DC Comics Review: Batman and Robin #3

Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,

Rating: *** 1/2*

Grant Morrison continues his run on Batman and Robin with issue three of the Circus of Strange storyline.  In our last issue, Damian had quit being Robin and went off alone to stop the Circus of Strange.  His arrogance resulted only in him getting captured by the Circus’ leader, a man by the name of Pyg. 

When DC Comics decided to go in this direction of having a new Batman and Robin with Dick Grayson as Batman and Damian Wayne as Robin, they wanted to have a role reversal.  Batman was always the dark character and Robin the lighter character.  With Dick and Damian as the Dynamic Duo, the roles are reversed: Dick is the “light” and Damian is the “dark”.  I was interested in seeing if they could make this a success, but my feeling was that if Dick’s Batman is portrayed as this happy go lucky crime fighter, the image of Batman would not work and readers would reject the idea of Dick as Batman and demand the return of Bruce Wayne to the role.

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DC Comics Review: Batman and Robin #2

Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,

Rating: ****

Wow.  I just can’t believe how much I’m enjoying Batman and Robin.  I know I’ve said this in my review for issue one, but after reading Batman: RIP and Final Crisis, I thought there is no way I would enjoy anything from Grant Morrison from here on out.  Batman and Robin #2 is a big home run for DC Comics.  I don’t know what it is, but Grant is just rocking and rolling right now.

In the last issue we saw the Circus of Strange hit Gotham City with their own weird secret agenda and here in this issue the new Batman and Robin face off against them in Gotham Police Headquarters.  The new dynamic duo also come face to face with Commissioner Gordon and he notices that this is not the old Batman and Robin that he’s known over the past few years.  He gives them a pass, but I’m not sure if he’s going to do that again as Damian takes things a little too far.

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DC Comics Review: Batman and Robin #1

Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,

Rating: *** 1/2*

The new era of the Batman begins today in Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely “Batman and Robin”. As any reader of Comix 411 knows, I have not been kind to Mr Morrison and his work on the “Batman” title and the miniseries “Final Crisis” over the past year. Where many readers and other comic book reviewers have given him praise, I have been one of the few who have disliked the stories that Mr Morrison has laid out before us. I made a promise to myself that if I didn’t like the first issue of “Batman and Robin,” I would drop it immediately and not even give it a second chance. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t expecting to like it, but for whatever the reason, I will be collecting this title because this first issue was great!

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I really liked the story that Grant Morrison has set up here. It’s different. It’s certainly not the Batman we have known over the years and not simply because of the new people in the roles of Batman and Robin. The one negative thing about this book is Mr Quitely artwork. I’m not a huge fan of Frank Quitely. Although there are certain times that I’ve seen him draw some cool images, overall his work on a full 22 page comic usually leaves me wanting a much more traditional artist’s interpretation of comic characters - someone like Andy Kubert. I know Mr. Quitely will not be penciling every issue of “Batman and Robin” because he’s slow and can’t keep up the monthly pace of a comic book so I hope DC will give Andy a shot to fill in. I do like the splash page where Mr Quitley has the new Batman and Robin jumping out of the flying Batmobile. Yup, the new Batman and Robin have a flying Batmobile. There’s that and more.

Lets begin….

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