Monday, July 8, 2013

All-Star Batman and Robin #6

 photo ASBAR-6-Thumbnail_zpsfca105e2.jpg

Man, remember when the idea of Frank Miller writing Batman seemed awesome? Those days are gone forever.

Previous All-Star Batman and Robin Reviews:
Issues 1 and 2
Issues 3 and 4
Issue 5



110 comments:

LucasChad said...

Right before the commercial break, you could've used the classic "It just raises too many questions!" clip from all the time questions you asked. Then again, I love Batman Forever!

I like the way the new story arc begins at the end of the video. It makes Nimawaye (if I spelled correctly) a little more sympathetic than Hal 9000 from 2001!

jenbrait said...

Hello creepy new voice! I'm starting to think this is a new villain we're dealing with.

Unknown said...

The first comic I ever bought was the trade of Gale Simone's Batgirl.

I absolutely love it and am saving up to get the second trade.

It saddens me that Barbara Gordon, who, in spite of me knowing very little about her, is a fascinating and strong character who has grown away from Batman, is completely wasted here and reduced to little more than a crazy fangirl. Yeah, the rest of the comic sucks and is pointless, but reducing Batgirl to that is what hurts me the most.

Anyway, good review and set up to the next storyline. Poor Nimue... I hope that whatever's wrong with her can be fixed...

And yay, Tandy Computer Wiz Kids! I always love those reviews because the comic is so stupid that they can't help but be hilarious!

Greycat R! said...

Frank Miller, creator of Dark Knight Returns and a ton of dead air amd sexual remarks in ASBAR.

Also I think Nimoey (sorry if I spelled that wrong) caught some GLaDoS disease.

J. Cathryn said...

If I had to guess, "Jocko-Boy" is likely a corruption of Jacopo.

NIMUE storyline is certainly intriguing.

Anonymous said...

You know, considering there’s lightning coming from Canaries Bike when she arrives, maybe she got struck by it, causing 1.21 Jigawatts of Electricity to send her bike ahead…Or she’s an offspring of Timerider.

Those Time Stamps are confusing too, It’s like it’s a story being told backwards?
In fact, at the rate we’re going backwards. Vicki is probably in the Hospital, whilst getting into the incident at the same time!

There are too many characters in this too. It’s like the Tom & Jerry Movie where the title characters get shoved to the side by other characters. Maybe that’s why it took Frank so long to make each issue, all the time spent trying to get the rights to so many characters, who will probably amount to nothing in the grand scheme of the story.

Some worrying stuff with Nimue there. Wonder who Linkara refers to when he says “Lets him” on the ship, also if it’s the same ‘He’ as who saw Nimue…

Wait…Could it…?

Still, Good Work, Linkara.
250th Episode, eh? Let’s make it a Thousand! ;3

Looking forward to seeing more from you.

MarioJPC said...

Good to see new backstory after the review. Good luck with all Cons and the recording job.
And this series is very strange, why mess with all DC universe only for Fanservice on the worst way?

Anyway, until the next time.

Gus said...

Yeah it's gone on for some time but I think I figured out why I have an issue with the new background. It either is or makes it seem like you are closer to the camera and I can't really enjoy the change....because I'm a internet guy and I don't like change much. sort of in my nature. It will likely change once you do some crossovers and a storyline with the new background though. who knows?

Lizard-Man said...

Geez, these escewed time stamps are seriously getting annoying, especially when they don't play into the same issue they're referenced in. Seriously, what's the point of referencing time when it plays so little a part in the story.

Anyway, thanks for recommending Court of Owls, being reminded of a good comic certainly helped a bit. I was starting to wonder if Batman was gonna be ruined for me.

So, next time we return this is gonna involve kinky sex on the docks. Yay, can't wait. That's the lowest I remember reading about these comics. Considering what we've encountered though, that's kind of amazing.

Doug Puthoff said...

I wonder if Frank Miller wrote the "Man of Steel" screenplay.

platinum said...

Saw this at Anime Midwest and I had a blast! But seriously though, how did DC let Frank Miller get away with all this bull.

Also, insert inevitable 'wibbly-wobbly' reference. > ____ >

I can't wait for the next destruction of ASBAR! (I really hope that this comic burns, if only for how annoying it is.)

Also...I'm getting Entity flashbacks... O_____ O

Adam said...

Dear God, having to relive Frank Miller's abysmal version of the DCU is sheer torture. I'll be honest, when reading these comics, I actually began to imagine a better version of All-Star Batman and Robin. I dreamed of a story that had consistency and proper structure. It had characters that remained true to their source material. Women were not treated like living sex dolls for a deranged writer's perverted fantasies, heroes weren't insane assholes wearing tights, and it actually had some God damn levity! I truly regret ever buying these books to begin with and I'm glad I traded them in for money awhile back.

I hope and pray for two things to come from this, Linkara. One, DC does not continue this series and never hire Frank Miller ever again. And two, BURN THESE COMICS WITH A FLAME THROWER!

Mitchell Martinez said...

"What if the DC Universe was really, really, really, really, really, stupid?" Are we talking about a universe designed by Frank Miller or the New 52? :P

Sometimes I am unsure which one is more dumb.

Unknown said...

"King as well as the Jester." Good comparison.
Also, Where I am it is.... 12:40 pm. Does Frank just want his own version of the DC universe? Is he trying to say, "Everything will be better if I can associate it with Batman"? WHY?! Happy 250 next week.

Unknown said...

Nice Review, its always fun to see you rant at Frank Miller's horrible work.

Something is up with Nimue and it will be interesting to see the reason why she's been malfunctioning and why she meant "He will not win..."

So next week we're looking at the children of the damned...I'll be waiting.

Shanethefilmmaker said...

"Blah Blah Blah delicious ultraviolence"? So this whole time Miller's been writing Clockwork Orange.

Goddamn Leprechaun. As a part Irish man myself I find that amusing. I could totally see one in the place of Crazy Steve "What are you dense or Retarded, who the hell do you think I am, I'm the Goddamn Leperachaun. And I'm off to find the bastard that stole me pot o' gold."

Personally I always thought there was some cosmic force that caused people to do bad writing. Not just comics, but movies, TV you name it. Sometimes rather than inspire bad fiction to good fictioners (that's not even a word) Like Crystal Skull to Spielberg or This to Miller. This force would also create intentionally bad, Michael Bay, Uwe Boll, Stephanie Meyer as sort of a a balance between good and complete crap.

Nazaru said...

Oh boy!Thanks a lot, Frank! The stupidity of this comic is right up there with "I'll kill you to death!"

Anonymous said...

First! Man I always wanted to say that!

Anonymous said...

You know something, Gail Simone actually parodied the idea of the Amazons being Straw Feminists with Diana watching a terrible movie about her where they wanted to kill men for putting up the toilet seat. Diana said it best "kill the screenwriter"

SchweitzerMan said...

...There are no words.

It's just...it can't be defended. It can't.

I doubt that even Frank Miller could legitimately come up with an excuse, defence, spin or whatever to justify every bad thing in this book.

And this is the guy who wrote "Batman: Year One" one of my favourite Batman stories-I even bought the DVD movie.

But this...I just don't get it. Oh and if I recall correctly (Because I decided to torture myself and READ ASBAR) that's the only appearance of Jim Gordon in this story.

Seriously, has Frank ever issued an apology for this? How did editorial at DC think ANY of this was good?

Volvagia said...

I can't believe you didn't comment on that Batgirl "mask". Seriously? ROBIN does more to hide who he is from people. (At least HIS mask covers his eyebrows, after all.)

Kathryn said...

After seeing all the craziness from all the issues you have done, I wonder if you'd ever feel mentally prepared for Batman: Odyssey. I am reading that story now and it is insane.

DerKork said...

Nimue... well, to say it bluntly, she apparently has developed a problem I've only seen with an AI from TriOptimum - after a hacker had deleted the ethics protocols from said AI. Some erratic speech pattern was one of the obvious aspects visible.
I doubt that this is Jaeris' work (for someone already having access he would be the obvious choice as the scapegoat).
Again: Who knows the ins and outs of the ship? If not him, then it is someone like him... someone who always was like he is now...

Or maybe I'm just seeing ghosts.

Nick Michalak said...

This issue of ASBAR might indeed be happening inside of HYPERTIME! Either that, or this is the "in reverse chronology" issue. Very bizarre on many levels.

I like the start of the new storyline. Nimue being corrupted someone falls in line with both the Entity taking over 90's Kid and the evil Holokara.

Laughing Hyena said...

"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Tae Kwon Leap. Approach me that
you might see."
Tae Kwon Leap, The Frantics

So besides Dr. Demento, did you ever listen to Firesign Theater, Linkara?
My dad was a huge fan of them (Not to mention watching MST3K every day it was on).

"Remember: there's a seeker born every minute!" - Everything you know is Wrong, Firesign Theater

Lady Wulff said...

Saaaay.... was that comment "What does it feel like to lose one's mind' a Star Trek reference? Data said that in the Masks episode. :)

I'd always like the idea of Nimue having a creepy evil voice for the crazy computer Hall 9000 thing, like Glados did at the end of Portal. I wonder if I could do a voice like that...

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"So besides Dr. Demento, did you ever listen to Firesign Theater, Linkara?
My dad was a huge fan of them (Not to mention watching MST3K every day it was on)."

Unfortunately not. Really only familiar with Boot to the Head. XD

Adam Burchfield said...

Sigh, oh ASBAR, you are the only comic so terrible that you survived because people were fascinated with you. Can't wait till when we get to such wonders as:
Censor bars that don't actually cover the profanity.
Lemonade
A Joker that isn't funny
And an issue that tries to tie in to the continuity of Batman, The Dark Knight Returns.

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"Saaaay.... was that comment "What does it feel like to lose one's mind' a Star Trek reference? Data said that in the Masks episode. :)"

It was indeed. ^_^ Very creepy moment for an otherwise "eh" episode.

Anonymous said...

Wait! In the beginning of the British Sonic comics, Sonic gets sent forward in time by six months, allowing Robotnik to easily conquer Mobius. Could something similar be happening with Black Canary?

Unknown said...

In all honesty, I don't even know what to say about Crazy Steve in this comic. He acts similar to, if not worse, than the criminals (and corrupt cops) that he fights. He tries to get others to join his twisted little crusade, but then he acts as if it's a bother when they do. The fact that Miller sees this interpretation of Batman as being the epitome of a pure hero is causing disturbances in the Q/Plot Hole-approved universe that we live in.

In regards to the storyline: Seeing Linkara's interactions with Nimue is kind of making me scratch my head a little bit about Mechakara's accusations of abuse in the Power Rangers review. Linkara seems to respect machines and treat them on the same level as humanity. But regardless, I hope Nimue comes out of this okay.

P.S. My dad and I have been trying to figure out the riddle. While I am still unsure, he believes that "Jesus Christ" is the answer.

Ixmythot said...

Can someone call Goggles, because I think we've got ourselves a level 3 SHODAN styled threat on our hands here.

And yes, who is this Allan, anyhow?

Luca_Raven said...

Very nice. Have to admit I was expecting 'I am a man!' after the meme comment. Also as for the car driver that was killed...while a neck injury was likely, I don't think that would be what killed him. Maybe, dunno. More likely what happened would be what killed him would be the impact and the resulting coupe counter coupe motion of the brain inside of the skull. Also dear god VEGER why?!

Anonymous said...

I shrugged when I saw Jim Gordon was in this, he's my favorite Batman supporting character, and Barbara, "arg". This comic's time scale seems to make less sense that first issue of Cable's.

Anonymous said...

I understand it now.
Heh, it's so easy if you think about it for a minute.
The reason for all of this is Hypertime collabsing again.
Everybody seems to be in a completely different universe, the timeline is completely screwed up and everybody acts like he/she is a complete moron. The random and completely useless naration,
even the random pronunciation of words, it all makes sense now.
The only things missing are that Crazy Steve is'nt talking with his cape or shoes and the artstyle is strangely consistent so far. Maybe it's just a minor case of hypertime collabse.
I never read the comics, so i have to ask:
will Steve win(against whatever he has to fight) with the power of destrucity at the end? I have to know?!

Anonymous said...

Oh dear god Miller why must you do this? Storyline for NIMUE thickens. Oh and this Allen guy that you was talking to earlier, is he going to be played by you or someone else and when are we going to see him?

-WD said...

I imagine Frank Miller as a huge fan of this show, but shy and gets depressed each time it's Miller Time, like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar

Seth Aaron Hershman said...

Theory: Alan is the real name of the Continuity Alarm, which has moved on to provide closed captioning on TV and provide sound effects for emergency broadcasts. He keeps in touch.

Anonymous said...

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Maxima Mea Culpa said...

So you're not going to look at the cover because it's from the trade, and then procede to talk about the cover a bit anyway?

Huh. You've made it clear why you don't talk about covers when you read from the trade, but when you make exceptions like this it's probably not necessary to remind us of that. Actually, it seems to come off as if your somewhat bitter towards the people who kept wanting you to look at the covers anyway.

That's probably just me reading too much into it though.

"What does it feel like when someone is losing their mind?"

As if that weren't already an awkward and uncomfortable question in its own right, hearing it come from an artificial intelligence somehow makes it ten times worse. I can't rightly say why though; maybe it's because we don't normally think of them as capable of that particular human fallacy, or maybe it's just the palpable fear in Nimue's voice. Either way, it was a very effective delivery.

Anonymous said...

N͞ost҉al̸g͘i͘a̶ calls,̡ ͝you ͢say̴ good̴b͡y͏e͟,̵
̴O͏n wi̷n͝gÅŸ o̴f ́m҉em͢ory,̀ away̷ yòu ҉fly̕,̵
͘I͝ts͟ d̵e͡aÅ£h ̧w̧a̢s͠ ̕never m͝o̴re ̧t͞han a͜ lie,
No ͘time ͏l͏e̢f͠t for̕ ͘r̛emin͠i͠s̢c҉i̧ng͞.

Anonymous said...

You know, I'd SO get a philosophy book written by Frank Miller

say what you want, but Frank knows what a REAL MAN is like

guy knows the truth about life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwQXSZFIkEo

Grendle1853 said...

And it starts again! Awesome, I can't wait to find out whats going on in this storyline! Great review by the way, it was sad to see how far Frank has fallen. Also, off topic, but have you by any chance read the Dynamite Entertainment comic series Masks? Well I rather liked it, it brings together a bunch of the rather old comic and pulp heroes, the story does seem kind of scatter shot.

PopCultureOtaku said...

All this time confusion makes me wonder if Frank Millar had crystal ball seeing what marvel did at the end of Age Of Ultron.
You know I can understand if Black Canary working in the bar to make money having just immigrated recently to US. No we don't get that. We get her beating people up in the bar and then next appearance that she had some kinda training without any real context.
I am so glad I didn't keep reading this book after a point.
So next week 250 that means 300 episodes will be around July 7, 2014? :)
Oh crap on that ending.

Rhodoferax said...

In your Spider-Man 2099 review, you wondered why so few Marvel heroes wear capes.

Your comment on Barbara's keychain and earrings is the reason why. Marvel has always aimed to be a bit more plausible and realistic than DC*, and capes are a really easy thing for a criminal to grab onto. Plus they get caught in things and, in the case of an acrobatic character like Spider-Man, just get in the way. In fact, Watchmen has an entire segment in Hollis Mason's memoirs analysing why capes are utterly terrible, and why all the costumed vigilantes stopped wearing them.

*I'm not saying Marvel is plausible or realistic, just that they are more so than DC

purple said...

that sentence fragment joke is a testament to your Will Smith-esque non-cussing policy.
You just wouldn't be tearing Miller apart as bad by calling him shit for brains or something.

thorondragon said...

poor computer, she is going mad and all she can do is be aware of it. scary. makes me think a bit about cortana from halo. an ai that appeared more human than the killing machine you played as, yet was pretty much dying. in that series ai like her had a short lifespan of sorts, and when they pass their expiration date their data becomes corrupt and they go insane.

and with the god damn batman...... is it sad that I just wish that both dc and marvel just DIED and someone a lot smarter inherits their characters?

Kaor said...

OH GOD NIMUE IS BECOMING SHODAN EVERYONE HEAD FOR THE BUNKER!

Lostshadows said...

I'm kind of surprised that the hospital gown closed at the back. How did this comic miss a perfectly good excuse to show us Vicky Vale's naked butt?

The story bit looks like its shaping up to be kind of creepy. I like creepy. :)

Anonymous said...

Another great review - and cheers for calling out lazy/lousy writing and techniques, rampant sexism, and epic stupidity.

Apart from laughing so hard I was almost crying during parts of the review, I LOVE the ending. It is so good to see you doing storyline stuff again, and it's very well done. (Seeing your concern for Nimue was a very deft touch there. And what WAS that music? I'm sure it's another MusicLoops track, but it's quite effective.)

And yeah, who IS Allen? I gather a new character who'll be making future appearances...

Jesse said...

Between Marville and All-Star Batman and Robin, I'm finding it very hard to understand why people kept, and I would assume keep, buying these "Event Comic Miniseries" things. Was Crazy Steve even in this issue? Or did I somehow miss him because I was doing something else while I listened to the show?

I've seen bad fanfiction series written by people who had better ideas of how to tell an ongoing story than Frank Miller seemed to in this one, which is really too bad, because from what I understand, Miller used to be really good at this sort of thing.

Oh well, at least the new storyline is underway and next week's comic promises to be merely stupid instead of flat-out insulting on pretty much every level that matters and a few that don't.

Jesse said...

I take alternate realities at face value. That's why whenever someone doesn't act the way they should I just chalk it up to that universe. What's the point of having/doing an alternate universe (Else World) story if everyone acts the same as they do in the main universe?

Wonder Woman, Batman, the rest of the JL can act so messed up since the story isn't in continuity with the main universe so why care?

I like it when they're all messed up like this. Makes the story much more farce like and enjoyable in that "so bad it's funny" way.

Anonymous said...

I can't tell what horrifies me more, the idea that Nimue is either being hacked or going insane, or the fact that any comic writer could be so incompetent in putting together a timeline.

Rowdy C said...

Wow, so we're getting the next ASBAR, another Tandy Computer Whiz Kids AND the next Marville? Did you declare July to be Sweeps Month or what?

Unknown said...

So here's a question, who des Linkra/Lewis despise more Miller or Lifeild?

Also is the current Batgirl series still good?

Anonymous said...

Damnit misteryous villain! Stop posting cryptic comments.

Locuas said...

i have read the court of owls, linkara, and it is awesome. i especially liked when batman when the court made batman go insane. i'm pretty sure that time you were fine with having to turn the comic.

Breno Ranyere said...

hey link, which is the video where you mention a tarantino movie that tries to talk about superman creating superman the way he sees the human kind, also where is the man of steel vlog?
By the way, o love your miller time videos, i think they're my favorites... thanks for the video!

Joshua Ford said...

YES! Thank you for plugging Snyder's Court of Owls arc! The man is definitely one of my favorite Batman writers to date. And the best part is that it came out in paperback very recently.

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"Apart from laughing so hard I was almost crying during parts of the review, I LOVE the ending. It is so good to see you doing storyline stuff again, and it's very well done. (Seeing your concern for Nimue was a very deft touch there. And what WAS that music? I'm sure it's another MusicLoops track, but it's quite effective.)"

Yep, another MusicLoops track. ^_^ This one is called "Influence."

Anonymous said...

Forgive me for my spite, but this has gone too far.

Frank Miller you misogynistic, xenophobic self absorbed pathetic excuse for a writer who makes even the most obsessed fans look good in comparison. What in hell is wrong with your writing? "Love chunks"? Do you think that remotely sounds like any phrase that the English language would produce? How is that supposed to be (what I can only assume) a term suggesting crude sexual interest in a woman?

You weren't writing a cyberpunk future book so what made you think that you needed to invent slang? How did something that clearly unsuited for English even come to you? Do you refer to women you personally know as love chunks or something?

And your women fly into violent rages just because they were referred to with a very awkward slur? Are you trying to pretend that they're "tough" or "empowered"? All the years Barbara Gordon spent unable to walk and forced to be mission control were infinitely more empowering than a single thing done by even one of your female characters.

Anyway Linkara, I think you missed something about Batgirl's costume. She just has a face mask that only covers her eyes and cheeks. Gee, I wonder how hard it would be for a gang to trail the daughter of Gotham's only honest detective and put two and two together.
Also if Batman swooped down via rope from something at that height and extended a leg forward to actually kick through a car's windshield then his leg should, at the very least, be completely broken if not outright ripped off.

Anonymous said...

That was a fun review. It's also nice to see the storyline stuff get spaced out. Raises the tension a lot.

Personally, I'm reminded by Nimue's bit in the stinger not only of insane AIs like SHODAN or GLaDOS, but how Rampancy was portrayed in the old Marathon series that Bungie did. (Some of it's since leaked into Halo 4, but it's not nearly as nuanced as the Marathon version.)

getulio said...

From what I remember Martha Washington was not inspired by a man, and the character was much more competent than all of the men in comic.

Really strange coming from Frank Miller. But I did read over 15 years ago, so I could be wrong.

Volvagia said...

Anonymous 6:08: It doesn't even cover her eyes. You can even SEE HER EYEBROWS in the comic. Good costume...for a Halloween party!

Anonymous said...

Okay, first things first, when the episode hits the bumper with Pollo saying "We'll be back, maybe." It cut out on me, twice...Pollo what did I do to you?

Miller time? But I don't drink...although with this and Marville coming up at the end of the month I may have to start.

After seeing you do the Miller Time opening I instantly remembered...was it in your Identity Crisis review when you gave the "back story" of the watch? It was either you killed a home invader with it or took off of his body after you killed him. Either way, still more coherent than this story.

Maybe Frank really, really wanted to write All Star Justice League.
Linkara, you're regular singing voice is awesome, but your Batman singing voice is twice as awesome. If the "superstitious, cowardly lot" line ever pops up in a Batman comic could you sing that song from Batman Beyond as Batman?
"What time is it?" When you're reading Frank Miller every time is Miller Time.

Nah, Frank can't go see prostitutes because they don't like the way they are portrayed in his works.

Okay, the insane logic part of my mind is wondering if Frank's Black Canary has a second vocal power which disorientates opponents because that would actually make the scene make sense and provide an interesting superpower. Think about how many fights Spiderman or Deadpool would win without throwing a punch if they had the power to mess with opponents minds by talking to them!

Apparently legislation in the Miller-verse lead to "Goddamn" becoming a required word in every sentence.

"What does it feel like when someone is losing their mind?"...reminds me of Data from "Masks." I'm officially scared now, quick somebody call Patrick Stewart he'll save us!

Great review of a crappy comic Linkara, Computer Wiz Kids next week...lets see what the plants the police put in elementary schools find this time.

Xel Unknown said...

My Theory on what's going on storyline wise... OLD SURPIZE FROM VICE! I mean while Linkara is a smart guy, it's not ubsurd that he missed something when he was taking control of the ship that only now has started to effect our lovely AI ally. Turning her crazy or worse attacking her sanity.

rutana said...

I love that creepy ending... x3
Even though I start to feel quite uncomfortable now... after hearing it on headphones... in the middle of the night... alone.... *shudders*

Also, great annonymous comments - are they part of the storyline or is it a very clever fan? :D


And I loved the review. ASBAR 1&2 is still one of my most favorite reviews of you and the one I watched the most. And again, I had to keep in my laughter on this one XD (Don't wanna wake my boyfriend).

True 6 said...

when it comes to timelines of this comic this video answer for this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY_Ry8J_jdw

Leor said...

Wow. That was an ominous way to end the episode! Is Nimue going to be okay? Is she possessed? And if so, by whom? Lord Vyce? Mechakara? Or could Missingno have somehow returned? shudder

Oh, and great review. You are a brave man to put up with the madness of Frank Miller, Lewis!

FugueforFrog said...

Nimue's acting suspicious...hoo boy, it's starting.

Honestly, why the heck does Miller even try anymore? The time thing in this issue really seems to show he has no concept of time whatsoever and he really should have just figured out continuity better instead of just doing flashback within flashback. And did we really need Vicky Vale's assshot in that hospital gown? Or what feels like a set-up with Batgirl?

Dan Kegerreis said...

I always get excited when the review ends and there's a nice chunk of time left for storyline.:)

Arc said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Arc said...

My theory on whats up with Nimue is when Vyce issued that command when facing Linkara during the Search for Spock review while Vyce was in Pollo's body.

It activated some sort of hidden program inside that has been working inside her mind. Kinda like a second personalty slowly erroding her mind bit by bit. To try and take over.

Also sorry if I'm posting again. Asked me to log in and erased my test in the box... hate it when it does that.

As for the comic...

Lets just leave it at that... Seriously and the more I watch Franks Stuff, like the movie adapations done of his stories, like Batman Year One, or the Dark Knight Returns I'm like... when did he get the case of the crazy?

I mean before seeing those I could write him off as being over hyped or something for just doing something new and stumbling onto something that worked well... Now I'm like this is good... How did he catch the crazy?

MasterSeijin said...

An epiphany came to me as I was joking to myself about why Frank brought Jimmy Olsen into this comic.

It's probably blindingly obvious and has no doubt already been stated in and outside these videos. Frank Miller is a self loathing homosexual. He fetishizes every female character in his stories and turned the Spirit into a lothario in order to appear as a typical male chauvinist pig who's thoughts and ideas towards women are dictated by the tiny collection of nerves in his pants. Frank, in the twisted bean in a salad bowl he calls a mind, feels this is the best way to mask his disinterest in the vagina for fear that the rolls will say mean things and make him jump off a bridge.

Oh but it doesn't stop there, Lewis my man. It's not that Frank isn't depraved enough to fetishize a minor in his comics, it's that he's too smart to. If not for the ever looming threat of legal ramifications for pedophilia, I bet everything I own that Miller would have Jimmy buck naked with a dog collar around his neck and leash being held from the reader's perspective. And to cap it all off, Jimmy's speech bubble would say something skin crawlingly sick along the lines of "Am I a good boy, Papa Frank?"

Yes, yes! Let that image fester in your brains! *evil laughter*

The Physicist said...

"Look at you, hacker. A pathetic creature of meat and bone. Panting and sweating as you run through my corridors. How can you challenge a perfect immortal machine?"

Jaebird said...

To the story stuff at the end, I say this: PANTS TO BE DARKENED!!!

Arianne said...

I got chills at the end of the episode.Poor Nimue. It sounds like she's fighting off to the best of her abilities of Entity Lite. As for the comic it makes me feel dumb.It's trying to be dark and edgy and failing. I lost some interest in the plot the moment I saw Vicky Vale's panty shot and lost complete interest when Wonderwoman got turned into a Straw Feminist bitch. Only, a time traveler can make the hour jumps work. I think that showing time works when its needed. Like a clock counting down before a bomb goes off or when a person has x number of minutes before they die or to show timeskips. How it was used here was Goddamn useless and confusing.

Anonymous said...

The comic: Yeah, really confused timeline in this one.

Your Arc: Oh... Crap... Particularly after she asked about what it felt like to loose your mind. I think the only other time I've been seriously creeped out by that question would be in the TNG episode I know you were referencing. This time it's actually creepier for some reason.

Other: Tandy Computer Whiz Kids is more grounded in reality than this thing? ... Okiedokie.

Fiery Little One

Gamer2002 said...

One shudders to imagine what though lies inside Frank Miller head.
What dreams of chronic and sustained cruelty.

MillerVision: It is wonderful that people love my Adam West style Batman!
And my touching subplot about his friendship with Superman!
I feel like to write new issue of Spring City!

Anonymous said...

12:23 "What time is it?"

Funny that you ash. It's Miller time, of course!

Fishy64 said...

Is that Fate/Zero's Rider at 9:31?

Also, I never like how comic writers highlight words they want to emphasize in black, it feels like they think I am stupid or stopped paying attention. Punisher Max did it lovely. That means, not at all. And I love it all the more.

The Jovian said...

For those unable to make it out, the static comment from "anonymous" says:

"Soon. Prepare for the fires of hell."

Creepy.

As for the storyline, Nimue is either channelling SHODAN for the lulz, or something more sinister is afoot. Still I wouldn't be surprised if she says some variation of: "Are you afraid? What is it that you fear? The end of your trivial existence?"

I love SHODAN, such a quotable villain.

Doresh said...

ASBAR - if your plot is paper-thin, just add more and more characters.

What's up with some heroes using masks that don't actually conceal anything? The best main universe example would be Green Arrow (since Oliver's mustache is... well, very prominent), but ASBAR-Batgirl is a good contender. Even if her mask would actually work, there's still the slight problem that there are probably not that many underaged, red-haired females with freckles around in Gotham City...

Oh, and those dangly bits probably do wonders when it comes to stealth.

Also, why doesn't Frank use a clock or something if the timeline of this epos is so important?

I find it funny that the thugs complain about Black Canary's Irish dialect - and yet Franky didn't even bother do write her dialogue in a stereotypical Irish way.

(I also wonder why she is not "Green Canary"...)

And oh boy, this new arc will get ugly o_O

HS199432 said...

Remember how Stan Lee said every comic is someone's first? Well, for me it was The Adventures of Crazy Steve and Dick Grayson, Age 12, #1. I was 9 or 10, and excited about a new accessible Batman story that didn't have a really complicated history. You can imagine my surprise when more time was spent on Vicki Vale in her underwear than Batman acting like Batman. Needless to say, this joyful little experience really turned me off from comics for a long time.

Anonymous said...

Just from what has been shown of the post-episode storyline so far, this looks like it'll be my second favorite story arc, just behind the entity. I really enjoy the overall spookiness of the Entity and Nimue. Great job!

Jhawh said...

These are the only reviews of yours that I watch. Reviews of other comics do nothing for me. I'd only want to see stuff about 90s comics or later.

I'm not suggesting you change anything, I'm just saying, this is what interests me.

Ming said...

Things are getting intense. There's some kind of second personality or some unknown force after Nimue. I keep thinking that Lord Vyce may be connected to this second personality.

That's the end of the text reviews. I don't have to tell you they're all terrible. I'll be counting the days until the next issue of Crazy Steve and Miller's continued trashing of the DCU.

Unknown said...

Never thought I'd see the day when ASBAR would be boring. Idiotic, misogynistic, and poorly put together, sure, but boring?

Did anything at all happen this issue? And if nothing happened why is it so important at precisely what time it would have happened it it had?

Anonymous said...

Excellent! I've been looking forward to the next storyline.

So Nimue's having problems... And the next comic in Tandy Computer Wiz Kids. This should be fun.

If Nimue is going to be taken over by another program, what are you going to call it? Viviane?

Anonymous said...

Okay what's up with Frank Miller age 56 spelling out the characters' ages? Does he think the readers are that stupid? Do ya', Lewis Lovhaug age 26 (well almost 26 anyway)?

Anonymous said...

Speaking of the DC Universe are you going to do a video on the DC reboot and what went wrong with it?

You seem to by very mad at it and it would be very interesting to see.

Do you have anything against reboots in general and if you Had to reboot the DC Universe what would you do?

Anonymous said...

Huh. I thought rampancy only hit after 7 years for AI. Odd

Brian Kaelin said...

Personally, I'm just scared Nimue is going to turn into CABAL from command and conquer. I can just hear her say it. "Listen to the sounds of your own extinction."

GoldenKing said...

Linkara, DC has released a series of Superman statuettes designed by the different artists that have worked on Superman throughout the years. Frank Miller's statue was the most sloppy, disproportional, ridiculous looking superhero rendering that I have ever seen in my life. It was painful to look at. I almost bought it because it was that bad... Have fun with the new villain Linkara, hopefully nobody will die ala Star Trek this time.

Skarakien said...

I thought you will mention that Vicky got some lilies which are realy bad ideas in closed aeras (they produce poisonous gases). Maybe Crazy Steve hired Ivy to buy some flowers for that chick.
Also i have to mention that C.S. DID kill some cops (in the first issue... cop car and the bats...).
And i have a question for you: Do you wanna ever review My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Comic with someone? It would be a neat crossover!

BlondieSheep said...

Delayed comment because I was rewatching the previous ASBAR episodes...

Linkara, you legitimately made me scream in terror. Nimue asking what it feels like to lose your mind and then the scary voice in the end. Holy crap, that freaked me out. I literally screamed. I am so excited to see where you go with this story. It already has a brilliant start.

Your review was also wonderful (love your freak out over the changes in time) but the storyline stinger at the end stole the show for me. Absolutely wonderful!

trent bowie said...

God, this comic is a mess. I don't think Frank Miller came up with a plot other than "The Goddamm Batman rampages through Gotham City doing what he Goddamn pleases." Looking back at The Dark Knight Returns, it's basically the same thing. He orders cops around, lets a murderer out of jail so he can fight him man-to-man and allows a dangerous mob commit horrific acts of vigilantism before organizing and leading them. The list goes on.
And yeah, I'm not happy with Babs' portrayal. She may be the biggest Batman fangirl around, but she's not that stupid. Our Babs would hide her identity better (hello, Amy Beddoes). Instead the "book-smart might become a cop" attributes which make up the most awesome part of her character is instead given to her brother James Jr. I just find it hilarious that Scott Snyder reinvented him as DC's answer to Daken. Looks like getting tossed off that bridge gave Jim Jr. brain damage. Or maybe Snyder was pissed the baby wasn't Babs. Who knows?

Anonymous said...

Watching these comic reviews really make me sad inside. It's depressing that Frank Miller went from being a good writer to being a one trick pony.

Speaking as a person who only saw film versions of his work, I liked Sin City and 300, and I really enjoyed Batman: Year 1. However I can't help but think I like those movies because they were influenced by someone else (Sin City had Robert Rodriguez and 300 had Zack Snyder).

Even Year One, a movie I really liked, had some odd parts because of Frank Miller's style and were quite annoying to watch. Almost every female in year one, except for Gordon's wife, could be cut with little re-writing required. I hated that he turned Selena Kyle into a whore and that Sarah Essen was more of a plot device than anything else (since in the movie she was only there to put suspicion on Bruce Wayne so Gordon wouldn't, and to have boring affair with Gordon so he can be blackmailed later.) The affair thing was especially annoying since I don't think Gordon is the type to cheat on his pregnant wife.

Anyways, when Frank acts alone, we get stuff like the Spirit, a movie that is completely despicable, and it's truly sad that Miller's work has turned into something akin to a masturbatory fanfic without the sex scenes.
(What's worse is if you think about it, there would be very little editing required to turn the Spirit into a porno.)

Some Gamer Dude said...

I can't wait till you get to 9 with the yellow room. Best thing in the series since The Goddamn Batman.

trent bowie said...

I'm glad I'm not the only one annoyed with Batman: Year One. Seeing Jim Gordon act like a douchebag turned me off. I wonder if Frank Miller hates him more than he does women. In the script version of the comic, Miller wrote two scenes in which Gordon is in the bathroom with a gun in his lap contemplating suicide.

TDM222 said...

Hey Linkara, is that a Legacy Morpher on your shelf? If it is, do you like it pretty well? I'm pretty bummed the Dragon/Tiger Legacy Morpher is cast in 24k and Comic-con exclusive though.

itinimac said...

Hey Linkara, do you ever plan to make a review of Superman: Earth One? It's (another) reboot of the Man of Steel written by the genius who gave us Superman: Grounded.

Frankly enough, when I read it I could not help but literally bang my head against the floor. Won't spoiler nothing

Lunacorva said...

"Frank Miller has turned this into: What if the DC universe was really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really STUPID!"

Wait...

Didn't 'Countdown' already do that?

Also, Linkara's exchange with Nimue kind of reminds of a line from 'Razor's Edge'

'EDI's voice snapped him out of his haze.

"Shepard?"

He caught the subtle modulations in her synthetic tone, emotions like concern and kindness that she claimed not to have. Positive feedback loops, she'd called them. It seemed even the most advanced AI in the galaxy was capable of small self-delusions when necessary. Maybe that was what it meant to truly be alive.'

Luis Francisco Angulo Andrade said...

In between all the stupid in this comic I'd just like to point out that, AFAIK and a few rare exceptions aside, bullets are not "Steel jacketed lead".

The "jacket" in a bullet refers to the metal around the bullet, usually copper or some other low friction metal. If you fired "jacketed steel" bullets, you'd destroy the rifling on your barrel pretty quickly. Steel ammunition actually has a different material jacketing it because of this.

Ryubbert Narraetsor said...

Perhaps Jocko was trying to invoke the Blagghole?

maybetoby said...

"What time is it?" All that ranting about five hours ago and Jimmy Olson made me laugh til I cried and couldn't breathe.

TimeTravelerJessica said...

I waited a long time to comment on this so I wouldn't just write an angry knee-jerk reaction. Look, there's plenty of material to make fun of in the comic, there's no need to go armchair psychologist and make this personally about Frank Miller. I'm not defending the work, a lot of it does come off as morally questionable (to say the least) and sexist, and he may really be as awful as you seem to think, but extrapolating that from a work of fiction is, to censor myself in case of delicate eyes looking over my shoulder, bull feces. It's one of my pet peeves in reviews to see the reviewer making it personal with the creator and I'm sorry to see a reviewer of your caliber using it so much, especially when you're dealing with something like ASBAR, which should offer plenty of material other than personal attacks on Miller. Let's keep some perspective on what he did here: He wrote a comic book. A very bad, sometimes offensive comic book. Yell at him for that, not views that you think he holds based on it.

On a lighter note: *saw recommendation to read Court of Owls because it was "awesome", sighed, stopped the video, went to sulk in room for a bit, came back, watched rest of video, continued sulking, slowly accepted that comic books just aren't for me, decided to just give up since apparently even people I like can't recommend me comics I actually like or even stop recommending things I hate, realized that I don't owe it to anyone to like comic books to claim ownership in the superhero fandom, accepted the mantle of "fake geek girl", watched Avengers, Iron Man, and Dark Knight Blu-Ray again and moved on with my life*

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"It's one of my pet peeves in reviews to see the reviewer making it personal with the creator and I'm sorry to see a reviewer of your caliber using it so much, especially when you're dealing with something like ASBAR, which should offer plenty of material other than personal attacks on Miller. Let's keep some perspective on what he did here: He wrote a comic book. A very bad, sometimes offensive comic book. Yell at him for that, not views that you think he holds based on it."

Fair enough in that regard for armchair psychoanalyzing based on stuff written in a comic book. However, I reserve the right to judge him on things HE HAS ACTUALLY SAID, which is where the racism thing comes in.

"On a lighter note: *saw recommendation to read Court of Owls because it was "awesome", sighed, stopped the video, went to sulk in room for a bit, came back, watched rest of video, continued sulking, slowly accepted that comic books just aren't for me, decided to just give up since apparently even people I like can't recommend me comics I actually like or even stop recommending things I hate, realized that I don't owe it to anyone to like comic books to claim ownership in the superhero fandom, accepted the mantle of "fake geek girl", watched Avengers, Iron Man, and Dark Knight Blu-Ray again and moved on with my life*"

You are most certainly NOT a "fake geek girl" just because you don't like a comic that others do. Your level of enjoyment and fandom is dependent upon your own personal tastes. And trust me, I know what it's like to hate something that everyone else likes and be upset that no one sees the things you see. ^_^ In my regard, I include stuff like that because people ask me for recommendations all the time and sometimes it's easier to include that in the videos as opposed to constantly pointing them to the big recommendations list I made.

TimeTravelerJessica said...

I think I should explain the fake geek girl thing since it came out a lot more dramatic than I intended (I was trying to be funny ... oops). When I first started getting into superhero stuff it was really important to me to get caught up on comics ... I tried to get on at DC during the reboot thinking that it would be friendly to newbies (ahaha ... no ...) and several different things at Marvel, but as of right now there's not really anything current I follow - most of the comics I've read recently are older trades, but when I first started I basically forced myself to keep current on a lot of books I didn't even really like just because I thought it was important to fit in with the geek community ... then I realized the vast majority didn't really care and were welcoming whether I was keeping current or not, and the few who did get bent out of shape weren't worth worrying about. So basically I adopted the "fake geek girl" label to preemptively annoy that small minority and take it away as an insult.

Dread Pirate Robin said...

It's been a while since I've read Year One, but wasn't Catwoman insulted to be compared to Batman in the story?
Really, though, Lewis' summary sounds accurate too. Weird.