Graphic Novel Review – Batman and Robin: Dark Knight, White Knight (3/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel/Super Hero
Size: 208 pages
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: January 31, 2012
ISBN: 978-1401233730
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Bloodlines series
Source: Review Copy through Goodreads First Reads
Rating: 4/5 stars

I got a copy of this from the publisher for review through Goodreads First Reads program. I haven’t read any of the more recent Batman comics, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. This was an interesting collection of stories; it features Dick Grayson as Batman and Damian Wayne as Robin. The stories range from good to kind of confusing.

The first story is “The Sum of Her Parts” I though this story was hard to follow and confusing. It was about an old flame of Bruce Wayne’s who went a bit crazy and is trying to kill, but not kill, Batman. I didn’t enjoy it all that much and was happy when I was done. The illustration was so-so, at times it was tough to tell exactly what was going on.

The second story is “Tree of Blood” this was about a crazy light-wielding villain who is bent on destroying all the surviving family members of anyone who has been or is in Arkham Asylum. I enjoyed this story a lot more; a great villain, some great action, and wonderful illustration. It was much darker in tone and had some really beautiful detail in the illustration.

The third story is called “The Streets Run Red” and is about the return of the Red Hood. I also enjoyed this story a lot; there was some great action, some wonderful characters, and a very fun story. The illustration was more stylized than the previous two stories, but still very well done and it matched the tone of the story nicely. This is another lighter story.

The stories in general have a more jaunty feel to them then some of the previous Batman comics I have read; Dick Grayson even jokes that he is a comic Batman in the first story. I like the dark aspect to Batman and so I missed that in these stories. Definitely recommended for older readers; lots of torture/murder/violence etc.

Overall an interesting collection of stories. I thought the first story was by far the weakest. The other two were entertaining reads. I am not sure how much I missed because I am not an avid Batman reader. So just an FYI, this is a review form a casual Batman followers point of view. I didn’t enjoy the lighter feel to some of the stories, but the last two stories were entertaining and interesting. Not the best collection I’ve read but okay. I guess if you are a diehard Batman fan go ahead and pick it up. I can’t recommend it as a stellar collection though.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Graphic Novel Challenge
– 150+ Books Reading Challenge