Batman and Robin The Boy WonderThis is the new hot comic, featuring a story by Frank Miller, writer of one of the finest Batman books ever, the Dark Knight Returns, and art by Jim Lee, who drew the Batman Hush series a few years ago, which briefly put Batman at the top of the sales charts again.
(Some moderate spoilers present in the below review)
The Good: An entertaining beginning to the story with excitement and thrills. Terrific art by Lee and inker Scott Williams.
The Bad: Despite the focus on the "Boy Wonder" this is not a comic for children. Gratuitous T&A early in the story featuring Vicki Vale in a bra and panties. She's been upgraded from mere photographer to snarky columnist who mingles pop culture and sexual innuendo. Mo Dowd with Pam Anderson's body? That part isn't really bad, but typically, she's got such a fantabulous penthouse apartment that you expect a Robin Leech to start raving about it. I doubt very strongly that Mo's place is anywhere near that swank. And ridiculously, Vicki tries to take photographs at night through a car's windshield--like she'd get anything other than the flash on the glass.
Batman purists (like me) will be annoyed at the wholesale changes to the Batman legend. Dick Grayson's parents are gunned down while receiving the applause of the crowd, rather than dying when the sabotaged ropes holding up the trapeze breaks.
This makes the following sequence, where two cops try to convince Dick that his parents weren't murdered, completely ridiculous. Hundreds of people including Bruce and Vicki saw the Graysons gunned down.
Bruce also engages in sexual innuendo, disturbingly aimed at Dick Grayson (who is portrayed here as about 10-11 years old). When Vicki exclaims at his trapeze artistry, Bruce says, "Yeah, I've had my eye on him for awhile. He's something."
Vicki, looking a little peeved, asks, "So why've you had your eye on him?"
"I've got an eye for talent."
Yeeesh. Okay, it's something of an inside joke, and once again, this is no comic for kids. But I don't think we need sexual innuendo about underage boys.
And, uh, the "sonics" attracting the bats is just plain weird. Since when did Batman need help to smack around a quartet of crooked cops?
