tomtom13
"Basic Batman."
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Frank Miller's dark futuristic series about Batman.
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There's a great question you can always ask someone you've just met to help break the ice: who's better Batman or Superman? Though it is so much more, THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS attempts to answer that question. Basically the story is this, Batman has been in retirement for over a decade and the world has been getting worse everyday. Other than Superman, most other superheroes have retired too, their aging bodies no longer able to keep up with their able minds. Bruce Wayne goes through a serious mid-life crisis and verges on the brink of insanity. He decides that it is time for Batman to return and help restore order and justice to the world. The only problem is that Batman can no longer fight within the system like he used to do. Instead, he has to fight outside of it. That raises concerns with his old friend Superman and eventually leads to a climatic battle between the two heroes.
+3
To be completely honest, I wasn't all that impressed by the art of the comic. It is true that it influenced an entire generation of comic book artists, but just because something is popular doesn't mean it is good. Also, though I was intrigued by the Batman vs. Superman; rebellious leader vs. faithful steward conflict, I was really disturbed by Miller's nihilistic world view. It is true that the world is in bad shape and continues to get worse and worse. However, I have more hope in humanity than that to believe that things will become as bad as they are in DKR. Even amidst corruption and scandal, Truth and Goodness can be found. Other than that, I found the comic to be rather entertaining and highly thought provoking. When's the last time you heard someone say that about a comic book?
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More Batman: The Dark Knight Return... reviews
This book has revived the industry. Exploring the effects of retirement on an aged Bruce Wayne, it is another look at what the world will become without the superheroes.
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I like it very much
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review by plantsandbooks.
April 30, 2009
"The Dark Knight Returns" is a magnificent illustrated story. The Batman, coming out of retirement in attempts to save Gotham one last time, struggles throughout this story as his body, his friends, and his city have all changed dramatically in the ten years since he last wore his suit. The Batman has to deal with a new commissioner, many villians including Harvey Dent, the Joker, and their cronies. We even see some guest appearances from other DC comic strips. This edition … more
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review by NicanorJourney.
November 10, 2008
Well, the title sums up my opinion on The Dark Knight Returns, though it certainly isn't the best-rounded Batman story of all time, it still leaves a significant impact on readers. The story peaks at many points, and makes large dips at others, but the ending makes up for all its minor flaws. "One of the best Batman stories", let me explain what exactly I mean by this: This is one of the best stories to flesh out the character of Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego Batman. What … more
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review by plantsandbooks.
October 15, 2006
"The Dark Knight Returns" is a magnificent illustrated story. The Batman, coming out of retirement in attempts to save Gotham one last time, struggles throughout this story as his body, his friends, and his city have all changed dramatically in the ten years since he last wore his suit. The Batman has to deal with a new commissioner, many villians including Harvey Dent, the Joker, and their cronies. We even see some guest appearances from other DC comic strips. This edition … more
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review by TomBenton.
April 03, 2006
THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS has caused quite a stir since its release in 1986. It's been heralded as the greatest comic book ever written, a claim which many collectors will support. Ten years after throwing down his costume and retiring from his life of crime-fighting, Batman once again dons the suit when Gotham's crime rate shoots through the roof. This time around the Dark Knight must battle an array of nasty villains, including a recently-released Joker, a barbaric gang of teenage killers calling … more
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Raised on the original comic books where the superheroes are noble and the public adores them, this book is quite a contrast. In this book the world has degenerated into a police state, where information is tightly controlled and the superheroes are aging and at odds with each other. There is reference to the "Freedom From Information Act", which means that just about all information is considered a national security secret. The president is not even a real person, but a computer generated image. … more
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review by DaTechGuy.
April 17, 2002
For those of us who have been collecting and reading comics for 30 years the significance of this graphic novel in the Comic Book Genre continues to grow. As a Batman story it is one of the better "alternate future" books. We see a Bruce Wayne who is lost without his other identity (in fact we see his villians who are lost without him as well) seemingly going along a path of self destruction. When he finds himself the world seems to at the same time. Sort of like when people see a great problem … more
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tomtom13
Ranked #3
Ranked #3
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About this book
If any comic has a claim to have truly reinvigorated the genre, thenThe Dark Knight Returnsby Frank Miller--known also for his excellent Sin Cityseries and his superb rendering of the blind superhero Daredevil --is probably the top contender. Batman represented all that was wrong in comics and Miller set himself a tough task taking on the camp crusader and turning this laughable, innocuous children's cartoon character into a hero for our times. The great Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing, the arguably peerlessWatchmen) argued that only someone of Miller's stature could have done this. Batman is a character known well beyond the confines of the comic world (as are his retinue) and so reinventing him, while keeping his limiting core essentials intact, was a huge task.
Miller went far beyond the call of duty. The Dark Knight is a success on every level. Firstly it does keep the core elements of the Batman myth intact, with Robin, Alfred the butler, Commissioner Gordon, and the old roster of villains, present yet brilliantly subverted. Secondly the artwork is fantastic--detailed, sometimes claustrophobic, psychotic. Lastly it's a great story: Gotham City is a hell on earth, street gangs roam but there are no heroes. Decay is ubiquitous. Where is a hero to save Gotham? It is 10 years since the last recorded sighting of the Batman. And things have got worse than ever. Bruce Wayne is close to being a broken man but something is keeping him sane:...
ISBN-10:
1563893428
ISBN-13:
978-1563893421
Author:
Frank Miller,
Lynn Varley
Genre:
Comics & Graphic Novels
Publisher:
DC Comics
Format:
Graphic novel
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