July
20
Stories for Boys
All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder #1
Creators: Frank Miller, writer; Jim Lee and Scott Williams, artists
DC Comics, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? All the hoopla of Comic-Con and I only managed to read this one comicbook while I was there. This is the much-hyped debut of DC's All-Star line and the return of Miller and Lee to Batman in a story that basically starts everything over with a new origin for Dick Grayson, soon to become Robin. The book looks fantastic (no surprise with Lee, Williams and colorist Alex Sinclair) with really solid coloring and production values, and reads quickly and easily. It's hardly a deep, satisfying read, but it does do a good job of being entertaining in a cool enough way that anyone who liked "Batman Begins" will have no troubles jumping right in. Some parents of younger kids may prefer that Lee draw Vicki Vale a little less ... hot ... but most boys will be glad to keep that a secret. The book succeeds admirably at being accessible and entertaining, even as it lacks the hard-core edge that longtime fans would prefer to see from these creators. This kind of material could easily develop into a huge, mainstream hit for DC even if fanboys prefer to keep it dark. Grade: B+
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"Accessible" in the sense that a new reader can pick it up and know what's going on, yes, but I hardly think THIS http://tinyurl.com/87guv belongs in a book called "All-Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder," let alone references to child rape, cursing, and scenes of our female lead being clubbed by a policeman. This is far from the mainstream, kid-friendly, market-expanding, industry-revitalizing achievement it could have been.
Posted by: Leigh Walton | July 20, 2005 at 06:37 PM
While it did raise an eye, I don't think the sexy Vicki Vale was any worse than what kids are going to see on TV, billboards, magazines, etc. The other elements you mention are part and parcel of the Batman concept, which is very dark. Readers too young for this book can still read The Batman Strikes! but I expect a lot of bookstore readers will pick this up in trade format and really enjoy it.
Posted by: Tom McLean | July 20, 2005 at 07:54 PM