It isn't quite as bad as it sounds.  My son runs tall for an almost 11 year old.  He is just over 5 feet tall with about a 30 inch inseam, and he weighs between 95 and a hundred pounds.  Usually, he wears a 12 long or a 14R.  These jeans gap just a bit at his waist and are the right length.  The denim is on the thin side, but the construction is solid.  The black isn't a very dark black, but it is true black, not charcoal.

My son thinks the jeans are comfortable, and he likes how they look.  I think they look nice but am apprehensive about how well they will hold up in the schoolyard.  I don't think my son owns a pair of jeans he hasn't broken through the knees on.  However, the current price for these is so good that even if they last only half as long as most better-known brands, we'll be money way ahead.  Buy large, and, if the price is good, buy two.

UPDATE:

Well, it's a month later, and my son hasn't blown through the knees of these pants yet.  They have also held their size against several washings.  That puts them ahead of the similarly priced pants from the retailer that has the bullseye on its logo.