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ishkhan's review against another edition
3.0
Here is my beef. Damian is very well written as a kid who has lost several trusted adult figures in his life and is terrified about keeping his place in the world. I think 1. being the heir to the League of Assassins and 2. leaving his mom at age 10 and becoming the heir to Bruce "emotions? no way. Work First Always" Wayne and 3. Bruce dying months later, are more than enough to explain that. So the Talia characterization (how to call it...retcon? character assassination?) came out of absolutely nowhere and was so unnecessary.
Guess I have to read 2011 Batman and Robin for a slightly better Talia and Damian relationship. Morrison hates Talia so much that they've driven me to the New 52. That's how bad it is. Anyway. At least the art is better here mashallah!
Love Batwoman! Love Dick and Damian as always.
Guess I have to read 2011 Batman and Robin for a slightly better Talia and Damian relationship. Morrison hates Talia so much that they've driven me to the New 52. That's how bad it is. Anyway. At least the art is better here mashallah!
Love Batwoman! Love Dick and Damian as always.
sans's review against another edition
3.0
The biggest thing I got out of this was how much Dick didn’t move like Bruce, even in the Batsuit. Was he even trying to pretend? And also that Talia is completely horrible. Not that I didn’t know that before, but it’s always nice to be reminded.
lindakat's review against another edition
4.0
Grayson taking on the mantle of Batman, attempted to resurrect Bruce Wayne in a Lazarus pit in England - something came out of it but it wasn't what everyone was expecting. So back to Gotham we go trying to sleuth out where the hell Bruce has been hanging... where or when. Talia, being the psychopath she is, doesn't like what the injured (broke his spine, shouldn't have ever walked again) Damien has been up too when donning the colours of the Robin, so she gets herself involved in the loving motherly way she is known for.
Was nearly going to be a three star because the beginning was slightly slow and the writing was a little clunky but I adore Batwoman and the second half of the collection was freaking awesome and oh my goodness that twist ending, so I had to bump it up to four stars. Great story.
Was nearly going to be a three star because the beginning was slightly slow and the writing was a little clunky but I adore Batwoman and the second half of the collection was freaking awesome and oh my goodness that twist ending, so I had to bump it up to four stars. Great story.
tabman678's review against another edition
5.0
Batman and Robin vol 2 picks up directly on the reigns of last volumes story. And it manages to do that while also being a tie in to the Blackest Night event which fair warning at the time of writing I haven’t read yet.
This is a really good title I could read over and over again and I have read it a few times. Because it strikes a balance between the joy of comic books and rally solid plotting of an overarching narrative while still being satisfying issue to issue. As well as playing on the previous stories in the run.
And to make it even better it’s super pretty. Unlike the last volume that changed artists in the middle of a story arc this one has two artists Cameron Stewart and Andy Clarke who both bring their top talent to the title because it’s beautiful.
I like it more every time I read it. If you’re reading Morrison’s Batman hell yeah you should read this. If you’re just following the first volume then hell yeah you should read it. If you haven’t read anything else at least read volume one first.
Strongly recommend. 5 stars.
This is a really good title I could read over and over again and I have read it a few times. Because it strikes a balance between the joy of comic books and rally solid plotting of an overarching narrative while still being satisfying issue to issue. As well as playing on the previous stories in the run.
And to make it even better it’s super pretty. Unlike the last volume that changed artists in the middle of a story arc this one has two artists Cameron Stewart and Andy Clarke who both bring their top talent to the title because it’s beautiful.
I like it more every time I read it. If you’re reading Morrison’s Batman hell yeah you should read this. If you’re just following the first volume then hell yeah you should read it. If you haven’t read anything else at least read volume one first.
Strongly recommend. 5 stars.
just_fighting_censorship's review against another edition
4.0
3 1/2 Stars
I liked this story but Batman VERSUS Robin is a little misleading, or at least the cover is misleading. Damien is actually not terrible in this story. I mean, I don't love him, I'm not completely crazy, but he was tolerable and I wasn't hoping he'd die.
A good portion of this volume takes place in London with an appearance by the Knight and Squire.
Because there is a Lazarus pit buried under London? I felt like this was a little random, and Morrison just wanted to use the characters, whatever.
One thing that really got on my nerves were all of the dialects, they were just over the top and really took me out of the story. I know that Morrison is Scottish and probably feels more than qualified to write a slue of different accents but they felt more like caricatures than anything else. When writing, it is preferable to offer a hint of an accent otherwise it bogs down the dialogue and is difficult for your reader to decipher.
Overall, the story was enjoyable and Morrison does a great job writing Grayson as Batman. He also is able to make me NOT hate Damien which is truly a miracle. Plus he writes Alfred right! Alfred is part of the action with some fantastic Alfred being awesome moments. The flow is fast once you get past all of the British characters nobody cares about and the ending is a complete shock. I was left having to immediately get the next volume.
I liked this story but Batman VERSUS Robin is a little misleading, or at least the cover is misleading. Damien is actually not terrible in this story. I mean, I don't love him, I'm not completely crazy, but he was tolerable and I wasn't hoping he'd die.
A good portion of this volume takes place in London with an appearance by the Knight and Squire.
Because there is a Lazarus pit buried under London? I felt like this was a little random, and Morrison just wanted to use the characters, whatever.
One thing that really got on my nerves were all of the dialects, they were just over the top and really took me out of the story. I know that Morrison is Scottish and probably feels more than qualified to write a slue of different accents but they felt more like caricatures than anything else. When writing, it is preferable to offer a hint of an accent otherwise it bogs down the dialogue and is difficult for your reader to decipher.
Overall, the story was enjoyable and Morrison does a great job writing Grayson as Batman. He also is able to make me NOT hate Damien which is truly a miracle. Plus he writes Alfred right! Alfred is part of the action with some fantastic Alfred being awesome moments. The flow is fast once you get past all of the British characters nobody cares about and the ending is a complete shock. I was left having to immediately get the next volume.
literarygoblin's review
4.0
Batman & Robin Volume Two encompasses one of the greatest things about ongoing comic book series - it shows how the creative team grows alongside the story that they’re creating. As much as I loved Batman & Robin Volume One: Batman Reborn, upon reflection it left a lot to be desired. Batman vs. Robin, on the other hand, hit almost every mark perfectly - it further developed our leading men, it made all the side characters feel important to the plot progression, and it gave us stronger story arcs that embody all that makes a Batman comic great.
The first half of the book - Blackest Knight - is a plot surrounded in confusion, but in the right way; we as the readers don’t know what we’re getting into, and we’re learning things with the characters in a way that leaves things shrouded into mystery until the arc is wrapped up in the final part of the story. On one hand, this felt like a bit of a weakness, as I began to wonder if there was an issue I forgot to read in preparation for this story. But once the three-issue arc was complete, this didn’t feel as much like a weakness as it had at first; the particular plot being explored is wrapped up so nicely that I can forgive my previous frustration with the start of the book.
Although Blackest Knight was a well-told adventure, there were a few weaknesses that I think bogged down the experience for me. The first is to do with the plot itself: I honestly wasn’t a fan of the Bat-clone aspect, because it feels like an incredibly tired comic book trope that doesn’t do anything for me. And branching off from the plot, it felt like Dick’s thoughts on what he and the ensemble were doing weren’t well-executed - in a way, it didn’t always feel like he was the main character because of this. Now that I can think on it, I can come up with my own understanding of what Dick may have been going through, however, I feel like he could have been better executed in this story arc.
The last thing worth noting in Blackest Knight, is the art work. Personally, I feel like Cameron Stewart’s art is much better than what we saw in Volume One - although the artwork in Batman Reborn was beautiful, it felt as if it were lacking life and movement. Stewart’s art in this arc caught my eye immediately because it was so much more dynamic than what I saw previously. My only criticism here is less to do with the art itself, and more to do with panel choices - some pages simply felt far too chaotic in the way they were laid out, that it took away from the storytelling that was going on in Stewart’s art.
It was the second arc of the book, Batman vs. Robin, that truly got me excited. If Blackest Knight had been as strong as this story arc, this book would have easily been a five star read for me. The second half of the book explores Dick’s determination to find Bruce Wayne, who has been missing and presumed dead this entire time. Dick is convinced that Bruce is alive and out there somewhere, while Damian is unsure but hopeful, even if he doesn’t outright say so.
The first issue of this plot is by far my favorite in the series up to this point - it finally utilizes the detective and noir themes that make Batman stories so good, and the hunt for clues and information kept me incredibly engaged through the entire story. This arc showed me that this series had finally found it’s stride - each issue prior to #10-12 was undeniably good, but to me it seemed like the creative team didn’t fully understand what they wanted to do with the story. The Batman vs. Robin arc, however, showed me that the creators finally found their footing with plot, themes, and characters.
The greatest highlight of this arc for me - and there are a lot of highlights - is that we finally get to see a little more dimension in Dick and Damian as people. Up to this point, I feel like the story didn’t dig too deep into their feelings or their dynamic - you certainly see strong moments for them prior to issue ten, but as a whole there was something to be desired in their characterization. But in Batman vs. Robin we get to see how Dick and Damian have been slowly forging a bond, and even something of a friendship.
In particular, there’s a very good plot point surrounding Damian and his mother, Talia, that explores his feelings and even shows a vulnerable side to him that his prior appearances didn’t feature. It allowed Damian to shed his rough asshole exterior for a few pages and remind us that, although he was raised by assassins in a tough environment, he’s still a child and he’s at a stage in his life where he’s growing exceptionally. The only true negative of this otherwise strong choice is that it left me wanting more for Dick, who I think really deserves more vulnerable and intimate moments given that he is the titular character of this series.
All in all, Batman & Robin Volume Two was such an enjoyable read that’s left me even more excited for the rest of the series (I’m especially excited following the unexpected cliffhanger that issue 12 ended on). This book showed how the series improved with each issue, and it embodied classic Batman elements that make stories great in my opinion - if this trend of development continues, Batman & Robin has potential to secure itself as a staple in my Batman library.
thisisjon's review against another edition
4.0
I was very worried at the start of this volume. It was not very good at all. But once it got going I really enjoyed it. I loved the detective side of things as well as the reveals along the way.
thereadinglizard's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this comic. I love when Batwoman was introduced and the ending was something I was not expecting. This made me very excited to read the next volume!
captwinghead's review against another edition
3.0
Update 06/04/2019: I enjoyed this a tiny bit more this time around but I knew what to skip.
I didn't really enjoy this volume, to be honest.
While I was so happy they took Quitely off the art, the writing just didn't interest me. I didn't care to see Dick working with Squire and Knight. I didn't like the use of Batwoman in this comic. I also hate that it seemed as though Morrison played fast and loose with the Lazarus pit. Assuming this was Kate Kane (and I think it was) I don't think she would so easily risk being tossed into the pit, as well. I wished for a lot more interaction between Dick and Damian because that's why I keep reading this series.
That being said, there were some things I liked. I liked seeing Alfred as more of a guiding force for his surrogate grandchildren. I liked seeing Dick be so protective over his little brother. I liked seeing the softer side of Damian as he expressed concern for what would happen if Bruce came back. He really likes being Robin, he's learning a lot and rejecting the Al Ghul's training. It was nice to see him sort of let Dick in on his concerns and basically tell his mother to shove it. The part where she says he's now an enemy to the Al Ghul's and Damian says "I hope to be a worthy one". That was fantastic!
So, overall: there just wasn't enough of what I like about this series in this volume so I can't really recommend it.
2.5 stars.
I didn't really enjoy this volume, to be honest.
While I was so happy they took Quitely off the art, the writing just didn't interest me. I didn't care to see Dick working with Squire and Knight. I didn't like the use of Batwoman in this comic. I also hate that it seemed as though Morrison played fast and loose with the Lazarus pit. Assuming this was Kate Kane (and I think it was) I don't think she would so easily risk being tossed into the pit, as well. I wished for a lot more interaction between Dick and Damian because that's why I keep reading this series.
That being said, there were some things I liked. I liked seeing Alfred as more of a guiding force for his surrogate grandchildren. I liked seeing Dick be so protective over his little brother. I liked seeing the softer side of Damian as he expressed concern for what would happen if Bruce came back. He really likes being Robin, he's learning a lot and rejecting the Al Ghul's training. It was nice to see him sort of let Dick in on his concerns and basically tell his mother to shove it. The part where she says he's now an enemy to the Al Ghul's and Damian says "I hope to be a worthy one". That was fantastic!
So, overall: there just wasn't enough of what I like about this series in this volume so I can't really recommend it.
2.5 stars.
librarimans's review against another edition
4.0
Great series, I own and have been re-reading these all in the loose issues so I can't comment to any extras the trade may have, but Morrison's run on Batman and Robin is the best portrayals of these characters yet.