The art is phenomenal. The storyline is ominous and bleak. In other words, a typical day in Batman's life! The story has many twists and turns, and you're not really sure where it's going and how it 's going to end until very near the end of the graphic novel. A compelling 'who dunnit'

This is volume two of “All-Star Batman” that is a part of DC Comics’ recent “rebirth” reboot. I wanted to read this graphic novel largely due to the fact that Scott Synder wrote the story. Snyder’s previous stories has been good and I’m especially impressed with his Court of Owls. I must admit though I wasn’t as impressed with this particular volume as I have been with other works by Snyder.
The volume’s sub-title could be somewhat deceiving. The first half of the book has the story arc of the “Ends of the Earth” which is the sub-title of the volume. However it isn’t just a story about the “Ends of the Earth” that this volume contained and that threw me off at first since I was left wondering how the stories in the first half of the book related to the story in the second half of the book.
In this volume there are multiple super-villians that Batman confronts or meet. In the opening Batman deals with Mr. Freeze who had a threat developed against the world. But not every traditional villain is someone Batman is fighting as readers will see in the story. Batman eventually goes around finding these villains in order to get to the bottom of who is behind the attempted biological weapon attack. Other villains in this story include the Mad Hatter and Ra's al Ghul. The second set of story in the volume is titled “The cursed Wheel” and it begins with part 5. Here the focus is on Batman’s partner Duke. I thought it was interesting that the focus is on Duke being different and in many ways he’s not your typical mold of Robin. I thought it was a good story about how heroes don’t necessarily mean they must fit a stereotype.
Overall thought the story could have been better. I felt it was so rushed to go from one villain to another.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by DC Comics and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

It's another strong entry from Snyder in his Batman run. It's smart, but it goes right to the edge of being overly wordy (a problem Snyder's had from time to time). I get the sense he wants to write a novel, or at least a string of short stories, but maybe he just enjoys all the information he's digging up (now much more restrained than when he was giving biology lessons on owls and bats). The story itself, told in 4 issues each highlighting a different villain, is tight and compelling. He captures both Batman and his nemeses well in a tale that's creative and formally pleasing.

The art varies as the different collaborators come in, but each issue works. Jock's contribution to the opening section with Freeze may be the best, with both the art and story having touches of Sandman and Arkham Asylum. It leads to a sensibility we haven't seen much from Snyder in Batman, less vibrant superheroism and more the sort of scratchy darkness more in line with, say, American Vampire or some of the other writers that have Batman for brief bursts).

I'll admit that by this point I'm a little lost and a little disinterested in the Duke storyline. I'm guessing this reads much better month-to-month than it does in a collection (mainly because of the months-long gap since the last release). Still, Snyder and All-Star Batman continue to be well worth a read.

From the publisher: #1 NEW YORK TIMES best-selling BATMAN author Scott Snyder's ALL STAR BATMAN continues with a new volume featuring new stories drawn by some of the top artists in all of comics!

For more than 75 years, Batman has been one of the most widely-recognized and revered super-heroes in all of comics. But what would the Dark Knight be without an equally iconic roster of villains to keep him fighting all these years? In ALL STAR BATMAN VOL. 2, Scott Snyder is joined by a rotating team of superstar artists to tell individual, villains-centric stories that in their sum reimagine the Caped Crusader's rogues gallery and bring it into the modern era.

Included in this graphic novel are a chilling Mr. Freeze tale with Snyder's frequent collaborator Jock (BATMAN: THE BLACK MIRROR), a Posion Ivy tale with intoxicating art by Tula Lotay (BRIGGS LAND), Snyder's first pairing with the great Giuseppe Camuncoli (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) and more!

One the most successful and well-reviewed series from DC UNIVERSE REBIRTH continues in Scott Snyder's star-studded, ALL STAR BATMAN VOL. 2! Collects issues #6-9.

The more I read his books, the bigger fan I am of Scott Snyder. With All-Star Batman Vol. 2: Ends of the Earth, Snyder once again has written a great Batman story (although according to the narration, "This is not a Batman story). With a rotating cast of artists, Snyder tells a tale of ecological destruction featuring four different villains.

The first three stories, which are connected but self-contained, star Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and Mad Hatter. Batman is tasked with dealing with each of them and some sort of ecological disaster. By the time the fourth chapter rolls around, Snyder has set the table perfectly for his surprising conclusion. This book has appearances by the mysterious Blackhawk group, as well.

My favorite part of this collection is the Mad Hatter story. I always thought Jervis Tetch was sort of corny as a villain, and at his best he was a creeper. Snyder, however, really gave him a serious and threatening turn as a villain, making him a legitamate rogue for Batman.

In addition to the main story, Snyder continued his run of back up features tracing the training of Batman's new partner, Duke Thomas. Intertwined with a threat from the Riddler, Duke struggles to find his place in the Bat-family. It's a neat way to do a Year One type story for Duke without having it be the main storyline.

I highly recommend All-Star Batman Vol. 2: Ends of the Earth by Scott Snyder. He has got a great feel for Batman and he continually adds to his reputation as one of the best at relating the adventures of the Dark Knight. If you like Batman, you should definitely pick this up, and it functions as a jumping on point for new readers as well.

I received a preview copy of this book from DC Comics and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was definitely the best Scott Snyder Batman story in a good while. The stakes were huge, but in a believable way, and the story was definitely one that Batman was right to handle, as opposed to another DC hero.
Also, I enjoyed the art pretty much throughout. I especially enjoyed Jock's work-- he's definitely one of my favorite comic artists, and when he works with Snyder things really seem to mesh in ways that other artists can't quite nail down with that writer.

This Graphic novel does not flesh out the story enough and jumps from location to location too quickly. It has a completely disjointed feeling to it. Great artwork but the storyline is difficult to follow at times because it is rushed. Disappointed.

I'm new to Batbooks, having only dipped my toe in with the launch of the all-ages Gotham Academy title and then being blown away by the short-lived We Are Robin book. If the rest of the Batbooks are anything like what Scott Snyder did/is doing in All-Star Batman, <em>I have been missing out</em>.

Ends of the Earth is a new arc, and you won't need Volume 1 (My Own Worst Enemy) to jump in. Ends of the Earth cedes center stage to the Bat's rogues gallery. Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and others take a turn putting the Bat through his paces. (Though, I have to say, Bruce started it with at least two of them.)

The art here is breathtaking. Each issue has a different illustrator, though each style seemed to speak clearly to the characters in each story. The sharp, spare lines of the Mr. Freeze story evokes a chill. (If you've ever watched the Mr. Freeze introductory episode of <em>Batman: The Animated Series</em>, this captures him in the same wrenching sort of way.)

On the downside: while the volumes here represent a single arc, I have to say that I did get a little lost in the middle. The first two issues tie together well, but the rest, I'm a bit more fuzzy on. I'm going to say that's my personal weakness; I lose the thread of the story pretty frequently with graphic novels. But that's just me. All this meant is that I had to read the book twice, which was a pleasure to do.

I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley.

Tl;dr: definite buy.

Scott Snyder continues his Batman no-hitter streak he started with Endgame back in the New 52 with Rebirth’s All-Star Batman, Volume 2: Ends of the Earth. Time to take a break from the character, dude! Mister Freeze unleashes a necrotic black spot that decays everything it touches and Batman’s gotta etc. It’s soooo boring!

After the tedious Freeze issue, it’s a weary trudge through a series of dull chapters featuring Poison Ivy, Mad Hatter and Ra’s Al-Ghul. The lame Blackhawks are half-assedly introduced though it’s unclear why they’re even involved in the first place. There’s also the conclusion to the terrible Duke side-story from the last volume as Snyder once again tries and fails to make Duke a thing.

At least the book lives up to its title in the visual department with its roster of All-Star artistic talent: Jock, Tula Lotay, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Francesco Francavilla all contribute art that makes this comic look awesome. Camuncoli’s trippy Mad Hatter issue was especially great and it’s always cool to see Jock working on Batman. It’s just a shame the art is in service to such an unmemorable and unexciting story.

All-Star? Ha! A very generous two stars, purely for the art, instead.

Scott Snyder's All-Star Batman Vol. 2: Ends of the Earth is in parts more accessible but also more wonderfully esoteric than the previous volume. Snyder still gives us this series's fantastically profane Batman, though the coarsely madcap violence (even for a Batman story) is less than it was in My Own Worst Enemy, making this feel in some ways like a more tonally-normal Batman book. At the same time, Snyder's heavy use of prose and nontraditional narrative style, as well as the presence of artists Jock, Tula Lotay, and Giuseppe Camuncoli, distinguish this book as something more than just the everyday. As with the first volume, Scott Snyder's All-Star Batman Vol. 2: Ends of the Earth remains a powerful alt-take on Batman by a writer who's earned the opportunity to offer this alt-take. There's plenty here to enjoy, and I'm glad Snyder is leading the instruction of DC's next generation of writers; I'd be happy to see more books be more like All-Star rather than All-Star being the exception.

The first three stories were great, apocalyptic and claustrophobic, the other not so much, but to sum up another great comic on the Batman series.

Le prime tre storie erano fantastiche e claustrofobiche quanto basta, le altre due non cosí belle, ma complessivamente un altro bel fumetto di Batman!

THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

Unfortunately, could not review problem with download.

I normally like stories told as little vignettes, but for some reason, these just didn't work for me. Nice idea, as Batman goes to remote locations to confront some of the members of his rogues gallery: Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, the Mad Hatter. Each is set up in an isolated locale to perfect some new horror that might be unleashed upon the world (though maybe Ivy is looking for something else). Ultimately, there's one villain behind the scenes, pulling all the strings and his endgame is something different. These are nicely written and imagined, but they don't finally add up to very much. And then there are a few more entries in "The Cursed Wheel," a Riddler-centric story, that ultimately don't do much, either. I quite liked Snyder's first run on All-Star Batman, but if this second volume is anything to go by, maybe he should just retire from the Bat-universe.