out freak who gets a perverse thrill out of beating up men? He even pushes Alfred around – the man who basically raised him! – just for bringing some food to Dick Grayson who’s 12 years old, shivering on the floor of the Batcave, and has just seen his parents shot in cold blood.
And so we get to the plot. The whole reason of the book is that Grayson loses his parents and Batman steps in to take him in and train him up. But we never find out why they were targets. There are so many strands in this book that start and don’t go anywhere, it’s easy to see why anyone reading would be frustrated. Black Canary takes up a lot of time but her presence is a total McGuffin – she kicks around some thugs, steals some cash, smooches Batman, and leaves. Catwoman makes an appearance in one scene but that’s it – probably, she was meant to have more of an impact later in the series. Ditto Joker who cuts quite a sexy figure here with muscles, cool hair, and nice clothes, but aside from an obligatory murder, doesn’t have anything to do except strike a pose and then exit stage left. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Plastic Man show up, Superman rages like another roided-out baboon, smooches Wonder Woman, and they part ways – nothing ever comes of this strand either.
Green Lantern shows up and in the final issue gets his ass handed to him by Robin in a scene which I think reflects Miller’s own personal view of the character rather than to serve the story in any way. Miller writes “This guy really grinds my gears. Here he’s got a power ring that can do anything he can imagine – but that’s the whole problem. He’s got the imagination of a potato.” And so on. I’m not a fan of Green Lantern either but what’s Miller doing cutting down DC’s characters like this?
And yet strangely, I couldn’t put the book down. It is a compelling read despite its many flaws. But that’s also its biggest problem in that Miller can’t keep to a schedule at all and the issues that make up this book came out in larger and larger gaps until I think DC have abandoned this altogether (especially as they’ve rebooted all 52 characters recently). You're left with a book full of characters but no story stringing them all together. What’s that famous Shakespeare quote, “A tale told by a fool, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” – that pretty much sums up “All Star Batman and Robin”.
One major positive though is Jim Lee’s artwork. It is AMAZING. Every page is beautiful to behold, Batman looks exactly how Batman should be (minus the grunt-like expression of self-satisfaction he has on while he’s putting his fist in someone’s face), while the depictions of Vicki Vale and Black Canary? I thank you Mr Lee on behalf of straight men and gay women everywhere for what you give us on the page! There’s a massive fold out spread of the Batcave as well that’s so awesome, and too many scenes to mention where I stared at it and shook my head at the masterful skill this man has. Jim Lee is an incredible artist and he brings his A-game to this book, no question, and it is worth picking this up purely for his work.
That’s the Goddamn Batman folks. Miller may have rejuvenated the character in the 80s but he basically messes it up in this volume by trying to make Batman a kind of militant nutjob who gets off on violence and should never ever have kids around him. It’s worth reading to see how strange the whole experiment turned out and like I said I couldn’t put the book down, the train wreck was too hypnotic, but the saving grace is Jim Lee’s art. 2 and a half stars for the script, 5 stars for the artwork, Batman fans will probably regard this as a curio and Green Lantern fans will probably end up burning it. Either way, poor Dick Grayson.
And while I have fond memories of this book, I didn’t see the problems this book had that stuck in others’ craws. Sure Miller takes some liberties but it wasn’t that bad. Well, upon re-reading I can definitely see some of the arguments against this as a good Batman book.
The characterisation is the biggest flaw. Miller turns Batman into Marv from “The Hard Goodbye” in a Bat-suit – he’s spitting out tough guy phrases “I’m gonna be the best friend you could ever hope for… and the worst enemy you could ever imagine” or the oft quoted “Who the hell do you think I am? I’m the Goddamn Batman!”. Batman’s an angry, angry man. He calls Robin names, mostly “little snot” but also “brat”, “boy”, and “kid”, and his attitude towards training him to be his protégé is to neglect him, leaving him in the Batcave without clothes to keep him warm or food to feed him all because in his mind - “on your feet soldier – you’ve just been drafted into a war” –there’s a war on and he’s the drill sergeant this recently orphaned child needs.
Batman doesn’t kill anyone but he sure does his best to mess people up. When he is driving the Batmobile through police cars turning them into raging infernos or shooting toxic venom into criminals faces so they’ll never think straight again, or even breaking peoples’ arms and legs in ways that ensures life-long injury, he’s jumping into battle while laughing hideously and looking down upon fellow heroes like Superman and Green Lantern, calling them stupid and foolish.
I don’t know about you but this isn’t who I picture Batman to be. Sure, it’s an eye-catching and memorable version of the character, but at the cost of losing the kind, honourable man who suddenly does a 180 on the personality built up over decades and becomes a slobbering roided-out freak who gets a perverse thrill out of beating up men? He even pushes Alfred around – the man who basically raised him! – just for bringing some food to Dick Grayson who’s 12 years old, shivering on the floor of the Batcave, and has just seen his parents shot in cold blood.
And so we get to the plot. The whole reason of the book is that Grayson loses his parents and Batman steps in to take him in and train him up. But we never find out why they were targets. There are so many strands in this book that start and don’t go anywhere, it’s easy to see why anyone reading would be frustrated. Black Canary takes up a lot of time but her presence is a total McGuffin – she kicks around some thugs, steals some cash, smooches Batman, and leaves. Catwoman makes an appearance in one scene but that’s it – probably, she was meant to have more of an impact later in the series. Ditto Joker who cuts quite a sexy figure here with muscles, cool hair, and nice clothes, but aside from an obligatory murder, doesn’t have anything to do except strike a pose and then exit stage left. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Plastic Man show up, Superman rages like another roided-out baboon, smooches Wonder Woman, and they part ways – nothing ever comes of this strand either.
Green Lantern shows up and in the final issue gets his ass handed to him by Robin in a scene which I think reflects Miller’s own personal view of the character rather than to serve the story in any way. Miller writes “This guy really grinds my gears. Here he’s got a power ring that can do anything he can imagine – but that’s the whole problem. He’s got the imagination of a potato.” And so on. I’m not a fan of Green Lantern either but what’s Miller doing cutting down DC’s characters like this?
And yet strangely, I couldn’t put the book down. It is a compelling read despite its many flaws. But that’s also its biggest problem in that Miller can’t keep to a schedule at all and the issues that make up this book came out in larger and larger gaps until I think DC have abandoned this altogether (especially as they’ve rebooted all 52 characters recently). You're left with a book full of characters but no story stringing them all together. What’s that famous Shakespeare quote, “A tale told by a fool, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” – that pretty much sums up “All Star Batman and Robin”.
One major positive though is Jim Lee’s artwork. It is AMAZING. Every page is beautiful to behold, Batman looks exactly how Batman should be (minus the grunt-like expression of self-satisfaction he has on while he’s putting his fist in someone’s face), while the depictions of Vicki Vale and Black Canary? I thank you Mr Lee on behalf of straight men and gay women everywhere for what you give us on the page! There’s a massive fold out spread of the Batcave as well that’s so awesome, and too many scenes to mention where I stared at it and shook my head at the masterful skill this man has. Jim Lee is an incredible artist and he brings his A-game to this book, no question, and it is worth picking this up purely for his work.
That’s the Goddamn Batman folks. Miller may have rejuvenated the character in the 80s but he basically messes it up in this volume by trying to make Batman a kind of militant nutjob who gets off on violence and should never ever have kids around him. It’s worth reading to see how strange the whole experiment turned out and like I said I couldn’t put the book down, the train wreck was too hypnotic, but the saving grace is Jim Lee’s art. 2 and a half stars for the script, 5 stars for the artwork, Batman fans will probably regard this as a curio and Green Lantern fans will probably end up burning it. Either way, poor Dick Grayson.
April 4, 2022
Absolute mastahpeace. 12/10. Batman should be fucking Black Canary while surrounded by the burning bodies of the men they totally didn’t just murder in more comics. That is exactly what Batman books are missing.
In all seriousness, this is still the best worst comic I have ever read. It is undeniably shit, and if you unironically think it’s enjoyable you should probably be committed, but goddamn this shit is beyond fucking hilarious. Batman is just an abusive asshole and it’s totally hilarious if you have a wicked sense of humor. He makes Robin eats rats and calls him a [REDACTED] and just no other comic would ever have the nerve to do something that absurd. I also wasn’t aware until recently that there is a 10th issue since it’s not collected in the trade, but it’s even better than I could have imagined. Batgirl calls someone a motherfucker (yes really), and I just couldn’t be happier with rereading this absolute shite. I’m just so happy this exists, as it’s just so unbelievably stupid and funny. BEST BATMAN BOOK EVA.
In all seriousness, this is still the best worst comic I have ever read. It is undeniably shit, and if you unironically think it’s enjoyable you should probably be committed, but goddamn this shit is beyond fucking hilarious. Batman is just an abusive asshole and it’s totally hilarious if you have a wicked sense of humor. He makes Robin eats rats and calls him a [REDACTED] and just no other comic would ever have the nerve to do something that absurd. I also wasn’t aware until recently that there is a 10th issue since it’s not collected in the trade, but it’s even better than I could have imagined. Batgirl calls someone a motherfucker (yes really), and I just couldn’t be happier with rereading this absolute shite. I’m just so happy this exists, as it’s just so unbelievably stupid and funny. BEST BATMAN BOOK EVA.
May 22, 2022
The worst Batman characterisation I've ever had the misfortune to read. Miller has shat on everything that Batman stands for, creating a twisted, abusive and all around unlikeable dickhead instead. Almost every single character, save for Alfred, is horribly written. The storyline also suffers from the fact that half of these events are driven by out of character actions which make no sense. Completely undeserving of the wonderful art by Jim Lee, this book is better used as fuel for your fire.
TRIGGERS: child abuse, attempted rape
TRIGGERS: child abuse, attempted rape
July 1, 2008
No the rating is not a misprint. Don't buy the hype this book is genius. Or should I say this book is "The Goddamned Genius"
Then again I kinda sorta liked "Southland Tales" so what are you listening to me for?
As always Miller plays it without a net. That leaves a guy open to ridicule but it can also lead to some pretty awesome stuff. This reads like a comic book written by John Waters. I can understand why this has got most of comic fandom's panties in a bunch. Miller's MO seems to be to take all the air out of icon's he's spent his career, well making iconic. And he's brutal about his work portraying a beloved troupe of characters as morons, fascists, insane, impotent psychopathic, and just plain incompetent. It's delicious stuff, Miller unloading both barrels at the grim and gritties who tried to follow his notes but had no idea what music old Frankie was playing. It's brilliant parody with Miller taking the trend he created to it's logical extreme, he takes it to eleven. Pushing everything as far as it can go. It's not every comic book where you see a twelve year old carny punch The Green Lantern so hard that he requires a tracheotomy.
Miller treats these characters like people should, as characters who've gone through a hundred revisions and will go through a hundred more, characters who should be played like jazz, rather then placed in airtight Mylar bags.
Sure there's some sloppy stuff here like when Superman starts his morning routine by crushing a random milk carton before lighting his trusty future telling newspaper on fire. But it's all good for a laugh.
Look I'll admit I'm a late comer to comics I don't have the same reverence for these characters that long time fans do. But to my way of thinking the Industry could use much more of the anarchic work of Miller, and much less of the stunningly pompous, incomprehensible, and oh so respectful Final Crisis.
Then again I kinda sorta liked "Southland Tales" so what are you listening to me for?
As always Miller plays it without a net. That leaves a guy open to ridicule but it can also lead to some pretty awesome stuff. This reads like a comic book written by John Waters. I can understand why this has got most of comic fandom's panties in a bunch. Miller's MO seems to be to take all the air out of icon's he's spent his career, well making iconic. And he's brutal about his work portraying a beloved troupe of characters as morons, fascists, insane, impotent psychopathic, and just plain incompetent. It's delicious stuff, Miller unloading both barrels at the grim and gritties who tried to follow his notes but had no idea what music old Frankie was playing. It's brilliant parody with Miller taking the trend he created to it's logical extreme, he takes it to eleven. Pushing everything as far as it can go. It's not every comic book where you see a twelve year old carny punch The Green Lantern so hard that he requires a tracheotomy.
Miller treats these characters like people should, as characters who've gone through a hundred revisions and will go through a hundred more, characters who should be played like jazz, rather then placed in airtight Mylar bags.
Sure there's some sloppy stuff here like when Superman starts his morning routine by crushing a random milk carton before lighting his trusty future telling newspaper on fire. But it's all good for a laugh.
Look I'll admit I'm a late comer to comics I don't have the same reverence for these characters that long time fans do. But to my way of thinking the Industry could use much more of the anarchic work of Miller, and much less of the stunningly pompous, incomprehensible, and oh so respectful Final Crisis.
June 30, 2015
If you somehow made it through Dark Knight Strikes Again and thought it couldn’t possibly get any worse, I have some bad news for you.
I have heard so many horror stories about this book that honestly the only reason I read it was for value of not being able to look away from the total trainwreck (thanks Anne). And even going in knowing that wasn’t enough to save me from the all-consuming, fiery rage that this inspired in me. I cannot imagine how pissed I would be if I actually expected “All Star” to mean good.
I don’t even really know where to start with this. The basic premise is that Frank Miller looked at Batman and thought, “He’s just not edgy or gritty enough. I know! I’ll take away all his empathy, add in some child abuse and a dash of misogyny!” The end result is a Batman who’s so far from sane that Joker wouldn’t know what to do with him.
Hands down the worst part of the entire thing is his relationship with Robin. Apparently Batman has been stalking Dick Grayson as a potential prospect for a partner in his war on crime in Gotham. So when Dick’s parents get murdered right in front of him, Batman doesn’t waste a day letting him grieve for them. Grief is for the weak! Dick might actually think and realize that Batman is batshit insane and we can’t have that.
So he literally kidnaps the kid, slaps the shit out of him for being freaked out and then tosses him in the Batcave and disappears. Then later gets mad at Alfred for giving the kid some clothes and something to eat because Batman wanted him to get hungry enough to eat the rats in the cave for…reasons?
There’s also a lot of nonsensical shit talking to the criminals he’s beating up:
And I’m guessing Batman’s understanding of chemistry is a bit different than mine:
And “best” of all, women in this comic exist only to be man-hating lesbians who still have a thing for Superman:
Or a bunch of women whose only role is to be sexed by Batman or rescued by him or both:
Or to randomly attack people because it’s "that time of the month.”
I got tired of Frank Miller’s bullshit a long time ago but I hate you so much for that, you fucking asshat.
Other than kidnapping Robin, there is no real story here. Joker shows up to murder a few women but not actually interact with Batman, Green Lantern shows up to prove how smart Batman is by comparison (it would appear Hal has had a lobotomy recently), Catwoman exists for Batman to feel sad over and Jim Gordon shows up because apparently he’s required to in a Batman story. None of it makes any fucking sense, none of it feels like a goddamned Batman story and it fulfills its trainwreck reputation from start to finish. Even Jim Lee’s artwork can’t save this one.
I’m pretty sure there aren’t enough words in the English language to explain how fucking terrible this is and what a goddamn travesty it is that Miller is still allowed to touch any Batman story so I’ll just leave it with this:
I have heard so many horror stories about this book that honestly the only reason I read it was for value of not being able to look away from the total trainwreck (thanks Anne). And even going in knowing that wasn’t enough to save me from the all-consuming, fiery rage that this inspired in me. I cannot imagine how pissed I would be if I actually expected “All Star” to mean good.
I don’t even really know where to start with this. The basic premise is that Frank Miller looked at Batman and thought, “He’s just not edgy or gritty enough. I know! I’ll take away all his empathy, add in some child abuse and a dash of misogyny!” The end result is a Batman who’s so far from sane that Joker wouldn’t know what to do with him.
Hands down the worst part of the entire thing is his relationship with Robin. Apparently Batman has been stalking Dick Grayson as a potential prospect for a partner in his war on crime in Gotham. So when Dick’s parents get murdered right in front of him, Batman doesn’t waste a day letting him grieve for them. Grief is for the weak! Dick might actually think and realize that Batman is batshit insane and we can’t have that.
So he literally kidnaps the kid, slaps the shit out of him for being freaked out and then tosses him in the Batcave and disappears. Then later gets mad at Alfred for giving the kid some clothes and something to eat because Batman wanted him to get hungry enough to eat the rats in the cave for…reasons?
There’s also a lot of nonsensical shit talking to the criminals he’s beating up:
And I’m guessing Batman’s understanding of chemistry is a bit different than mine:
And “best” of all, women in this comic exist only to be man-hating lesbians who still have a thing for Superman:
Or a bunch of women whose only role is to be sexed by Batman or rescued by him or both:
Or to randomly attack people because it’s "that time of the month.”
I got tired of Frank Miller’s bullshit a long time ago but I hate you so much for that, you fucking asshat.
Other than kidnapping Robin, there is no real story here. Joker shows up to murder a few women but not actually interact with Batman, Green Lantern shows up to prove how smart Batman is by comparison (it would appear Hal has had a lobotomy recently), Catwoman exists for Batman to feel sad over and Jim Gordon shows up because apparently he’s required to in a Batman story. None of it makes any fucking sense, none of it feels like a goddamned Batman story and it fulfills its trainwreck reputation from start to finish. Even Jim Lee’s artwork can’t save this one.
I’m pretty sure there aren’t enough words in the English language to explain how fucking terrible this is and what a goddamn travesty it is that Miller is still allowed to touch any Batman story so I’ll just leave it with this:
September 15, 2020
Hmmmm..that was rather different. Not in a good way. I am starting to think the only Frank Miller books I really like are "Dark Knight Returns" and "Sin City". The rest are varying degrees of mediocrity. So we have this odd "retelling" of the Batman-Robin story.
Is it terrible? No. Is it good? By no means. I am not sure where Miller was going with this story line. This Batman is almost maniacal. He laughs for no reason during fights, his speech is crude and rather unintelligent, he is at war with the entire Gotham police force...and that's just Batman. Hell there is even a line where he says "Let me school you..about Chemistry" *sigh*
So Batman basically kidnaps Dick Grayson after his parents are murdered. Then he sticks him in the Batcave to "learn". I am all for harsh training, but there must be rhyme and reason behind it. This is just plain dumb. What on earth is he thinking with the whole eat bats or rats? Anyways as this is happening, we see a rather strange version of the Justice League with a Superman that doesn't know he can fly, a Green Lantern that's really stupid, a crazy Plastic Man and a man-hating psychotic Wonder Woman. Anyways this dysfunctional group decides to try to talk to Batman and then ends up sending only Hal. Hal gets his ring stolen by Robin and then nearly killed. Batman saves his life. I am not making this up.
Thrown into this already odd plot we have the Black Canary..as a Bartender that beats up men. Then we have Barbara Gordon as a 16 year old Batgirl (ummm who taught her?) and even a Joker sighting, including a Catwoman cameo. All the boxes are checked. Now if only we had a story to match.
So how did this train wreck manage 2 stars? The art (Jim Lee) is quite decent, though wasted on this story. There are truly some inspired things here- I don't mind a re-imagining if it makes sense and is done well. While the original ideas with merit were left by the wayside, Miller instead focuses on stupid dialogue designed to shock than convey a story and, of course, the use of multiple splash pages. But, for all that this isn't as God-awful as some of his other works.
Not sure who would really like this...neither Batman fans nor fans of a good story will find much here.
Is it terrible? No. Is it good? By no means. I am not sure where Miller was going with this story line. This Batman is almost maniacal. He laughs for no reason during fights, his speech is crude and rather unintelligent, he is at war with the entire Gotham police force...and that's just Batman. Hell there is even a line where he says "Let me school you..about Chemistry" *sigh*
So Batman basically kidnaps Dick Grayson after his parents are murdered. Then he sticks him in the Batcave to "learn". I am all for harsh training, but there must be rhyme and reason behind it. This is just plain dumb. What on earth is he thinking with the whole eat bats or rats? Anyways as this is happening, we see a rather strange version of the Justice League with a Superman that doesn't know he can fly, a Green Lantern that's really stupid, a crazy Plastic Man and a man-hating psychotic Wonder Woman. Anyways this dysfunctional group decides to try to talk to Batman and then ends up sending only Hal. Hal gets his ring stolen by Robin and then nearly killed. Batman saves his life. I am not making this up.
Thrown into this already odd plot we have the Black Canary..as a Bartender that beats up men. Then we have Barbara Gordon as a 16 year old Batgirl (ummm who taught her?) and even a Joker sighting, including a Catwoman cameo. All the boxes are checked. Now if only we had a story to match.
So how did this train wreck manage 2 stars? The art (Jim Lee) is quite decent, though wasted on this story. There are truly some inspired things here- I don't mind a re-imagining if it makes sense and is done well. While the original ideas with merit were left by the wayside, Miller instead focuses on stupid dialogue designed to shock than convey a story and, of course, the use of multiple splash pages. But, for all that this isn't as God-awful as some of his other works.
Not sure who would really like this...neither Batman fans nor fans of a good story will find much here.
May 18, 2008
I wish I could give it the finger. Hold on, just did.
May 21, 2018
3.5 - 3.75 stars
All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder, Vol. 1 , is among the better comics I've read this year . Frank Miller's outing on Robin's origin exhibits a monumental shift from Batman's grim , serious stories . For good !
This is my second Frank Miller comic after The Dark Knight Returns , and he hasn't let me down . And now I'm even more excited about reading Batman: Year One .
There is nothing much new to Robin's origins in this book . His parents get murdered & Batman recruits him & they are hell bent on finding the culprit . Apart from that , many of the major characters of DC universe have a part in this .
I'm a fan of Miller's writing style . Really am . He has a really no nonsense approach to the storyline . Especially I like that he has made Batman as a funny guy (That's a shocker , right ??) . With quite a dark sense of humor at times . For example , in the following meeting between Batman and Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern , Batman mocks Hal through his internal monologues .
Jim Lee's art is pretty decent . A botchy at certain times , but mostly it's good . At one point , his version of Batmobile reminded me of the Flying Car in Harry Potter .
There is gore too . And the gory scenes are... well , gory . Duh !
Overall , this comic book is very entertaining , with a lot of action and Batman !!
All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder, Vol. 1 , is among the better comics I've read this year . Frank Miller's outing on Robin's origin exhibits a monumental shift from Batman's grim , serious stories . For good !
This is my second Frank Miller comic after The Dark Knight Returns , and he hasn't let me down . And now I'm even more excited about reading Batman: Year One .
There is nothing much new to Robin's origins in this book . His parents get murdered & Batman recruits him & they are hell bent on finding the culprit . Apart from that , many of the major characters of DC universe have a part in this .
I'm a fan of Miller's writing style . Really am . He has a really no nonsense approach to the storyline . Especially I like that he has made Batman as a funny guy (That's a shocker , right ??) . With quite a dark sense of humor at times . For example , in the following meeting between Batman and Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern , Batman mocks Hal through his internal monologues .
Jim Lee's art is pretty decent . A botchy at certain times , but mostly it's good . At one point , his version of Batmobile reminded me of the Flying Car in Harry Potter .
There is gore too . And the gory scenes are... well , gory . Duh !
Overall , this comic book is very entertaining , with a lot of action and Batman !!
June 26, 2016
I was ready to give this 3 stars. Wanna know why? Because I'M THE GODDAMN BATMAN!
No, but really, I was. Because this story was so out of left field, so fucking insane, so dumb, it was fun to read. I mean you had Batman just being all kinds of crazy. Like he's call Robin retarded, he'd break people's faces while screaming "WHAT!? WHAT THIS!" and you had insane amount of over the top brutal action with laugh out loud dialog like "This cave looks like it's for queers." and Batman responding with the best line of all time. "Shut up."
SO why isn't this rated higher? Because it feels so disjointed. You have some Batgirl here, some Black Canary, a little bit of Wonder Women, and yet none of it connects. I guess this story was suppose to be longer cause it all drops by issue 10, and that issue is terrible. The one before it is hilarious with the Green Lantern losing to fucking ROBIN of all people, but the rest of the ending is garbage.
But yeah if you want some great laughs check this out. If you want a good comic, stay away.
No, but really, I was. Because this story was so out of left field, so fucking insane, so dumb, it was fun to read. I mean you had Batman just being all kinds of crazy. Like he's call Robin retarded, he'd break people's faces while screaming "WHAT!? WHAT THIS!" and you had insane amount of over the top brutal action with laugh out loud dialog like "This cave looks like it's for queers." and Batman responding with the best line of all time. "Shut up."
SO why isn't this rated higher? Because it feels so disjointed. You have some Batgirl here, some Black Canary, a little bit of Wonder Women, and yet none of it connects. I guess this story was suppose to be longer cause it all drops by issue 10, and that issue is terrible. The one before it is hilarious with the Green Lantern losing to fucking ROBIN of all people, but the rest of the ending is garbage.
But yeah if you want some great laughs check this out. If you want a good comic, stay away.
May 27, 2016
I don't think I have ever seen worse dialogue in a comic book before. "Right before his eyes. Brutally. Brutally. It was Brutal". Frank Miller felt the need to emphasize certain words and phrases in this comic.... By writing them down three times! What happened to you Frank? How did you become such a douche bag?
April 6, 2012
(Review stretches to this as well as a few other issues I've come across.)
Oh my God, Frank Miller, what on earth did you do to Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Black Canary, Superman and just about every other superhero from my childhood?
I like it when writers redo something to make it darker. I do not, however, like whatever Frank Miller thought he was doing when he was writing this issue.
If you like Batman, even a little bit, spare yourself of this. Please. Unless you approve of:
1. Wonder Woman reimagined as a complete mysandrist who, for example, refers to men as "sperm banks".
2. Batman being completely psycho. I mean, yeah, he is already a bit off the deep end, but this? Slapping around Robin? "I'm the goddamn Batman" anyone? Yeahhhh no.
3. Any and every woman objectified as often as possible. Skin tight costumes? Unbelievable cleavage? A nice shot of Vicki Vale's ass as she's parading around in her underwear for no decent reason other than that we can? It all right here!
4. Batgirl spewing language that would make sailors blush. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but the way it's presented is seen less as "Batgirl is such a badass!" and more like "Damn, Frank Miller is trying really, really hard."
5. The way it's written is department of redundancy department. It's like we're told one thing and as if we'll forget it's hammered into our heads again and again.
Just examples, mind you. There is a lot, lot more.
Alfred is the only sane man here. To quote TVTropes, Alfred finds himself making crazy suggestions like, "Maybe we shouldn't force Dick Grayson age twelve to survive by eating rats." What in the actual fuck?!
I had already read this, but after coming across it again I couldn't help but write a review. I have never been more disturbed and disappointed by a singular comic book in my entire life. And I think that All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder will continue to hold this prize in my heart. I will never be horrified and disgusted like this by a comic again.
Maybe Frank Miller was just fucking with us. I refuse to believe anything else. Because, for the love of god, he can't be serious about this.
Right? RIGHT?!
Anyway, I just want to end this review with a congrats to everyone who was responsible for this. I think you've all just successfully ruined my childhood.
Oh my God, Frank Miller, what on earth did you do to Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Black Canary, Superman and just about every other superhero from my childhood?
I like it when writers redo something to make it darker. I do not, however, like whatever Frank Miller thought he was doing when he was writing this issue.
If you like Batman, even a little bit, spare yourself of this. Please. Unless you approve of:
1. Wonder Woman reimagined as a complete mysandrist who, for example, refers to men as "sperm banks".
2. Batman being completely psycho. I mean, yeah, he is already a bit off the deep end, but this? Slapping around Robin? "I'm the goddamn Batman" anyone? Yeahhhh no.
3. Any and every woman objectified as often as possible. Skin tight costumes? Unbelievable cleavage? A nice shot of Vicki Vale's ass as she's parading around in her underwear for no decent reason other than that we can? It all right here!
4. Batgirl spewing language that would make sailors blush. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but the way it's presented is seen less as "Batgirl is such a badass!" and more like "Damn, Frank Miller is trying really, really hard."
5. The way it's written is department of redundancy department. It's like we're told one thing and as if we'll forget it's hammered into our heads again and again.
Just examples, mind you. There is a lot, lot more.
Alfred is the only sane man here. To quote TVTropes, Alfred finds himself making crazy suggestions like, "Maybe we shouldn't force Dick Grayson age twelve to survive by eating rats." What in the actual fuck?!
I had already read this, but after coming across it again I couldn't help but write a review. I have never been more disturbed and disappointed by a singular comic book in my entire life. And I think that All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder will continue to hold this prize in my heart. I will never be horrified and disgusted like this by a comic again.
Maybe Frank Miller was just fucking with us. I refuse to believe anything else. Because, for the love of god, he can't be serious about this.
Right? RIGHT?!
Anyway, I just want to end this review with a congrats to everyone who was responsible for this. I think you've all just successfully ruined my childhood.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2017
What to say about this book. I'll start by saying I enjoyed the art. Its very teenaged boy wet dream stuff but well done, as always, by Jim Lee. The book itself though was just shit. Now I understand in Frank Miller's worlds everything is just different shades of black but he made Batman such a dick. This Batman was super excited about the prospect of having a 12 year old as his sidekick. He seemed to have no honest empathy for anyone else. It was just so insanely off-putting. Also even if you are ok with your Batman being a dick, the dialogue in this book was horrid. LIke 15 pages in Batman asked the kidnapped, just saw his parents murdered 12 year old if he was retarded. The book was just gross ugliness.
January 25, 2013
Frank Miller's take on the Dick Grayson Robin's arrival on the scene and joining up with Batman. This version, as with most Miller stuff, is much darker than others, however it's very good. It shows Batman as a borderline psychotic, getting off on beating the shit out of criminals to near death, and getting by on absolutely no sleep whatsoever. It also has the death of the Graysons a little different than usual, but still solid. Featuring appearances by Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Plastic Man, Vicki Vale, Black Canary and Batgirl, this is one helluva book. Strongly recommended, especially if you liked Miller's past work.
September 8, 2025
1⭐️
Dear god, that is the worst Batman comic I have ever lied my eyes on. The most misogynistic, jerky, self-absorbed alfa-male crap to exist in dc comics yet
Dear god, that is the worst Batman comic I have ever lied my eyes on. The most misogynistic, jerky, self-absorbed alfa-male crap to exist in dc comics yet
July 8, 2014
This is the goddamn Batman comic. It's almost universally reviled, but I don't really understand why. It seems like the problem is that the Batman portrayed here as a complete psychopath here, but I have a couple of rejoinders to that.
1) Who better to tell us what Batman is really like than Frank Miller? He's the author of the two greatest Batman stories of all time. And the weird fascist overtones being thrown around in The Dark Night Returns and Year One are part of what makes those stories great. It's always been clear that Batman has just as much psychosis as the memorable Batman villains and the only difference is where all that bizarre rage is directed. The best part of those stories is that you don't have any guarantee that Batman is going to use his powers for good; and in fact, most of the time he clearly ISN'T. It's like the reveal in Kingdom Come that in the future Batman turns Gotham into cyberpunk mecha police state, BECAUSE OF COURSE HE DOES. All Miller is doing is making the Batman subtext the text. This rendition of Batman makes you uncomfortable because Batman SHOULD make you uncomfortable.
2)Supplemental Best for the sex scene. Watchmen spends PAGES of plot working around to the reveal that the costumes are related to sexual prowess in the obvious Freudian sense. This comic does all that in one (awesome) line: "We keep the masks on. It's better that way."
3)In addition to hilariously psychotic Batman, this series is full of fantastic "reductio-ad-absurdiam" parody of comics conventions, from the ludicrously sexualized Vicki Vale, to the Joker with a goddamn Amazon Nazi.
In short this was fantastic. I understand why it was cancelled, as it seems to be repository for all of Frank Miller's self loathing and spitting in the eye of Batman Fans and the comic industry, but damn do I wish there was more of it.
1) Who better to tell us what Batman is really like than Frank Miller? He's the author of the two greatest Batman stories of all time. And the weird fascist overtones being thrown around in The Dark Night Returns and Year One are part of what makes those stories great. It's always been clear that Batman has just as much psychosis as the memorable Batman villains and the only difference is where all that bizarre rage is directed. The best part of those stories is that you don't have any guarantee that Batman is going to use his powers for good; and in fact, most of the time he clearly ISN'T. It's like the reveal in Kingdom Come that in the future Batman turns Gotham into cyberpunk mecha police state, BECAUSE OF COURSE HE DOES. All Miller is doing is making the Batman subtext the text. This rendition of Batman makes you uncomfortable because Batman SHOULD make you uncomfortable.
2)Supplemental Best for the sex scene. Watchmen spends PAGES of plot working around to the reveal that the costumes are related to sexual prowess in the obvious Freudian sense. This comic does all that in one (awesome) line: "We keep the masks on. It's better that way."
3)In addition to hilariously psychotic Batman, this series is full of fantastic "reductio-ad-absurdiam" parody of comics conventions, from the ludicrously sexualized Vicki Vale, to the Joker with a goddamn Amazon Nazi.
In short this was fantastic. I understand why it was cancelled, as it seems to be repository for all of Frank Miller's self loathing and spitting in the eye of Batman Fans and the comic industry, but damn do I wish there was more of it.
July 30, 2018
Yeah. No. This didn't really work.
(Jim Lee presents Frank Miller with his Eisner Hall-of-Fame trophy)
My hypothesis is that All-Star Batman and Robin was supposed to be DC's unofficial 'answer' to Marvel's "Ultimate" universe. "A Darker Knight," as it says on the back cover.
Also, a universe where the heroes still aren't at home with one another:
So, a darker Gotham and unfledged heroes are tropes which turn up again and again. The problem here is just a certain nastiness. As a wise reviewer has said, if you're already edgy, and you go beyond that, it means you've crossed a line. (Although, to be fair, the readers who say Batman kidnaps Dick Grayson and tortures him are missing a key plot point. The 'kidnapping' charges are bogus.)
(Jim Lee presents Frank Miller with his Eisner Hall-of-Fame trophy)
My hypothesis is that All-Star Batman and Robin was supposed to be DC's unofficial 'answer' to Marvel's "Ultimate" universe. "A Darker Knight," as it says on the back cover.
Also, a universe where the heroes still aren't at home with one another:
So, a darker Gotham and unfledged heroes are tropes which turn up again and again. The problem here is just a certain nastiness. As a wise reviewer has said, if you're already edgy, and you go beyond that, it means you've crossed a line. (Although, to be fair, the readers who say Batman kidnaps Dick Grayson and tortures him are missing a key plot point. The 'kidnapping' charges are bogus.)
April 26, 2020
2.25/5 What the F! Since when does batman act or talk the way he is portrayed in this comic, honestly where were they trying to go with this one I don't even understand what's going on at points, it's supposed to be about batman and robin and 75% of the time it has nothing to do with that and really why is every girl in this so slutty and weird. By far the worst part of this comic is Batmans seemingly endless rambling incoherent monologues where for pages he repeats the same sentences over and over and so do the other characters I swear Im gonna kill anyone who mentions the word love chunks. the story has some interesting moments and the art work is just unbelievable, I also like how dark the story is overall, but in the end it's nothing special at all and can become frustrating at points, not recommend.
December 21, 2015
Fantastisch, Millers Fledermaus-Mann schlägt Funken im DC Universum, einfaltspinselige Langweiler wie Superman und Green Lantern kriegen ihr Fett genauso weg, wie zahlreiche Absurditäten des Superheldendaseins auf die Schippe genommen werden.
Batman als durchgeknallter sadistischer Schläger, der für jede Gewaltorgie zu haben ist, entführt den 12-jährigen Dick Grayson, als dessen Eltern getötet werde. "You've just been drafted - into a war", das ist wohl kaum ein Trost für den Waisen. Wonder Woman hat vielleicht recht, wenn sie Batmans Kopf abhacken und auf einen Pfahl spießen will, aber die gemäßigte Fraktion der Gerechtigkeitsliga setzt sich durch und Green Lantern soll Batman mit Worten zur Räson bringen...
Sexy, blutig, ironisch und witzig: vielleicht der beste Batman, den es gibt, und dazu die fantastische Artwork von Jim Lee - Tarantino und Sin City lassen grüßen!
Batman als durchgeknallter sadistischer Schläger, der für jede Gewaltorgie zu haben ist, entführt den 12-jährigen Dick Grayson, als dessen Eltern getötet werde. "You've just been drafted - into a war", das ist wohl kaum ein Trost für den Waisen. Wonder Woman hat vielleicht recht, wenn sie Batmans Kopf abhacken und auf einen Pfahl spießen will, aber die gemäßigte Fraktion der Gerechtigkeitsliga setzt sich durch und Green Lantern soll Batman mit Worten zur Räson bringen...
Sexy, blutig, ironisch und witzig: vielleicht der beste Batman, den es gibt, und dazu die fantastische Artwork von Jim Lee - Tarantino und Sin City lassen grüßen!
July 8, 2015
So dark, so twisted, so anti-heroic!!! Batman as a barely held together psyche on an emotional and physical roller coaster. I love being the goddamn Batman, indeed.
August 5, 2024
I didn't read ASBAR as much as I experienced it live over a Discord voice chat full of others who, like me, have been banned from the Official DC Server, and...wow. Where to even start? Every time Black Canary was called "love chunks" I died laughing. Dick's "that's totally queer" panel and edits of the infamous "what, are you dense?" monologue have become memes among my fellow exiles. Wonder Woman's writing is atrocious. The panels of Black Canary contorting so we can see her tits, ass, and crotch all at once are almost funny.
And, of course, never forget: I'm the goddamn Batman.
And, of course, never forget: I'm the goddamn Batman.
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