As someone who is pretty new to Batman (I've read a bunch of single issues as a kid and other stories in the DC world) I knew there was going to be some disconnect on my end going into this, but even considering that I thought this volume was a mess. The writing, the plot, the characters: none of it clicked with me.
The plot overall just seems erratic and disjointed, bouncing around from one villain to another to another to ANOTHER - seriously, why are there so many villains in here? They're also BIZARRE, even for a comic book world. Pyg is downright abhorrent, and Red Hood literally looks like a red tampon applicator. Whoever designed that costume needs to be fired. This huge cast is overwhelming and leaves so little time to breathe, or develop other things that are brought up, such as Dick's struggle to feel comfortable with the Batman mantle (the Batmantle?) and find his footing with Damian. Dick and Alfred were the only characters in this I enjoyed reading. Damian could have been cool, but I just struggle believing a 10-year-old could handle himself for a second in any of these fight scenes. He also uses "gay" as an insult and isn't corrected for it, which sucks.
The extreme violence against women was also just off the walls. It felt like it was also used primarily for shock value and never offered up any narrative/dialogue on that. Sasha's character ~almost~ went there, but it lasted for like 1 page and then was abandoned. Breadcrumbs, people, breadcrumbs. There is also not a single female character in this volume who is mentioned without being characterized in terms of her relation to/interactions with a man. So that was disappointing, especially when, again, Sasha could have been used in a much more dynamic way!
I'm looking forward to reading OTHER Batman stories my friends recommend because I know they can be told better than this. But honestly most stuff is written better than this, sooooo ¯_(ツ)_/¯ ( )

1244 ( )

I like some of the new (or new-ish) villains we get here, like Professor Pyg, and Edwardo Flaminco, and I really like Dick Grayson as Batman. However, I don't like Damien Wayne as Robin - his behavior is like that of a super-villain. Admittedly he was raised by super-villains (the League of Assassins) but that doesn't make it better. I also don't exactly like Jason Todd as he's used here. He's an enjoyable villain, and I kind of like him as trying to turn himself into an "alternative brand" for Batman - but the bits where he's concerned about his appearance *under the mask* are just dumb. ( )

The dynamic duo of Morrison and Quitely, fresh from their extraordinary run on [b:All Star Superman|22369|All Star Superman Volume 01|Grant Morrison|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167348919s/22369.jpg|23395], tackle another iconic character, albeit in a slightly different manner. After the death of Bruce Wayne, orchestrated by Morrison, Wayne's ward and former partner Dick Grayson, aka Nightwing née Robin, dons his mentor's cap and cowl. Joining the fledgling Batman on his mission, Wayne's recently revealed 13-year-old son Damian acquires the Robin mantle. Raised by his morally-challenged mother among the League of Assassins, Damian struggles with the concepts of right and wrong. Still under the domineering shadow of his dead partner, Grayson must deal with his own feeling of inadequacies as he attempts to carve out his own Bat identity. Fueled by Morrison's off-kilter vision and Quitely's and later Tan's exquisite art, the duo challenge the perverse Pyg and the villainous Red Hood in a series of thrilling adventures. ( )

Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne as Robin is a great combination. It brings back some of the Batman and Robin from my childhood, while updating it to give us stuff like a flying batmobile.

The stories are too fast, but I think comics where meant to be read on a month-to-month basis not all at one like this. ( )