| If any comic has a claim to have truly reinvigorated the genre, then The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller--known also for his excellent Sin City series 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 peerless Watchmen) 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: the need to see change and the belief that he can orchestrate some of that change. Batman is back. The Dark Knight has returned. Awesome. --Mark Thwaite |
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 Guess You Had to Be There |
| Review Date: July 28, 2010 |
| Reviewer: BJ Fraser, Michigan |
I wasn't a big comic book fan even when I was a kid, so I missed out on when this first came up and by all accounts was a Really Big Deal. It's pretty easy to tell this is the same guy who did the crummy "Robocop" sequels and equally crummy "The Spirit" because of the ridiculous plot, absurd newscasts, and hammy noir-ish narration.
As the title suggests, the story is about (initially) an older Bruce Wayne taking up the old cape and tights ten years after retiring. Somehow this morphs into a plot involving Superman and nuclear holocaust. Many of the familiar players like Commissioner Gordon, Two-Face, and the Joker are featured. There's also a new, female Robin.
Since this was written in the mid '80s it focuses on the Cold War and ever-present threat of nuclear annihilation. Alan Moore's "Watchmen" similarly covered this ground, only in a less heavy-handed, juvenile fashion. They're both pretty dated, though this one feels more so. If you were going to read just one major graphic novel from the '80s, read that one.
I obviously don't know much about artwork. Sometimes the crude drawings were distracting. Especially during some action scenes it was hard for me to tell what was going on.
Despite that I thought this was pretty silly, it was grimly fascinating. And really it only takes a couple of hours to read through. But I guess to really appreciate this you would have had to have read it when it first came out.
That is all. |
The Title Says It All
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| Review Date: July 7, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Matthew Kresal, USA |
A decade ago, Batman disappeared and left Gotham City to fend for itself. Bruce Wayne, the billionaire behind the mask, has grown old while he's watched Gotham become more controlled by criminals and the vicious Mutant gang. Now though he has returned and nothing will ever be the same. So begins The Dark Knight Returns, the 1986 story that saw writer/artist Frank Miller reinvent Batman in a fine tale of one man's battle against both a city and world on the brink of destruction.
It all starts with Batman or rather Bruce Wayne. After ten years of being in a forced retirement and now in his mid-fifties, Wayne finally returns as Batman to face a city in crisis. This isn't a campy Batman at all, instead we are treated to a rougher, grittier version of that character. Here is a man who has returned to the role he left behind who at times isn't quite sure if he is even up to it anymore but nonetheless carries on fighting not only for the sake of the city he once abandoned but to fight his inner demons as well, ever bluing the lines between hero and vigilante as he does so. Yet he will ultimately be hunted after when his brand of justice is deemed too much by some such as the new police commissioner Yindel and a political liability to others. In short this may very well be Batman at his best.
Yet this is a battle he can't fight on his own as we learn though the cast of supporting characters, both allies and enemies. On the side of his allies are returning characters such as Alfred the Butler and retiring police commissioner Jim Gordon along with a new Robin in the form of thirteen year old girl Carrie Kelley. On the enemies side is a who's who of villains including a supposedly reformed Harvey Dent aka Two Face, the leader of the vicious Mutant gang and even the Joker back for one final battle. Perhaps the greatest threat facing Batman though is Gotham's own police department when new police commissioner Yindel takes over. In the end, it will lead to the ultimate showdown between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel himself in a battle that blurs the lines between good and evil. Add on a range of supporting characters including satirical takes on popular figures of the mid-1980's such as President Ronald Reagan or David Letterman and the result is a wide range of supporting characters.
One of the strengths of this story is that it is a fast paced story that is enjoyable even if you're not previously a fan of the DC comics universe. This was the very first graphic novel I read having finally decided to read it after seeing The Dark Knight film two years ago, when I had very little or no knowledge of the DC universe. So if you're looking for either an introduction or just want a peak into it, here's a perfect place to do it. Why? Because the story takes place in a world onto its own so to speak that is a gritty and twisted version of the mid-1980's with a city in the midst of urban decay and the Cold War threatening to go hot at any moment which is perfectly brought to life through the artwork as well as the writing. As a result, many things are explained up front very quickly and what isn't outright explained can be inferred pretty easily (such as Superman never actually being referenced to by name). The story moves very quickly but gives the reader a chance to see things from many different points of view not only through character monologues but through TV newscasts and the like. Even better, reading it again now after some further dipping into the DC comics universe the story has actually gotten better, not worse, with age.
While the Cold War and 1980's elements do date the story, this tale is nonetheless a fine Batman story. It is a faced paced tale that has plenty of action, emotion and thrills to satisfy even the most novice of readers. It is without a doubt a dark tale with little room for humor but plenty of room for social satire from the era in which it was written. As the title says: The Dark Knight Returns. |
Awesome Sauce!!!!!
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| Review Date: June 26, 2010 |
| Reviewer: MrAceSpade, |
| This is a great read for any Batman fan! I just started collecting graphic novels myself. Thus far I have The House of M, Planet Hulk, WW Hulk, Marvel Civil War, Batman Year One and this and this was easily the best of the lot. I will say that the artwork threw me off a little as it strikes me as more of an old school look but you don't even pay attention to it as you get a few pages in. Its a small book but it was the longest read out of all of the graphic novels I've purchased to date which was surprising. My only regret is that I could not find the Hardcover for this book. |
Not Good for Beginners
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| Review Date: June 21, 2010 |
| Reviewer: BigPoppaKoop, Pequannock, NJ |
| I just recently got back into comic books again and asked some of my friends what was a good series to read. I liked Frank Miller's work with Sin City and 300 but never realized how influential he was with the Dark Knight. I picked up a copy of the Dark Knight after reading some of the new Justice League series. Reading some of the newer DC comics before reading Dark Knight was probably not a good idea because as soon as I opened up the Dark Knight, I saw how very different and less detailed the art work was. I had trouble getting into the story because of the art work but I tried. After getting to the part where Batman returns, I could not continue reading this comic. I had trouble following the storyline because of the way Bruce Wayne looked and also because of the comments on Batman's current age. Looking at other reviews, I guess I couldn't really appreciate this work by Frank Miller because I'm just getting into comics again. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this series to comic newbies, but I will attempt to reread it in the future. |
Batpension
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| Review Date: June 6, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Armchair Pundit, Durham City, England. |
As someone whom has a more visual then literary frame of mind,
I was very impressed by the artwork presented here, and intrigued by an ageing Batman.
My only gripe is the political slant is very eighties, and by being so, dates this somewhat.
Perhaps the political angle should have been made less prominent.
Four stars for artwork originality. |
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