“In a discussion on a website about pushing comics to phones, someone suggested that ALL-STAR BATMAN could be redone with text-message dialogue: LOL R U A TARD IM TEH GD BATMAN” —Warren Ellis on his Bad Signal mailing list
About Dave
Dave "The Game" Chalker is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of Critical Hits. Since 2005, he has been bringing readers game news and advice, as well as editing nearly everything published here. He is the designer of the Origins Award-winning Get Bit!, a freelance designer and developer, son of a science fiction author, and a Master of Arts. He lives in MD with e and at least three dogs.
I love Warren Ellis, he is definitely a full-on dork working in the comic’s business. I also happen to enjoy most of what he’s written.
All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder was very strange to me at first, and it seemed that Frank Miller was deviating way too far from what almost everyone views as being the ‘quintessential’ Batman. However, when I found out that this series was meant to be the story told from Robin’s perspective it changed my view of his writing in an extreme way. The characterization makes sense in that light, and it’s actually very good in that light too. Obviously Jim Lee’s artwork is fantastic in the series so far, and that helps make it enjoyable no matter what the story is like. However, to me it seems that DC should have marketed this story as a seperate batman run, with the focus being advertised as being strongly on Robin and not on Batman. As an All-Star title, with what DC has said they’re attempting to do, it is a very poor fit.
This is in no way the ‘quintessential’ batman story. But I still enjoy it, and I like the first 2 issues, it just does not seem like DC has taken this in the right direction to compete with Marvel’s Ultimate line, and we ALL know that’s what this is trying to do.