[facsm]

There will be spoilers.

I'm not sure about you, but the tone of this series of comic books seemed way out of touch with Miller's earlier pieces in the early Batman years. I almost felt it nearly not worth telling because of the excellent job that "Dark Reckoning" did with introducing Dick Grayson to the fold.

Batman is too crass and he talks too much smack about the other heroes... mostly out of jealousy for he has no super powers. He has Superman do his bidding for him Select the black box below with your cursor to view the spoiler text

(running across the ocean while carrying a car with a doctor in it) and has Robin paint a safe house's interior all yellow for an encounter with Hal Jordan. The result of which is that he has to trache Jordan because Robin nearly kills the poor fool!

I'm the goddamn Batman. Congratulations, I don't freaking care for your attitude!

This reboot came at a time where there was also an All Star Superman but DC ultimately favored rebooting the entirety of their franchise. Thus rendering some great stories of the 2000s and earlier in the dumper.

To be fair, I've gotten to end of volume 1 where Select the black box below with your cursor to view the spoiler text

hero and side-kick are weeping in each other's arms, mourning their respective parents and for their future together.

For the sake of convo, let's also talk about "The Man Who Laughs" and other iconic stories before the reboot.

[Viraus]

Dick Grayson, Age Twelve.

[Isaac]

Originally Posted by Viraus

Dick Grayson, Age Twelve.

I've had my eye on him for a while.

[gilaskan]

All-Star Batman is Frank Miller doing self-parody of the grim, over-serious Batman which consequently came from too many writers trying to imitate his own Dark Knight Returns. He is crazy, though. Miller. But it's still self-parody. It's not quite as good as Dark Knight Strikes Again, though, as far as self-parody goes.

[Konnor]

I just love it. Batman's meetings with the Green Lantern is all of the comedy.

[Viraus]

Originally Posted by Konnor

I just love it. Batman's meetings with the Green Lantern is all of the comedy.

Damn you and your lemonade!

[facsm]

Originally Posted by gilaskan

All-Star Batman is Frank Miller doing self-parody of the grim, over-serious Batman which consequently came from too many writers trying to imitate his own Dark Knight Returns. He is crazy, though. Miller. But it's still self-parody. It's not quite as good as Dark Knight Strikes Again, though, as far as self-parody goes.

OH! Self-parody. And which writers have tried to imitate him?

[gilaskan]

Originally Posted by facsm

OH! Self-parody. And which writers have tried to imitate him?

All of them. Basically every mainstream writer of Batman was following in his footsteps in some degree or another following Dark Knight Returns. DKR was revolutionary. The character literally changed overnight, in terms of how people wrote him. Batman was a good hero from 1939 through the early 50's, but when the comic code hit, Batman was disproportionately affected- moreso than any other superhero, Batman was completely neutered and very quickly became one of the worst running comics of the 50's and 60's. Despite some new respectability brought back to the character in the 70's, it wasn't until DKR that Batman really became "the writer's comic," and saw a string of outstanding graphic novels from Arkham Asylum to Long Halloween to Year One.

Seriously, even non-Batman writers were influenced by DKR. DKR & Watchmen (in the same year, no less) were a one-two punch of revolution in the comic industry. With it's enormous influence on the literary qualities of comics, inevitably, there were plenty of people who copied elements like the treatment of Batman himself. They copied the superfluous elements of how Miller wrote the character, rather than understanding the contextual value of the character. Miller's Batman was a product of his own alternate timeline- not meant to be a representation of how the character had always been. A lot of writers started writing even YOUNG Batman very similarly how Miller wrote old, alt-timeline Batman of DKR. All-Star Batman is Miller writing a story about young Batman who is crazy, out of control, and a complete exaggeration of the people who copied him.

[facsm]

A powerful image I remember from Superman/ Batman: Public Enemies was Bruce Wayne moping around in a car on the outskirts of Smallville while Alfred fixes a tire. Clark Kent could have met him had he knocked on the window to introduce himself.

I figure this as happening around the time just after the Waynes were murdered.

But that series was written by Jeph Loeb... So you're saying he shouldn't have been this way?

[gilaskan]

I'm not saying it's BAD that Frank Miller changed everything. In fact, I'd argue that it's GOOD Frank Miller was imitated by so many people. As said, he turned Batman into the premiere title that writers/artists WANTED to write/draw for, moreso than any other character, which is why we've had Alan Moore, Jeph Loeb, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, Dave McKean, David Mazzuccheli, Greg Rucka, Tim Sale, Jim Lee and so forth all work on the title. Regardless, What I'm saying is that Miller is still creating a self-parody. He's making a caricature of the character he created and inspired everyone else to write for.

[Alex Weitzman]

SCRIPT NOTE: I'm shameless, Jim. Let's go for an ASS SHOT.

[SKYCOK4 B.]

"I'm having a date with Bruce Wayne!"

[SKYCOK4 B.]

Originally Posted by Alex Weitzman

SCRIPT NOTE: I'm shameless, Jim. Let's go for an ASS SHOT.

=All of DC's art direction foreverz

[gilaskan]

Originally Posted by SKYCOK4 B.

=All of DC's art direction foreverz

Yep.

And Marvel.



"THIS IS HOW WOMEN LOOK WHEN THEY'RE ALONE, RIGHT GUYS?"

"NOT ENOUGH ASS, BUT YOU'RE LEARNING. TRY HARDER NEXT TIME."

[Bane]

[facsm]

Originally Posted by gilaskan

Yep.

And Marvel.



"THIS IS HOW WOMEN LOOK WHEN THEY'RE ALONE, RIGHT GUYS?"

"NOT ENOUGH ASS, BUT YOU'RE LEARNING. TRY HARDER NEXT TIME."

Is that from an article? The picture won't hotlink.

[gilaskan]

Originally Posted by facsm

Is that from an article? The picture won't hotlink.

That's weird, I'm still seeing it. It's the art from the cover of Amazing Spider-Man 601.

Also here-

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__..._Vol_1_601.jpg

[facsm]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...5lmOdB76I&NR=1

[gilaskan]

Originally Posted by facsm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...5lmOdB76I&NR=1

What a stupid video.

[FightingDreamer]

Originally Posted by SKYCOK4 B.

"I'm having a date with Bruce Wayne!"

I can't read this and not hear Linkara's hilarious put-on Vicki Vale voice.

[Viraus]

Originally Posted by FightingDreamer

I can't read this and not hear Linkara's hilarious put-on Vicki Vale voice.

His delivery of that "ass shot" line is etched in my brain forever.

[Jaws]

Originally Posted by Alex Weitzman

SCRIPT NOTE: I'm shameless, Jim. Let's go for an ASS SHOT.

[ShocKed]

Originally Posted by facsm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...5lmOdB76I&NR=1

Jesus Christ, what a bunch of utterly pathetic douches....

[ShocKed]

Yeah, I have to bump this thread....

....mostly because it genuinely sickens me that complete fuck-ups like the ones in that video are the arbiters for success in comics.

[Jaws]

Yeah, I've seen a couple of their videos before. They're painful.

[Q & T]

Originally Posted by FightingDreamer

I can't read this and not hear Linkara's hilarious put-on Vicki Vale voice.

Urgh, Linkara.