#ASBAR

[galaxymagitech]

Just read Robin and Batman. It…uh. Am I going crazy, or does it have All Star: Batman & Robin vibes? It even hits some of the same emotional beats. Actually, hits a lot of the same emotional beats…and language…and even scenes.

So, Batman is. Not a very good parent in this. In fact, I'm pretty sure Alfred is doing all the parenting here. He's much better than ASBaR, although that is...a low bar to clear. But he treats Dick as a soldier in a way I have seen no other version of Bruce but Crazy Steve do, and this is the comic I was searching for a while ago about Bruce reading Dick's diary.

Unlike the flaming dumpster fire of ASBaR, the storyline of R&B does make sense, and in many ways, it's a good comic (if you’re fine with Batman being a pretty bad parent/mentor). It had very tight themes and storyline, the art fit the story, etc. It's interesting and has a good story! Yeah, I don't love how they portrayed the Dynamic Duo, but I liked Alfred and Dick, and it certainly has plenty of fanfic fodder.

But why does it so closely mirror the most laughably horrible comic miniseries I have ever had the displeasure of reading?

"What are you even talking about?" Well, I present my evidence:

“Yes, sir.” This isn’t even a one-time thing. Dick consistently calls Bruce “sir” throughout R&B. Like a soldier. Which Bruce thinks he needs to be, by the way.

Yeah. Alfred tries to intervene and is moderately successful in both cases. In addition to making Robin a soldier—whether willing (B&R) or “drafted” (ASBaR), Bruce uses Robin against the Justice League, having him fight Green Lantern in ASBaR and spy on the sidekicks in B&R. So there’s also Robin as a proxy in Batman vs. the Justice League between the two.

Moving on, Dick, with his 11-12-year-old emotional regulation, can’t cope with being a soldier. Shocking, I know. So he beats up an enemy so badly that Batman has to intervene. Which comic am I talking about? Why, both, of course!

Near the end of the arc, Dick goes to a location associated with his parents (the derelict circus in B&R vs. their grave in ASBaR) and Batman hugs them there, which somehow resolves all their issues and the blatant child abuse.

“Corporate needs you to find the difference between these two pictures.”

“They’re the same picture.”

Down to the positioning of the two. They’re a little bit closer on the left, but like. Come on. Seriously?

Also, both comics have Batman consistently calling Robin “boy,” which is such a strange alignment of what I think is an uncommon turn of speech that it feels like there has got to be some sort of crossreferencing or sharing of creators or something. And then there’s the fact that Bruce is constantly using the word “damn,” especially when yelling at Dick. Robin & Batman’s Bruce talks like the Goddamn Batman.

Oh, and they have really similar stubble for some reason? I noticed the mini beard hairs immediately and somehow knew the comic was going to be disturbingly similar to ASBaR.

I need to know how this happened.

(For those wondering if you should read Robin & Batman, I still say go ahead. It’s only 3 comics, and at the very least, it's good for research purposes/seeing where ideas have come from.)

[samasmith23]

Huh… knowing that Franky-Boy would later have Crazy Steve call Dick Grayson, Age 12, the r-slur in ASBAR several years later, it’s actually kind of surprising to see him have Matt Murdock directly criticize ableism way back in his Daredevil run here!

From Daredevil (1964) #181 by Frank Miller & Klaus Janson and All-Star Batman & Robin: The Boy Wonder by Frank Miller & Jim Lee.

[forthegothicheroine]

Via thepandaredd, Batman explains the events of ASBAR (Frank Miller's All Star Batman and Robin) to Superman.

[nightingalered]

reading all star batman and robin. i heard it was bad but GOOD LORD

[galaxymagitech]

I’m a little too obsessed with All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder and Earth-3. Unfortunately, the rest of the fandom does not seem to share this obsession. The temptation to fill this void with Far Too Much Fanfiction is strong.

[candy8448]

So stumbled upon a fic that was about all star batman and robin and was just like "HUH??!?!?" When i read it, so i went and found the comic cuz like, what, and i finished all 10 issues and i- i- judt- huh? What did i just read???

[galaxymagitech]

Planning for Whumptober right now…

Day 12 is giving All Star Batman and Robin vibes. But also, if I start writing fanfiction for that cursed universe I’m gonna go insane.

[lassocounty]

They're yellow because they wanna break someone's windpipe

[forthegothicheroine]

My ramble on Frank Miller's All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder, aka ASBAR! I attempt to take it seriously on its own terms and figure out what it was going for, with digressions about giallo, Susie Bright, and a hypothetical Nightwing-focused season of Batman Beyond!

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

Weird Little DC Comics Confession:

Alrighty

I think we can call agree to disagree but imho All Star Batman and Robin written by Frank Miller was just not very good

However I think we can all agree that it’s artwork by Jim Lee is some of the most well drawn and beautiful artwork for a comic book series we had all ever seen

With that in mind, I raise all you this…..

Imho The Way Dick Grayson (Age 12) in particular was drawn in those Pajamas Alfred had given him and wore for a good chunk of the Book, he looked so precious in them

I mean…Look at Him

It’s a weird thing to confess I know and I freely admit it, but I’ll say this

Since some of the recent comics had adapted the Flying Graysons’ green performing outfits with a Big Yellow G on them which came from this comic for flashbacks to Dick’s childhood, I don’t see why we can’t adapt this comfy sleepwear for him to wear in some said flashbacks as well

[lassocounty]

[hornithology]

oh my GOD I did not realize that ASBAR/Dark Knight/Earth-31 continuity Dick Grayson eventually becomes the second Joker. more fuel for my Dick Grayson-Joker conspiracy!!!!! jesus.

[lassocounty]

dumb asbar bullshit

[phantomstorymaker]

I wonder if there's like any fics out there where ASBAR!Dick gets to meet either the stable WFA!batfam or the comic vers but basically him getting his pain acknowledged or someone seeing his past and just going, 'Goddamn!'

[lassocounty]

Ugh

Uuhhh..

My life is a damn shell...w you not here they had to kill u becuz u were too powerfulmm.....