Frank Miller's All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #10

All Star Batman and Robin #10
Frank Miller's All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder has caught flack since its beginning for breaking the mold of the respectable Cape Crusader and deploying the ultimate, scruffy-faced badass.

But for those willing to truly indulge in the power of Miller's words, the ASBR series has done its part to help slack the jaws of the faithful, emitting poetic character interactions and thought bubbles. ASBR #10 does not just contain good writing, it contains GREAT writing, perhaps the best of the series.

There have been multiple threads strewn across the Internet completely bashing #10. The reasons behind that are hard to fathom, let alone dissect, since the issue does far more for the series than one might think.

Perhaps the pacing of the plot-lines are a bit slow, but one has to appreciate the depth Miller is trying to achieve. Remember, this is MILLER'S UNIVERSE, fully disjointed from the D.C. spectrum. ASBR #10 is simply the downward force on the springboard, one that will launch the series into comic book history as a truly great piece of fiction. An epic culmination is inevitable, as the characters inch closer and closer to each other.

Small clips of the characters' progression throughout Gotham provides a back-story filled with sadness, revenge and violent justice that simply hints of a complex future.

#10 introduces the spectacled lieutenant James Gordon as he walks the shores of Gotham City, contemplating the past and not-so-certain future of the gloomy, city streets. The opening scene screams noir, something one would expect to read in a comic based off a Raymond Chandler novel. Perhaps Miller's style is frustrating for the impatient adrenaline junkies out there waiting for the next flesh-ripping beat down or cold-blooded murder. One should recall the old saying, though - patience is a virtue. There is no doubt that those who wait for the series to really explode will be surely rewarded.

The Black Canary makes an appearance as the red-hot crimefighter, literally burning down scenes with her almost psychotic presence and will to damn evil to hell.

Batgirl continues on her journey, although this issue features a run-in with a foe that falls a lot closer to home - the police. But Batgirl knows that certain "connections" will get her out of the dog house soon enough.

The Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder are used primarily to help flex Jim Lee's artistic muscles. Batman and Robin are the main focus of the best scenes in the book visually. Their time to bash the skulls of evil will come soon enough. Remember, be patient.

4.5/5