Reviews

All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder by Frank Miller

catbrigand's review against another edition

1.0

Do you ever read something so stupendously bad that by the time you're done you sort of enjoy it? That's my experience with this. Let me be perfectly clear and say that I would not have liked All-Star Batman and Robin no matter what, but it was made all the more galling by the fact that I've read Miller's The Dark Knight saga and know that this takes place in the same universe. And so

Spoiler

Dick Grayson becomes a supervillain because Batman fired him for gross incompetence but WHOSE FUCKING FAULT WOULD THAT BE?!

So minus the universal porn-star boobs and the fact that Batman mysteriously grew a wicked five-o'clock shadow every time he cowled up, I didn't mind the art style. But the storyline. God. I don't know why Miller felt like Batman is not already a dark and complicated character. In his attempt to make Batman dark and complicated in this alternate universe, he makes Batman psychopathic, ludicrous beyond belief, and arguably evil. The man is chaotic evil on the D&D alignment chart. His interest is fucking up evil and he doesn't really care what gets destroyed in the process. This is not a detective. This is not a brilliant, analytical, tactical mind. This is a rich man with big fists. This is a man who has been keeping an eye on an underage boy like a groomer, who kidnaps said boy as soon as his parents are dead (and drops more than a little bit of a hint that he would have kidnapped him or killed his parents eventually), psychologically tortures him, and literally leaves him in a cave without clothes or food. This is not the goddamn Batman. This is a first-class creep wearing the Batman's clothes.

There are completely unnecessary side-issues with Black Canary, Catwoman, the Joker, and Batgirl. Let's take the already dark as hell world of DC and make it even darker. Without giving too much away (although literally none of it is integral to the overarching plot), Black Canary snaps after one too many catcalls and becomes a Robin Hood (stealing from the scums and giving to herself), the Joker rapes and chokes a woman, and Jim Gordon's home life is even more of a wreck than it canonically is. Also,

I get the impression that this was cut off/concluded in the middle of an arc, because otherwise the introduction of so many characters doesn't make much sense. But I have less than zero interest in continuing to read what I consider the bastardization of so many phenomenal characters. Why did I finish this one, you ask? I know people who love it and I wanted to see if something so earth-shatteringly amazing happened later on that it would turn my opinion on its ear. Nah, man. I reconcile myself to the fact that it's difficult to believe that the same man who wrote Year One also wrote this.

sonicboylee's review

5.0

Brilliant take on the man that becomes the Dark Knight. Frank Miller really shows the true psychosis of Bruce and Jim Lee has superb inks especially when showing the female form.

unladylike's review against another edition

3.0

The darkness and misogyny of Frank Miller's portrayal of Batman in this volume were hard to stomach, but the story was certainly well-written and challenging.

phpatrickhiggins's review against another edition

1.0

Keep it in your pants Frank.

trppnr's review against another edition

5.0

Utterly unhinged. Greatest goddamn Batman story of all time.

natopotato's review against another edition

2.0

La interpretación de varios personajes no era lo esperado, incluso algunos de ellos me resultaron incomodos o fuera de lugar, sin embargo si me entretuve y hubo escenas en que pude reirme con las tonterías de Batman y Robin hacia Green Lantern. Pero nada que me marcase o disfrutase al cien por cien.

stormblessed4's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.25

Perhaps the worst thing I've ever read. The .25 points are all for Jim Lee, who never misses.

blairconrad's review against another edition

2.0

A gritty take on the "how Batman and Robin got together".
Fairly unpleasant, with Batman being more of a jerk than usual, and the rest of the Justice League nearly as unlikeable.

The visuals didn't do too much for me, either - everyone was a little too muscular (okay, not Superman), with the shirtless Joker having larger arms than suited Joker.

Only three things even came close to redeeming this work - Alfred (Alfred's just generally the best), something at the end, and the line "Care for a glass of lemonade?".

clarks_dad's review

1.0

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

karliclover's review

2.0

The only thing I liked about this book was the art. Jim Lee's art is breath-taking here. That's the only reason I gave this book two stars and not one. The man has chops.

Other than that, this is one of the worst books I've ever read. Batman is horribly portrayed. He does things that he would never do in a canon story, which makes this completely unbelievable. That whole thing with Black Canary? Wow, really?

And it's not only Batman that's out of character, Miller makes Hal Jordan a complete idiot and Wonder Woman a feminist bitch. I'm sure Superman would have been just as bad if he were in it more. Also, the Joker has tattoos. Why?

Unnecessarily vulgar language was thrown all over the place. There is, of course, the famous line "I'm the goddamn Batman." Dick Grayson even says "That is totally queer."

All of that said, I do, however, suggest that everybody read this just to see how bad it is. But don't buy it. Just sit in Barnes and Noble and read it.