DC Comics Review: Batman and Robin #4

Rating: *** 1/2

A little bit of a letdown with this issue relative to the three previous ones, but it was still very good.  I think the letdown for me came more with the artwork by Philip Tan.  The previous issues with artist Frank Quitely were very good because he tells a good story visually with his artwork.  Tan’s, however, doesn’t do much for me in the issue.  Some parts of the story are too dark and I didn’t enjoy the panel-to-panel storytelling.  Quitely’s artwork gave me a grand epic feeling.  Tan’s work seems cramped and jumbled.  However, the story of this opening arc is still very good.

We open with a villain by the name of Lightning Bug collecting some money from a club owner.  Just as he’s about to pop this guy, the Batmobile swoops in and hovers right behind him.  Lightning Bug makes a break for it and crashes through an apartment window.  He makes his way out of the apartment into the hallway and meets up with who he thinks is Batman and Robin, but is instead the Red Hood and his new partner Scarlett.  The Red Hood has decided to go a different route to fight crime and instead of handing this guy over to the police, the Red Hood cuts his throat and kills him.  “Let the punishment fit the crime” is his new slogan for punishing criminals.

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DC Comics Review: Batman and Robin #1

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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