All-Star Batman and Robin #5
I’m going to go ahead and issue a SPOILER ALERT, but if you’ve actually read the comic, the idea that a SPOILER ALERT is even necessary will probably send you into fits of laughter that will result in hospitalization.
Three things happen in this comic: Wonder Woman gets bitchy, Batman beats the crap out of some rapists, and Robin picks up an axe.
I’m serious. That’s the whole comic.
All-Star Batman and Robin is a series written by Frank Miller, penciled by Jim Lee, and inked by Scott Williams. It’s yet another trip to the well of Batman’s past: in this case, it’s a “reinterpretation” of Batman’s recruitment of Dick Grayson, who will become Robin, the Boy Wonder.
Frank Miller stated years ago that American comics were often too “constipated,” too filled with text, making them a chore to read. His answer, like that of many other writers today, is to stretch out the story to the point where it crawls by slower than a parapalegic turtle. As I said, issue #5 has only three plot points and I’m being charitable in calling them such.
I’ve never been a big fan of complaining that an industry legend’s older work was better, because often that’s a smokescreen for wanting an artist to remain like a fly stuck in amber. In this case, however, I feel comfortable leveling that criticism at Miller. He’s clearly a victim of his own success, and his writing now goes to such ridiculous levels of excess that it is naught but a parody of his earlier, better works.
The problem with Miller’s writing today is that his characters are virtually incapable of displaying anything but wild extremes of emotion. In ASBR #5, Wonder Woman is filled with spite towards men, being an Amazon who is new to our bi-gendered world. So when the nascent JLA — also including Superman, Green Lantern, and Plastic Man — debates what to do about the Batman, she stomps around, hurls insults, threatens everyone, and demands that they kill the Batman.
Most of the characterization in the book is like this, with people remaining at an emotional Defcon 1. Without quieter moments against which to contrast these passionate extremes, the characters come across as flat and unengaging.
Moreover, Miller’s affection for violence has become a near-fetish. When Batman kicks the hell out of some rapists, we are treated to panels that consist of nothing but the sound effect “Krunch” repeated over and over, spattered blood, and a rapists’ busted arm that is broken to the point where it bends in the wrong direction. Batman instructs the rapists’ intended victim not to call the cops, nor an ambulance: he wants these scumbags to suffer pain that they’ll remember for a lifetime. It’s the worst kind of fanboy masturbation, a Walter Mitty-esque fantasy in lieu of an actual story.
The intended victim, by the way, joins in the fun by kicking one of the injured rapists in the crotch rather than displaying the kind of fear that any normal human being would in that kind of situation. Again, Miller’s lost the knack for writing characters that act like people.
Dick Grayson, meanwhile, has been stuck in the Batcave by Batman in an attempt to harden the boy. At the end of the book, he begins exploring the cave, picks up an axe, and with a gleam in his eye says, “Cool.” This youngster who watched the brutal murder of his parents only to be subsequently kidnapped by the Batman adapts to his situation rather quickly.
The art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams is pretty. Unlike some of the other Image boys, Lee knows how to tell a story with some degree of competence. But the art lacks subtlety, just like Miller’s writing.
What scares the hell out of me is how late this book has been. I hope it’s because of the art. I mean, how long could it take Miller to write these vapid scripts?
Frank Miller is still deserving of being recongized as a legend. The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, Daredevil: Born Again, and Ronin have assured him of a place in the firmament. But for God’s sake, what the hell happened to him since then???
May 26th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
Yeah, the sad thing on my end being that I haven’t even read the book. Miller on a Marvel or DC book used to mean a no thought pick-up. It was just something that was done. Then something began to change.
Miller was still doing work on non-hero books that was good, but any of his trips back into heroland seemed to be missing something as far back as the early 90’s. Even his return to the Batman for his Dark Night Strikes Again series was… I don’t know… Not bad so much as just missing something. It was the first book I had heavy regrets about dropping the $$$$ for after reading it.
Miller’s name just doesn’t sell me the way it used to. Now, if I see his name on something, I’m more likely to wait for the TPB to come out and get the feedback of people I trust before even picking it up.
May 28th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
Miller has one really big problem.
He’s Frank Miller.
(Okay, guys, give Dick Grayson the axe back.)
What I mean, is, he’s trying to out Miller himself. People think of all the great things that he’s done, and brother are there a lot of them, so it seems like anything he does lately is trying to outdo his past hero stuff. But dark brooding uberserious ultravi stuff only goes so far. BUT-and this is a big but-that’s what Miller’s fans expect. So that’s what he keeps cranking out. With Frank Miller, like with any of the really good ones, you know what to expect. But too many of the people out there want more morE moRE mORE MORE! So, Miller and his editors try to give the people what they think they want, more Prototypical Miller. What they don’t REALIZE they want is Miller just being Miller, telling deep stories, engaging stories, stories with (GASP!) words in ‘em. Some of his older stuff was pretty text-intensive, just not dialogue heavy, but the story gripped you because it had depth. Reviewers don’t talk about Miller and depth. They talk about the action, the violence, the darkness. But the only reason that anyone cared was because of the characters that he wrote.
June 18th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Miller HAS become a parody of himself! :\
Sadly, I think this is common with many “great” creators, ppl who in their younger days not only were famous but were heaped and heaped and heaped with praise and developed a huge following.
In Miller’s case, I think it’s 2 fold. :\ He’s bought into the “Frank Miller is a genius who writes great mainstream breaking dark fiction” press too much and that’s now all he’s trying to be, and at the same time, he’s trying to push the envelope again.
The problem is that thanks to DKR, the industry’s alrdy done that, and in order for him to be different from mainstream comics that are alrdy dark (Identity Crisis, Infinite Crisis, Civil War), he has to go even crazier!
At least that’s what *I* think is happening XDD
I totally agree with your post and I’m glad at least somebody isn’t taking the opinion that ASBAR #5 must be brilliant parody simply b/c nothing could be that bad XD
June 18th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
All I know is, this whole issue is lame - it definately did not make up for how late it was with clever story and great art. DC better make this one returnable to Diamond!
June 18th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
Frank Miller has simply become a parody of himself.
June 18th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Ok, wow, I didn’t even know there were other comments, and lo, they have also come to the exact same conclusion. Yep, he’s lost it.
December 20th, 2007 at 7:29 am
I agree with Sean, when it comes to Miller, people just expect too much of him. When it comes to Miller people always want another Dark Knight Returns or Daredevil Born Again. He is a victim of his own success, and he thinks that everyone will buy and gobble up everything he dishes out.Wasn’t he the one who ‘brought Kane’s Batman’, the one who ‘made comics darker’ , inspired ‘batman the animated series and batman begins’. No, it was Denny O’Neil that brought back Kane’s Batman, it’s Denny’s Batman they are now doing in comics. Comics were already dark even before, Miller took it to extremes that no one wants to go there again. No, it was Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and other people’s vision that made BTAS a success and brought back the real Batman, instead of the darker one in comics and DKR. Anyway, like I said, people give him too much credit even for stuff he was indirectly responsible for.