Scan barcode
frasersimons's review against another edition
1.0
Worse artist and the plot became more contrived and uninteresting. Rather not continue.
erutane's review against another edition
3.0
I like Grant Morrison, but I do not love the dialogue he has written for this Batman & Robin series. It was irritating to read to no end. I also hate this stupid Bat People stuff. At the moment I can't think of a single thing I think more stupid in the Batman universe than this Bat People stuff. (The Return of Bruce Wayne was just ridiculous.)But the illustrations were superbly out-of-this world weird and grotesque, bewitchingly stylish. And I suppose it was a decent beginning for Batman International- even if I think that was a silly idea as well.
literarygoblin's review against another edition
3.0
Any good story has its ups and downs, and it seems we finally met that downward decline in Batman & Robin, Volume Three. Following the strong and intriguing plots of the previous volume, I had high expectations for what I’d encounter in the next story arc, Batman & Robin Must Die!, but perhaps those expectations should have been lower.
From the first issue of this book, I felt lost - the script for this book was consistently flimsy and unclear, and it felt as if writer Grant Morrison had no intention of making it make sense. This, unfortunately, was quite the departure from the previous installments in this series, which always managed to bring together plot elements even if they didn’t initially make sense. I could see throughout this first arc that beneath the lackluster writer there was a promising plot that could have been very engaging, however, it continually got lost.
For me, one of the only real strengths of Batman & Robin Must Die! was Morrison’s characterization of the Joker. The strange style of writing suited this character perfectly, making all of the scenes featuring the Joker the most dynamic and interesting of the story arc.
The artwork of the first three issues as well was underwhelming and even distracting. Frazer Irving has a very distinct art style, especially when compared to other comic book artists, however, it is not a style that appeals to me. For the most part, his depiction of the characters was uncomfortable and strange (which only suited the Joker, who was drawn to perfection), and they became even more so when juxtaposed with panels that depicted Gotham, which is done so beautifully in comparison. Irving has a strong style, however, I don’t think it fits the stories of Batman.
Despite all these criticisms, which made me incredibly hesitant about what else was to come in the series, issues four and five of the book offered redemption for Batman & Robin. Four, entitled Black Mass, is a larger issue, giving Morrison the opportunity to truly wrap up the story he was telling in 1-3. The plot here was told much better than in the previous issues, although it still remained somewhat flimsy, and it felt truly like a Batman adventure. It had action and conflict that was engaging, and it once again showed us the relationships between characters, which felt all but forgotten in the issues prior. The end of issue three revealed the return of Bruce Wayne, and in Black Mass it was an absolute delight to see the way he and Dick Grayson bounced off each other. With just a few lines I could feel the familiarity and history between the two, and it was an absolute joy to see them work together again.
Another highlight of Black Mass was the change of artists - because this is a large-sized issue, it featured three artists telling the story. Irving’s art continued in this story, but it was the addition of Cameron Stewart and Chris Burnham’s style that really gave this story the Batman element that it had been missing. Admittedly, I was happy not to be looking at Irving’s style anymore.
Finally, the book ends on Planet Gotham, the issue that sets the series on it’s next course. It introduced an intriguing new plot that builds anticipation for the upcoming stories, however, this issue itself didn’t feel like much of a story on it’s own - it was simply Morrison laying the groundwork for what’s to come. Nonetheless, this last issue reinvigorated my excitement for the series, and I’m really hoping that the final book is as strong as books one and two, and Batman & Robin, Volume Three, unfortunately, the biggest letdown of the series thus far.
tabman678's review
5.0
Batman and Robin vol 3 is an amazing journey and a great cap to what has come before. AND a really good beginning to Batman Incorporated.
You know the drill, this takes place in a run of Grant Morrison Batman comics and at the very least (and I mean very VERY least) should have read the first two volumes of Batman and Robin and The Return of Bruce Wayne. Even still Batman R.I.P would be a help because this has lot's of familar faces and elements from that great story.
Hurt is back Masquerading as Thomas Wayne. The new Batman and Robin have to stop him and his ideas of Barbatos worship.The Joker is at play and the city is mass addicted to a new form of drug. All while Bruce is out of commison. (Or is he?)
My only real complaint is that it doesn't always feel like the city is in trouble until the second to last issue. But the art is great, it does a good job of telling the story. And the plot and characters check out. Morrison and his teams have done it again.
Well worth the read.
5 stars.
You know the drill, this takes place in a run of Grant Morrison Batman comics and at the very least (and I mean very VERY least) should have read the first two volumes of Batman and Robin and The Return of Bruce Wayne. Even still Batman R.I.P would be a help because this has lot's of familar faces and elements from that great story.
Hurt is back Masquerading as Thomas Wayne. The new Batman and Robin have to stop him and his ideas of Barbatos worship.The Joker is at play and the city is mass addicted to a new form of drug. All while Bruce is out of commison. (Or is he?)
My only real complaint is that it doesn't always feel like the city is in trouble until the second to last issue. But the art is great, it does a good job of telling the story. And the plot and characters check out. Morrison and his teams have done it again.
Well worth the read.
5 stars.
just_fighting_censorship's review against another edition
2.0
What the hell did I just read?
After the big reveal of the previous volume I was so excited to dive into this one...
Except I was immediately confused and remained confused for a good portion of the book. I actually thought that maybe my copy was missing pages, it wasn't.
In the last volume Grayson was searching for clues about where Batman was, he thought that he was maybe lost in time...? There was a ton of build up and then in this volume everything was just chaos. Did I miss something? Where was Batman? Who is this weird Wayne ancestor, and why was he saying he was Thomas Wayne? The Pyg storyline with the virus addition was interesting but was also completely overshadowed by the randomness of everything else.
I enjoyed the Joker plot line, but maybe that's just because I happy to understand something.
This whole volume just felt rushed and the return of Batman was very anti-climatic.
Also, Batman Incorporated....
After the big reveal of the previous volume I was so excited to dive into this one...
Except I was immediately confused and remained confused for a good portion of the book. I actually thought that maybe my copy was missing pages, it wasn't.
In the last volume Grayson was searching for clues about where Batman was, he thought that he was maybe lost in time...? There was a ton of build up and then in this volume everything was just chaos. Did I miss something? Where was Batman? Who is this weird Wayne ancestor, and why was he saying he was Thomas Wayne? The Pyg storyline with the virus addition was interesting but was also completely overshadowed by the randomness of everything else.
I enjoyed the Joker plot line, but maybe that's just because I happy to understand something.
This whole volume just felt rushed and the return of Batman was very anti-climatic.
Also, Batman Incorporated....
thisisjon's review against another edition
2.0
Overall this is the lesser of the first three books in this series. Not just the storyline, but the art too. It picks up eventually, but it was missing something for sure. There is too much that doesn’t flow or make total sense for me. Just wasn’t a big fan of this one.
captwinghead's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
This is a very artful book.
I was worried about the covers because I absolutely hate Quitely's art. It's often led to me knocking stars off of books because it's so bloody unpleasant. Luckily, he only did the covers and I believe Finch did the art (or Irving? I'm unsure). The lines and the colors make for a very dark, almost beautiful vibe and I was surprised by it, honestly. I thought they'd run out of interesting ways to draw the Joker but Finch manages it. The action sequences were really well drawn and entertaining.
I'll admit, I've skimmed the last volume of this series and I don't recall much for it. I say that because I found this story pretty confusing. I remember Pyg and that's about it. I wasn't sure why the Joker was here or if I'd seen the other villain before. Part of it was easy enough to follow - Dr. Hurt (?) wants to control Gotham. 'Nuff said. His plan was pretty interesting.
I actually enjoyed Damian in this book which is surprising because everyone is so muted here. Damian is pretty vicious and unforgiving here - especially in his scene with the Joker. It was interesting to see some of that viciousness in Dick's character. While I appreciate Finch's art overall, I hate the way Dick Grayson was drawn in this book. He looked pretty much unrecognizable.
The story was kind of messy once it started to blend the elements with the Joker and Pyg. The Wayne family history was a little confusing because, as I mentioned, I don't remember if a lot of this set up was in the previous volume.
The end story just sets up the Batman Incorporated thing and was pretty weak as a standalone. I did enjoy Damian choosing to work with Dick. Their partnership is the best part of this run.
3.5 stars for stylish art, a pretty cool vibe and some great action sequences.
This is a very artful book.
I was worried about the covers because I absolutely hate Quitely's art. It's often led to me knocking stars off of books because it's so bloody unpleasant. Luckily, he only did the covers and I believe Finch did the art (or Irving? I'm unsure). The lines and the colors make for a very dark, almost beautiful vibe and I was surprised by it, honestly. I thought they'd run out of interesting ways to draw the Joker but Finch manages it. The action sequences were really well drawn and entertaining.
I'll admit, I've skimmed the last volume of this series and I don't recall much for it. I say that because I found this story pretty confusing. I remember Pyg and that's about it. I wasn't sure why the Joker was here or if I'd seen the other villain before. Part of it was easy enough to follow - Dr. Hurt (?) wants to control Gotham. 'Nuff said. His plan was pretty interesting.
I actually enjoyed Damian in this book which is surprising because everyone is so muted here. Damian is pretty vicious and unforgiving here - especially in his scene with the Joker. It was interesting to see some of that viciousness in Dick's character. While I appreciate Finch's art overall, I hate the way Dick Grayson was drawn in this book. He looked pretty much unrecognizable.
The story was kind of messy once it started to blend the elements with the Joker and Pyg. The Wayne family history was a little confusing because, as I mentioned, I don't remember if a lot of this set up was in the previous volume.
The end story just sets up the Batman Incorporated thing and was pretty weak as a standalone. I did enjoy Damian choosing to work with Dick. Their partnership is the best part of this run.
3.5 stars for stylish art, a pretty cool vibe and some great action sequences.
librarimans's review against another edition
5.0
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. This concluding arc leads straight into Batman, Incorporated and ends Morrison's work on this series.
the_graylien's review against another edition
4.0
This chapter is a very pivotal one in writer Grant Morrison's run on the Batman titles.
We see essence of Morrison's (and the involved artists') terrifying, yet psychedelic style as our heroes battles a clan of fiends who worship dark gods. The Joker shows up. Bruce's son Damian (who's taken the mantle of Robin during this series) has his loyalty and mettle tested. And speaking of Bruce...
This one also sets the stage for the "Batman, Incorporated" title, which, in my humble opinion, is one of the coolest ideas for the Batman mythos in quite some time.
The art on the volume shines, as well. We've got Frazer Irving, Cameron Stewart, Chris Burnham, David Finch, covers and variants by Frank Quitely, Ethan van Sciver, Gene Ha... It's just so pretty.
I'd recommend this one to fans of Morrison, fans of great art, and, as usual lately, fans of the Christopher Nolan Bat-films who've yet to discover how great comic books can be.
We see essence of Morrison's (and the involved artists') terrifying, yet psychedelic style as our heroes battles a clan of fiends who worship dark gods. The Joker shows up. Bruce's son Damian (who's taken the mantle of Robin during this series) has his loyalty and mettle tested. And speaking of Bruce...
This one also sets the stage for the "Batman, Incorporated" title, which, in my humble opinion, is one of the coolest ideas for the Batman mythos in quite some time.
The art on the volume shines, as well. We've got Frazer Irving, Cameron Stewart, Chris Burnham, David Finch, covers and variants by Frank Quitely, Ethan van Sciver, Gene Ha... It's just so pretty.
I'd recommend this one to fans of Morrison, fans of great art, and, as usual lately, fans of the Christopher Nolan Bat-films who've yet to discover how great comic books can be.
libra17's review
2.0
I didn't like volume three anywhere near as much as I liked the first two volumes of this series. I feel like the series on a whole could have been done much better, but any issues I had with the first two volumes pale in comparison to my issues with this. The whole book's focal point was Bruce Wayne returning as Batman, rather than the focus being on Dick and Damian as Batman and Robin.