Batman & Robin: Dark Knight Vs. White Knight Paperback – 19 February 2013

I really enjoyed the stories and art in this collection. The stories weren't as disjointed as the Morrison run that came before it. The dynamic between Dick and Damian is more interesting in this too. Damian is still a cocky little kid in this but has more moments where he is tolerable.

The new Batman and Robin are beginning to gel as a team, leading the war on crime in Gotham City. When an old girlfriend of Bruce Wayne's does unexpectedly and then her body is stolen, Batman feels compelled to investigate further.Bold inking, striking art and colouring add extra dimensions to a story filled with despair. Each of the individual stories examines the dynamic of the new team and revive s Batman for a new generation.

Nachdem Grant Morrison die "Batman & Robin"-Reihe abgegeben hat, fällt leider das Niveau. Der "Band Batman & Robin: Dark Knight, White Knight" umfasst drei dreiteilige Geschichten: "The Sum of Her Parts", "Tree of Blood" und "The Streets Run Red". Dick Grayson ist weiterhin Batman, während Bruce Wayne nur hin und wieder als Batman auftaucht. Achtung: Es folgen minimale Spoiler."The Sum of Her Parts" bietet bis auf die Antagonistin wenig Neues. Eine verflossene Liebe von Bruce Wayne wird bei einem Überfall vermeintlich getötet, kehrt zurück (wie soll hier nicht verraten werden, erfordert aber viel Zugeständnisse seitens des Lesers) und schwört Rache. Das Motiv Rache wurde in den Batman-Comics facettenreich abgearbeitet. Diese Geschichte fügt dem leider wenig hinzu, sondern bleibt schal und vorhersehbar. Der Antagonistin fehlt es an Tiefe, um überhaupt Interesse zu wecken. Erst auf den letzten drei Seiten gewinnt die Geschichte an Fahrt - leider zu spät. (zwei Sterne)Rache steht auch in der zweiten Geschichte im Mittelpunkt - allerdings bedeutend origineller umgesetzt. In "Tree of Blood" taucht der titelgebende White Knight auf, der ganz bestimmte Personen aus Gotham töten will. Welche, soll nicht verraten werden, denn gerade dies macht die Geschichte so interessant. Insgesamt ist die Geschichte deutlich spannender, aber zu kurz. Die Story beschränkt sich auf ein Katz-und-Maus-Spiel zwischen Batman, Robin und dem White Knight. Hier wurde erzählerisches Potential verschwendet. (vier Sterne)In der dritten Geschichte "The Streets Run Red" taucht Red Hood auf. Highlight ist der Anfangsdialog zwischen Batman (Bruce Wayne) und Red Hood, der Bruce Wayne immer wieder versucht, in ein Gespräch über die Rückkehr vom Tod zu verwickeln. Ansonsten plätschert die Geschichte wenig spannend vor sich hin. Im Mittelpunkt steht Red Hood, der unerwartete Hilfe beim Ausbruch aus dem Gefängnis bekommt. Batman und Robin versuchen Red Hood einzufangen, sehen sich aber bald gezwungen, Red Hood zu unterstützen. Leider strotzt die Handlung der Geschichte an Logiklöchern und infantilen Dialogen, insbesondere zwischen Robin und Red Hood. (zwei Sterne)Die Zeichnungen sind überwiegend gut gelungen. Allerdings waren mehrere Zeichner am Werk, so dass man mit unterschiedlichen Zeichenstilen rechnen muss.Unterm Strich bleibt also ein ziemlich mäßiger Band, der weder wirklich interessante Charaktere bieten kann noch die weitere Entwicklung von Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson und Damian Wayne voranbringt.

Grant Morrison finished his run on this series, brought Bruce Wayne back, and was off to continue his Bat-story in another new title, "Batman Inc". But alas, that does not mean the adventures of Dick Grayson as (a) Batman and Damien Wayne as Robin have to end. This compilation contains the last nine issues of the series, 17-25, before the big reboot of September 2011. They are split into three stories, three chapters each, with three different creative teams.The first story is "The Sum of Her Parts" written by Paul Cornell and illustrated (mostly) by Scott McDaniel. An old flame of Bruce is murdered by a yacht heist gone terribly wrong while her body goes missing. An investigation leads to an enemy who loathes Bruce Wayne and will strike at his "Batmen" to get their message across. A really good story that highlights the differences between Bruce and Dick and how their greatest strengths can become their greatest weaknesses. The artwork was good but could get confusing as to what one is looking at if too many objects overlapped.The next story, "Tree of Blood", highlights the title of the compilation, Dark Knight, White Knight, as Batman and Robin battle an enemy named the White Knight. Somehow he is connected to people dressing as angels and committing suicide. Very good and engaging story written by Peter Tomasi re-teaming with his Green Lantern Corps illustrator, Patrick Gleason, who does a fine job himself.The final story, "The Streets Run Red" is written by Judd Winick and illustrated by Greg Tocchini, Guillem March, and a couple other artists. March is the strongest of the bunch. Jason Todd gets a transfer from Arkham Asylum to a regular prison and Batman and Robin want to find out why and stop him. This is the weakest of the trilogy and why I knocked off a star. Winick tries to throw aside how Morrison made fun of Todd earlier in this series by making him too much of a bad---. He also is way too cocky and bests Batman and Robin way too easily and often. The story is really flat as well. It boils down to a team-up for a simple rescue mission.Overall, a very good and exciting bat book featuring Dick as Batman and Damien as Robin. The main component that really makes this series work. It is a fun dynamic to have the roles of this dynamic duo reversed as to the brooding, dark, scowling Bruce Wayne and upbeat, smiling, bantering Dick/Tim Robin. That is why I am skeptical about the New DC's Batman and Robin, where we get both Waynes and their dark demeanor. But Tomasi and Gleason showed in this story there might be some hope for a good series.

This was a great story with more twists and turns than a bowl of spaghetti, also a welcome return for a well loved fan favourite