Okay!! I'm sold on the new Batman and Robin series!!

I probably haven't bought a comic book since 1999. And I couldn't tell you which one it was. Possibly Strangers in Paradise or the Green Arrow relaunch. But I can't remember. I've bought a lot of graphic novels but there just hasn't been that real desire to spend $2.99 for an issue.

Well, I finally bit the bullet today and bought issues one and two of the new Batman and Robin series. After a month or so of thumbing through issue one on the shelf everytime I stopped into That's Enterainment I decided to finally pick it up.

Well, I waited long enough to have issue two sitting right next to it.

I still don't see myself buying every single issue but I am officially sold on the new Batman series. I really enjoy it! I've really liked Grant Morrison's writing since the Invisibles and I find Frank Quitely's artwork really good as well. It really fits the surreal feel of the stories Morrison is writing.

And that's the other thing I'm really enjoying. Grant Morrison has brought a slightly light feel back to the Batman comic books. But in a way that doesn't scream Joel Schumacher. As much as it has a slight feel of the more Adam West Batman, there's this really disturbingly surreal quality to both the feel of the setting and to some of the new characters.

From what I heard in an interview with him, he wanted to bring back more of the unused more silly villains like the Mad Hatter and Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. But in a more disturbing sort of way.

I like the Mr. Toad villain in the first issue because of that mix of somewhat silly with somewhat disturbing the way the character looks.

The only thing I'm NOT sold on is the new Robin. He just looks like a smug little brat. And his crummy little grin on the front cover of issue one just makes me wish Batman would give him a bat bitchslap.

But we'll see how that goes. I don't hate the whole idea of introducing a new Robin. I like how they graduated the Tim Drake character from Robin to Red Robin. I'm kind of glad they went that route with him instead of having him taking over as Nightwing.

I'm glad when they were going to replace Batman they went with Dick (Robin I) Grayson instead of doing what they did back in 1993 with that whole Azrael/Batman mess when they tried to replace Batman the first time.

It's not the first time they experimented with Bruce Wayne's former sidekick taking on the (dramatic pause) mantle of the bat. Shortly after the whole Knightfall, Knightquest and KnightwhatevercameafterthatIcan'tremember they had Dick Grayson fill in for Batman for a little while.

They also hinted at the idea of Dick Grayson being paired with Bruce Wayne's son as Robin at the end of an Elseworld Batman/Captain America crossover. Although Bruce was still alive and retired at the end of that one.

I was skeptical at first about getting rid of Bruce Wayne at first but after seeing the first couple of issues I think this experiment can work. And will hopefully continue to be very enjoyable. And maybe the new Robin will get a Bat bitch slap yet. Heh heh!!