Dissecting Why All-Star Batman and Robin Leaves Fans Cold

Why does Frank Miller's All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder (ASBRBW) really get under Batman fans' collective skins? Much has been said in reviews about the storytelling being not up to par with previous Miller efforts. There's the constant repetition of phrases which in contrast to their intention to reinforce the seriousness of certain situations (e.g.: Dick's reaction to the murder of his parents) come across as simply 'space filler'. While Miller has done this in his other Dark Knight Universe stories, it wasn't to the extent it is in ASBRBW, and in The Dark Knight Returns (TDKR) he had a lot more to say. Take out all the repeated phrases in ASBRBW and on some pages you'd be lucky to have a sentence left. Yes, ASBRBW rambles and seems to throw in females characters (Black Canary, Batgirl) just so Jim Lee can draw them in skimpy costumes. And yes, there's that annoying 'goddamn' phrase...

But is there something else? For me, I think a clue came when I was re-reading my copy of TDKR 10th Anniversary Edition. In the introduction Miller writes about what inspired him to write TDKR, who he bounced ideas off about the project, and generally about Batman. Specifically he says -

And there was Batman himself. He was the real boss. As he was quick to assert, Batman has a personality and purpose all his own, a definable core. He's neither petty nor petulant. He's no whiner; there's not a trace of self-pity in his soul. He's smart. He's noble. And most important, he's big. His passions are grand. Even his unhappiness is not depressing, but a brooding.

I think the most relevant part of this quote is - 'He's neither petty nor petulant. He's no whiner; there's not a trace of self-pity in his soul.' In TDKR this is exactly the case. In ASBRBW I'm not so sure. Cases in point

• Batman being petty trying to impress Dick - 'Just watch, kiddo. This is gonna be great!'

• Batman being petulant (i.e.:unreasonably irritable or ill-tempered) -

Dick: Didn't you just waste a whole pile of cops, Big Guy?

Batman: You little snot!

• Batman whining about Dick after recruiting/kidnapping him -

'This little BRAT is going to ruin EVERYTHING.'

• Batman not being noble - Batman throws Dick to the ground and then punches him in the face(Batman:'And stay down.') after Dick attacks Green Lantern. A thirty-two year old man punching a twelve year-old.

• Batman displaying self-pity -

'What am I DOING to this kid? Who the hell do I think I AM?'

And later -

'What have I DONE? What have I ACCOMPLISHED? I RUSHED things. I DRAGGED him into MY world. I was RECKLESS. I RUSHED it. I BLEW it.'

I could go on. Summed up, in ASBRBW Batman displays the complete range of traits that Miller specifically says he isn't. I think it amounts to not being a hero. Sure Miller's point which he keeps stressing throughout the whole Dark Knight Universe stories is that Batman (and other heroes) have to be criminals to carry out their 'mission' against crime. That's fine. For seventy years we've known Batman is a vigilante. We like it when he gets mean with criminals and pounds them into the turf. But in ASBRBW he's also self-aggrandising, rude, contemptuous, and arrogant. Just generally unpleasant. It comes down to this: the 'Goddamn Batman' of ASBRBW is full of himself and that's just not a Batman we like.