Batman And Robin # 2 - Batman Reborn, Part Two: The Circus Of Strange

 the better part of this issue is comprised of Flashbacks, concerning the struggles of the newly appointed Batman Dick Grayson. Batman defiantly has his hands full. Both with the new Robin Damian, and  his struggle to fill the shoes that Bruce has left. add the immediate threat from a band of super human carnival performers and you've got a recipe for disaster. I felt that the story worked well in such that it was able to make me question Dick's ability to fill the role of Batman (a good example is the deaths of several policemen and a key witness) I think it's safe to say that everything is going to hell for Dick. Don't get me wrong! I have beleive Dick is a great Batman. however what concerns me is his thought process doesn't quite seem to be that of Bruce's. While there is no question in my mind that Dick can handle himself physically as the Bat, he seems to lack the detective skills and precise planning Bruce had. granted those are things that come from time and expirience, it was those skills that helped create such glorious stories such as the Long Holloween, The Dark victory, and Broken City just to name a few. While it is still early in the came to pass any judgement upon Dick, I do feel that some aspects of the Bat should not be forgotten (like being the world's greatest detective). In terms of issue number 2 there wasn't really anything more I could've asked for. Morrison's writting continues to take the reader deep into the heart of Gothom City, and Quitely's Art demands to be seen! Hold on people, because things are just getting started!

i reviewed the 1st issue and that issue met my expectations and this issue is even a better read!!!!!!!!!
grant morriosn keeps giving good storyteeling in this title, i love it how flashbacks are used in this issue, in a good effect. the characterisation of dick grayson and damian wayne are well improved, the villains like mr pyg and toad had good characterisationas villians, the art is still very decent......and i am definately wanting issue 3 after i read this issue!!!!

this issue begins with dick sad and alfred asking him whats the matter. The rest of the story is basicly one large flashback showing what happend. Frank quitely gives a beautiful fight scene between batman and robin and the circus. In the end damian rips off the robin badge and once again treats dick as if he was something he stood. I also love the way morrison is writing the characters

                 I’ll risk sounding cliche when I say Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly’s Batman and Robin #2 is good comics. I can’t really put it more eloquently than that. Almost every aspect of this book shines, from the writing, to the pencils, to the ink, and most of the coloring. I could honestly tell by the first page that this issue was going to be great and it didn’t disappoint.

                The first thing you see when you open this book is a full page panel of Dick Grayson wearing the batsuit looking defeated and Alfred inquiring what happened. Its a simple but extremely effective way of drawing the reader into the story by showing the aftermath and then obtaining the story through recollections. Frank Quietly, however, makes it special through his rendering of posture and expression which make the scene feel so much more profound and effective. Within the first panel I was hooked. I wanted to know what the hell happened to Dick that’s got put him in this state. Now imagine the expertise and artistry required to pull something like that off and you’ll come to the realization that Frank Quietly is no slouch. This book is full of amazing panels and beautiful layouts that only get better the more you look at them. Not enough can be said about the pencils in this issue, but I think I’ll leave it at that. Its not all good in the art department though. One glaring problem I noticed was a very strange coloring issue, predominately in the backgrounds. It reminded me of watching a high def TV interpolating low def signals with bizarre colorations. This didn’t seem to show up in any of the characters which makes it all the more complexing but easy to overlook. Its just disappointing that such a silly problem kept this issue from being great.

                Grant Morrison has been around for a while and has proven himself as one of the top tier of writers in the industry so when you buy one of his books its fair to have high expectations. Its my pleasure to share that Batman and Robin #2 defied even those high expectations. To be fair, most of what happens in this issue is paying off what was set up in the first but everything is done so well. The tension between the new Batman and Robin, the new villains introduced, the conflict between the heroes and police, every element is incredibly interesting in its own right. I’ll move on before this becomes a love letter to Morrison.

                Simply put, Batman and Robin #2 is a great book in what is shaping up to be a great arc. The new Batman section of the DCU is quickly becoming a juggernaut. Its a shame that such a perfect comic was tainted by the strange coloring issue but maybe that’ll be fixed in a reprint. I hope this level of quality is here to stay, not only for this book, but for all Batman titles.

i bought issue one a couple of weeks ago and i truely loved it - loved it so much i just wanted issue two as soon as possible. after reading issue two, i was somewhat confused due to flashbacks involved in the issue. the storyline was great however, you MAY be confused with the flashbacks or maybe not.

overall, a great comic - i'm just waitng for issue 3 !!