Batman & Robin Volume 1, Batman reborn Volume 1, Batman reborn /

Recent issues of the comic book Batman have portrayed momentous developments, indeed. Bruce Wayne is dead, and erstwhile Robin Dick Grayson has replaced him as Batman. The new Robin is arrogant, 10-year-old upstart Damian, who's both Bruce's son and archvillain Ra's al Ghul's grandson. Morrison charts the new team's first missions, as Grayson strives to guide headstrong Damian while tackling foes old (the Penguin) and new (Professor Pyg and his Circus of Strange). Complications arise from the reappearance of the Red Hood another former Robin, Jason Todd, who battles crime more brutally than the new Dynamic Duo. In the first three of the six issues collected here, Morrison is joined by artist Frank Quitely, his collaborator on All-Star Superman. Their efforts here don't reach the sublimity of that landmark work; unlike their extra-canonical Superman tales, these stories are restricted by the characters' established continuity, and Quitely's vivid visuals are less appropriate for the Dark Knight's moody atmosphere. Still, these are the most accomplished, enjoyable printed Batman stories in many a year.--Flagg, Gordon Copyright 2010 Booklist

Following Bruce Wayne's reported demise, this Grand Guignol miniseries shows the competition to fill his role. Dick Grayson, the original Robin, has established a separate crime-fighting identity as Nightwing, but now has donned the iconic cape and mask of Batman. Partnered with bratty, impatient 10-year-old Damian (son of the original Wayne), he wants to modernize Batman's equipment but maintain his high principles. Dick's successor as Robin, Jason Todd, now calls himself the Red Hood and believes that the way to reduce crime is to kill criminals as dramatically as possible. Unfortunately, the Red Hood's violent tactics bring reprisals in the form of the Flamingo, an incredibly vicious South American assassin who enjoys skinning and eating the faces of beautiful young women. Morrison's scripts use this dark material effectively, and the art-first by Quitely, then by a team of three-is dazzling. In this largely self-contained episode, Morrison expertly retools DC's old superhero machinery. When combined with Quitely, it nearly reaches the heights of the duo's previous All-Star Superman. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved