Gerard Jones attempts to tell a story of a rock star that has captivated the world over and use it as a critique on how rock music is bad. Rock music breeds violence. Rock music makes people unhappy. Rock music is for stupid people. Rock music will drive you crazy. Jones hammers the reader over the head so hard with his heavy-handed treatment of rock music that I've got a lump the size of a guitar.
So apparently a rock star who is close to becoming washed up goes crazy, blows up a music video showing, and then treks across America while hallucinating about his musical heroes. While this is happening Batman and Robin bicker about music. Batman thinks rock is bad and Robin thinks it is good. They fight and whine and eventually Robin teams up with the rock star's bassist thinking he can save Isaac (the rock star). He eventually learns that it's all just a plan by a bigwig record label executive to make Isaac immortal in musical circles. Robin realizes he's wrong and helps Batman bring down the exec.
Now not only is the story pretty lame and heavy-handed, but the dialogue is atrocious and the lyrics to Isaac's songs feel like they were written by a 7th grade music student slapping together an assignment a couple of minutes before class. One of the songs revolves around Isaac not getting what he ordered at a fast food joint. Really, I'm not making this up.
The only bright spot in this graphic novel is the above average art of Gene Ha. If it wasn't for the pretty depictions of the characters, this would have been a complete and utter failure. One thing that I didn't like about Ha's art, however, is how he drew the Batmobile and the Batplane. They both looked like they were from the 23rd century and made by aliens.
If you want to read what a Batman story should not be like, then throw away $15 on this. Fortunately I got it at a convention for only $4.
Ratings
Art: 3.5
Story: 1
Overall: 1.25
Art: 3.5
Story: 1
Overall: 1.25
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