Take a photo of a barcode or cover
144 reviews for:
All-Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder Vol. 1. Written by Frank Miller
Jim Lee, Frank Miller
2.78 AVERAGE
144 reviews for:
All-Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder Vol. 1. Written by Frank Miller
Jim Lee, Frank Miller
2.78 AVERAGE
It's hard to know if this is intended to be self-parodic or if Miller really has just gone off the rails.
This is quite possibly the *worst* comic book I've ever read. And damn, I read a lot of them.
I don't know where to start. Frank Miller used to write good Batman stories. He knew Batman intimately, as a character. They were gritty, but at least they were coherent. He understood Bruce Wayne; he understood him as a person, as a hero, as a deeply flawed and messed up person, who for the most part, was *trying* to do something, whatever that something was. Bats was not complex here. In fact, he's about as generic as a stereotypical sociopath is. There's nothing "Batman" about him-- he reads like a caricature of a pulp fiction bad guy. The things he thinks, says, and does, are so out of character that really, he should have just made a new character.
I get that Bruce Wayne isn't Clark Kent, and he never will be. Where Superman is accepting, Batman is doubtful. Where Superman is thoughtful, Batman is calculating. That's part of his personality. This is not that character. This is not the man who Ra's al Ghul refers to as "Detective." This is Alan Moore's Joker-- except, if possible, even worse.
This Batman is ridiculous, and psychotic. He tortures Dick Grayson. Why? Beats me, but boy, is it edgy. He keeps calling himself the "Goddamned Batman." Why? He doesn't have to explain himself to you! He's the Goddamned Batman.™ I'm not going to even get into that Green Lantern bit, because it made me roll my eyes so far up my head, they honestly could have gotten stuck that way. Nothing he does makes any sense at all. And it's not the kind of nonsensical violent behavior you read and go: "Oh, well he's literally insane, so..."
It's the kind of nonsensical violent behavior you read and go: "Oh, for fuck's sake, we get it! You're unhinged! Corrupt! You stared at the abyss and it stared back at you! Shut up already, Nietzsche!"
I'm not even going to go into how female characters are treated here, because honestly, with this kind of horrible agency and development for the main character, what else would you expect for other characters?
I think the worst thing of all is that way back when I saw Sucker Punch, this was immediately what I thought of. That's not a good thing.
I don't know what the hell happened here. I understand some people think this was a critique of that "edgy, dark Batman" a lot of readers like, but honestly? I think that's giving this way too much credit. As someone who literally analyzes and critiques literature on a daily basis, this is quite simply, really bad writing. Are there people who write badly on purpose? To parody things like tropes & archetypes? Naturally. Frank Miller is not one of those people.
I don't know where to start. Frank Miller used to write good Batman stories. He knew Batman intimately, as a character. They were gritty, but at least they were coherent. He understood Bruce Wayne; he understood him as a person, as a hero, as a deeply flawed and messed up person, who for the most part, was *trying* to do something, whatever that something was. Bats was not complex here. In fact, he's about as generic as a stereotypical sociopath is. There's nothing "Batman" about him-- he reads like a caricature of a pulp fiction bad guy. The things he thinks, says, and does, are so out of character that really, he should have just made a new character.
I get that Bruce Wayne isn't Clark Kent, and he never will be. Where Superman is accepting, Batman is doubtful. Where Superman is thoughtful, Batman is calculating. That's part of his personality. This is not that character. This is not the man who Ra's al Ghul refers to as "Detective." This is Alan Moore's Joker-- except, if possible, even worse.
This Batman is ridiculous, and psychotic. He tortures Dick Grayson. Why? Beats me, but boy, is it edgy. He keeps calling himself the "Goddamned Batman." Why? He doesn't have to explain himself to you! He's the Goddamned Batman.™ I'm not going to even get into that Green Lantern bit, because it made me roll my eyes so far up my head, they honestly could have gotten stuck that way. Nothing he does makes any sense at all. And it's not the kind of nonsensical violent behavior you read and go: "Oh, well he's literally insane, so..."
It's the kind of nonsensical violent behavior you read and go: "Oh, for fuck's sake, we get it! You're unhinged! Corrupt! You stared at the abyss and it stared back at you! Shut up already, Nietzsche!"
I'm not even going to go into how female characters are treated here, because honestly, with this kind of horrible agency and development for the main character, what else would you expect for other characters?
I think the worst thing of all is that way back when I saw Sucker Punch, this was immediately what I thought of. That's not a good thing.
I don't know what the hell happened here. I understand some people think this was a critique of that "edgy, dark Batman" a lot of readers like, but honestly? I think that's giving this way too much credit. As someone who literally analyzes and critiques literature on a daily basis, this is quite simply, really bad writing. Are there people who write badly on purpose? To parody things like tropes & archetypes? Naturally. Frank Miller is not one of those people.
I read it to see if it was as bad as everyone said. It was actually worse than I expected.
Review in the style of the book:
It's the goddamn Frank Miller and it don't need any goddamn narrative development or female character that don't make you goddamn puke so f*ck you, you goddamn retarded whore.
Sigh. This was so bad it hurts.
It's the goddamn Frank Miller and it don't need any goddamn narrative development or female character that don't make you goddamn puke so f*ck you, you goddamn retarded whore.
Sigh. This was so bad it hurts.