Batman and Robin (2009-2011): Dark Knight Vs. White Knight

Grant Morrison finished his run on this series, brought Bruce Wayne back, and was off to continue his Bat-story in another new title, "Batman Inc". But alas, that does not mean the adventures of Dick Grayson as (a) Batman and Damien Wayne as Robin have to end. This compilation contains the last nine issues of the series, 17-25, before the big reboot of September 2011. They are split into three stories, three chapters each, with three different creative teams.The first story is "The Sum of Her Parts" written by Paul Cornell and illustrated (mostly) by Scott McDaniel. An old flame of Bruce is murdered by a yacht heist gone terribly wrong while her body goes missing. An investigation leads to an enemy who loathes Bruce Wayne and will strike at his "Batmen" to get their message across. A really good story that highlights the differences between Bruce and Dick and how their greatest strengths can become their greatest weaknesses. The artwork was good but could get confusing as to what one is looking at if too many objects overlapped.The next story, "Tree of Blood", highlights the title of the compilation, Dark Knight, White Knight, as Batman and Robin battle an enemy named the White Knight. Somehow he is connected to people dressing as angels and committing suicide. Very good and engaging story written by Peter Tomasi re-teaming with his Green Lantern Corps illustrator, Patrick Gleason, who does a fine job himself.The final story, "The Streets Run Red" is written by Judd Winick and illustrated by Greg Tocchini, Guillem March, and a couple other artists. March is the strongest of the bunch. Jason Todd gets a transfer from Arkham Asylum to a regular prison and Batman and Robin want to find out why and stop him. This is the weakest of the trilogy and why I knocked off a star. Winick tries to throw aside how Morrison made fun of Todd earlier in this series by making him too much of a bad---. He also is way too cocky and bests Batman and Robin way too easily and often. The story is really flat as well. It boils down to a team-up for a simple rescue mission.Overall, a very good and exciting bat book featuring Dick as Batman and Damien as Robin. The main component that really makes this series work. It is a fun dynamic to have the roles of this dynamic duo reversed as to the brooding, dark, scowling Bruce Wayne and upbeat, smiling, bantering Dick/Tim Robin. That is why I am skeptical about the New DC's Batman and Robin, where we get both Waynes and their dark demeanor. But Tomasi and Gleason showed in this story there might be some hope for a good series.

As much as I adore the Dick Grayson-era Batman books I never actually got into Grant Morrison's Batman & Robin series, though I often see it widely praised. I think this stems from the fact that I'm not a big fan of Grant Morrison's writing style in general and though he doesn't write this volume of the series, his presence and influence can be felt throughout the book. Dark Knight vs White Knight collects three disparate story arcs that form the final run of the Batman & Robin series before the New 52 reboot. At this point in the timeline, Bruce Wayne has returned from the dead but is off traveling the world setting up his Batman Inc initiative (putting a new Batman in every country). Dick still serves as the Batman of Gotham with Damien as his Robin and this book sees them up against a variety of bizarre and kind of goofy villains. The first arc sees them come up against Absence: a former, vindictive girlfriend of Bruce Wayne's who was shot in the head but survived. When Bruce never came to her funeral (due to his being lost in time and presumed dead) she grows jealous and starts committing crimes to seek his attention, all as an elaborate cover for her plan to execute the men who shot her. Oh and she also has a massive hole in her head because she apparently has a medical condition where her skull is mostly empty... which looks stupid as all hell. For a lame vindictive ex story-line, she sure gets the drop on Batman and Robin throughout her arc.Next up is the titular Dark Knight vs White Knight arc wherein a new villain (the White Knight) starts targeting the family members of any former Arkham patients. It is an intriguing idea and the villain's design is otherworldly and cool, but the arc never really explains him that well and it is the shortest arc of the book. How he tracked down the identities of all of Arkham's families or why he seems to a being made of light is all summed up in a few off hand expository lines. The final arc sees Jason Todd return as the Red Hood only to be arrested and sentenced to a general population prison where he beings murdering the inmates. Batman and Robin arrive to try and get a handle on the situation only for Todd to be broken out by a group of mercenaries who are all (sigh) half human and half animals. This arc is arguably the best of the book thanks to its exploration of Jason's fractured relationship with Bruce and Dick, but the goofy villains derails it a bit. Overall the book does have tremendous artwork throughout, but the lackluster villains and the fact that Dick and Damien continually get one-upped and out maneuvered by the likes of Absence makes this one of the weaker books from the Batman Reborn era in my opinion.

I really enjoyed the stories and art in this collection. The stories weren't as disjointed as the Morrison run that came before it. The dynamic between Dick and Damian is more interesting in this too. Damian is still a cocky little kid in this but has more moments where he is tolerable.

This book was cool.. it had 3 stories. First was about this girl who Bruce Wayne dumped and she was killed. Shot in the head and left with a hole in head. She did not want to be forgotten and she went after the Bat family. She was kind of annoying and she got away. The second story was with the a villian who made people kill themselves. He was killing off the relatives of most of the villians in Arkam. Felt he was getting rid of them before they turned evil. The last story was the best. The return of the Red Hood. He asked to be transferred from Arkan to a regular correction. He causing havoc and some people want to break him out and Batman and Robin have to save him and stop him and of course the Red Hood as well. Overall these four Morrison books were cool. Damien and Grayson work well together even though they have differences

While some of the art was not my favorite, this original take on Batman (Dick Grayson) and Robin was entertaining. I liked the first few collected stories in this run much better than this entry, but it's worth looking at for those who want the full story.

Very happy customer.

DC comics during the last few years has not been doing well despite their efforts with the New 52. The consistency has suffered the most but this is one of the few books written extremely well. The artwork can be spotty at times but overall very solid.

I enjoyed reading this a lot. It's not the best of the series, but it's still a really solid comic and if you liked the first 3 you'll like this too

Although the combination of Dick Grayson and Damiyan Wayne as Batman & Robin has its charms (their unique chemistry had made many of us persist with the labyrynthine arc of Grant Morrison's Batman saga), in this book that combination is brought down by the weakness of the stories. Even then, they are very good. But I am sorry that in comparison with the stunning story-lines of the other arcs, this one falls considerably short.

This book is definitely worth a try, the storyline is great, very enjoyable, the characters are likable and funny when needed, the art is fantastic, it’s good to look at. I recommend this book to anyone who loves comics or just interested in getting to know the genre.

Item arrived on time and as described. Thanks.

Nachdem Grant Morrison die "Batman & Robin"-Reihe abgegeben hat, fällt leider das Niveau. Der "Band Batman & Robin: Dark Knight, White Knight" umfasst drei dreiteilige Geschichten: "The Sum of Her Parts", "Tree of Blood" und "The Streets Run Red". Dick Grayson ist weiterhin Batman, während Bruce Wayne nur hin und wieder als Batman auftaucht. Achtung: Es folgen minimale Spoiler."The Sum of Her Parts" bietet bis auf die Antagonistin wenig Neues. Eine verflossene Liebe von Bruce Wayne wird bei einem Überfall vermeintlich getötet, kehrt zurück (wie soll hier nicht verraten werden, erfordert aber viel Zugeständnisse seitens des Lesers) und schwört Rache. Das Motiv Rache wurde in den Batman-Comics facettenreich abgearbeitet. Diese Geschichte fügt dem leider wenig hinzu, sondern bleibt schal und vorhersehbar. Der Antagonistin fehlt es an Tiefe, um überhaupt Interesse zu wecken. Erst auf den letzten drei Seiten gewinnt die Geschichte an Fahrt - leider zu spät. (zwei Sterne)Rache steht auch in der zweiten Geschichte im Mittelpunkt - allerdings bedeutend origineller umgesetzt. In "Tree of Blood" taucht der titelgebende White Knight auf, der ganz bestimmte Personen aus Gotham töten will. Welche, soll nicht verraten werden, denn gerade dies macht die Geschichte so interessant. Insgesamt ist die Geschichte deutlich spannender, aber zu kurz. Die Story beschränkt sich auf ein Katz-und-Maus-Spiel zwischen Batman, Robin und dem White Knight. Hier wurde erzählerisches Potential verschwendet. (vier Sterne)In der dritten Geschichte "The Streets Run Red" taucht Red Hood auf. Highlight ist der Anfangsdialog zwischen Batman (Bruce Wayne) und Red Hood, der Bruce Wayne immer wieder versucht, in ein Gespräch über die Rückkehr vom Tod zu verwickeln. Ansonsten plätschert die Geschichte wenig spannend vor sich hin. Im Mittelpunkt steht Red Hood, der unerwartete Hilfe beim Ausbruch aus dem Gefängnis bekommt. Batman und Robin versuchen Red Hood einzufangen, sehen sich aber bald gezwungen, Red Hood zu unterstützen. Leider strotzt die Handlung der Geschichte an Logiklöchern und infantilen Dialogen, insbesondere zwischen Robin und Red Hood. (zwei Sterne)Die Zeichnungen sind überwiegend gut gelungen. Allerdings waren mehrere Zeichner am Werk, so dass man mit unterschiedlichen Zeichenstilen rechnen muss.Unterm Strich bleibt also ein ziemlich mäßiger Band, der weder wirklich interessante Charaktere bieten kann noch die weitere Entwicklung von Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson und Damian Wayne voranbringt.

Bought as a gift for my brother, latest in the series he has been collecting for ages, sure he will love it as an xmas gift!