Rating: Summary: a good book Review: i wish they would put them all in one graphic novel. i had some other comments but they got edited when i submitted the review. can't wait to read the other ones.
Rating: Summary: Kept Me On my Feet Review: Look, for those of you looking for something to top the first, STOP. Nothing will be as good as the Dark Knight Returns. But this was plain awesome! Once you get past the high expectations and enjoy it as the first installment of 3, you will enjoy this. **SPOILER HERE** My favorite part was the end when Superman is ultra peed off and goes to "talk" (...) to Batman, but what ends up happening is quite the opposite, and you see Superman almost begging Batman to stop. How cool? You almost hate Superman as you did in DK Returns. Great graphic novel, can't wait for 2 and 3 to come out.
Rating: Summary: The heavy set Batman from the DKR was more realistic..... Review: I like this sequel...however I wanted to see the characters better illustrated. This is one book where the light and shadow black and white drawings of the heavy set older Dark Knight would have been more real. Remember the new Miller drawings from the 10th anniversary edition? That is the quality I expected in the art in this new version. An older and heavy DK seems to be the way to go. This new thin version of the older Batman seems to be stretching credibility. I like the story so far...with Wonder Woman taking sides with Superman; but it seems to take place in a surreal environment that does not reflect the violent New York city that was depicted in DK the orginal. I think this is all a part 2 sequel. After the sales figures are in Miller will probably get back to basics in DK3!
Rating: Summary: Battle of the Franchised Superheroes Review: I can't think of a graphic novel I've looked forward to more, nor can I think of one that disappointed me more bitterly. Garish colors, clunky art (with dayglo two-page spreads), and a plot that defies all logic. It seems that Miller's goal was to squeeze in as many DC superheroes as possible, but if you haven't followed all of their rampaging plotlines for the past decade or so, you'll be constantly wondering who's who and who's doing what to what. I expect Kitchen Sink Man to show up any minute. I love the first DK graphic novel, and have enjoyed Miller's other work, but this is more like Bizarro-Miller than the creator whose work I've admired in the past. For fanboys only.
Rating: Summary: Good but not as good as the original Review: The original Dark Knight books broke heavy ground in comics. They turned me on to Frank Miller's art and the story took a fabulous look at Batman. The story was gritty and exciting, the art had flavors of Japanese style with Miller's distinctive feel. DK2, book 1, jumps right into the story. If you haven't looked at things in a while, its a bit disorienting but soon you're zooming along with the action. Batman is busy with big schemes and the world's makeup has changed. An interesting look at how things could shake out if all these superheroes did actually populate the world we lived in, or rather, one like ours with the serial numbers filed off. What comic fan hasn't thought that men would find a way to cage superheroes for study or profit? In much the same way that many stories assume vampires or wizards hide out to prevent the "mundane" world from acting on their natural fears and wiping them out, this story postulates that so-called super-heroes have human enough weaknesses that they are not altogether immune from control. All in all, it measured up to my expectations and I'll be picking up the rest of the series. It hasn't yet, however, thrilled me the way that the original did.
Rating: Summary: 15 years for this? Review: The whole story is only in three parts. Each chapter is a fraction of the size of the first mini-series. Yet, with all of those constraints, Frank "I forgot how to draw" Miller wastes pages on single pictures spanning 2 pages apiece. If it's the bat-plane-something hovering or Superman impregnating Wonder Woman, it's given it's own spread. The story is too slender for his epic style, the drawing too crude and the guest cast too generous. This is a BATMAN book, not The Atom or Plastic Man. Yet these guys get more of the story than Bats. I don't see the point to this except a sell out to get fanboys to spend their hard-earned moolah on this crapola. Yeah, I also am a sucker who bought it in the hopes it would be a worthy follow-up to a classic original. But, like Superman 4, get it only if you are a completist.
Rating: Summary: Cool. Review: Ask any hardcore comics fan about "The Dark Knight Returns" and they'll no doubt go on a tirade about how it changed the way eople looked at comics and how it breathed new life into a tired old character. I'd probably agree with them the comic geek that I am. I know some guys who actually started reading comics just because someone let them read a copy of TDKR. Actually "Batman: Year One" has always been my favorite Batman story written by Miller. It's less cartoonish, I like the art better (never was a big fan of Miller's art) and it actually gets pretty deep into Batman's dome. That being said, I can't deny the effect TDKR had on comics any more than someone can deny the same effect "Watchmen" had. They're both good stuff, but I just think TDKR didn't age as well. All that being said, "The Dark Knight Strikes Again" had two things going against it: 1. people's high expectations; 2. competing in a marketplace where "edgy" and "groundbreaking" have become pretty common-place. While comics don't sell like they did 15 years ago, there is no shortage of great comics on the shelves pushing the medium. Guys like Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, Mark Millar, Brian Michael Bendis and even Warren Ellis have taken the torch that Alan Moore and Frank Miller lit and have made some good distance. Everyone expected this book to sell well, but there are those geeks like me who were concerned that this would be like treading on holy ground. We've seen lot's of movies ruined by tired old directors who wanted to "complete their vision" or whatever, and there were those geeky rumblings that the same thing would happen here. I really enjoyed this book. I haven't been buying many direct sales comics recently, content to buy the ones I could find on the racks here in Japan. When I made a recent order from Amazon I decided to throw the Dark Knight in the basket and give it a try. I really enjoyed this book. Did I say that already? The story takes place 3 years after the original and features most of the JLA including the Batman and Super man or course, along with the Flash, the Atom, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Green Arrow and old villains like Lex Luthor and Braniac. While I'm still not a big fan of Millers art, he takes no time to get warmed up. Gone is the arty brooding, although the darkness reamins intact. There's a lot less time devoted to psycho-analyzing and deconstructing these old characters, and a lot more time spent kicking butt. I think Miller did the right thing and wrote a comic for himself. TDKSB lives up to expectations by dispelling them. Miller didn't try to "push the art-form" he just wanted to make a cool funny-book that would kick butt, and he did. If you want art, go read Shakespeare or visit a museum. If you want to read a cool comic, pick up The Dark Knight Strikes Again.
Rating: Summary: Awesome Review: I still have the copy of Dark Knight Returns that I bought 15 years ago. I was delighted to hear of the sequel and having just finished Vol. 1. This sequel, Dark Knight Strikes Again Vol. 1 takes up the story 3 years after it's prequel ends. It starts off quiet but steady and builds in preparation for the battles to come. I have pre ordered both the 2nd and 3rd Volumes and can't wait for them to arrive. Excellent piece of art and Literature. Absolutely awesome.
Rating: Summary: Heh heh. Review: This has got to be the zaniest and odd books I've ever encountered. And the fact that people are so desperately trying to take it seriously instead of sitting back and watching it unfold before their eyes and then judging it. So eager to criticise so reluctant to enjoy.
Rating: Summary: DK2 - Fun, but No Classic Review: Frank Miller's much-anticipated sequel to his 1986 classic The Dark Knight Returns has its moments, but is unable to match the fierce sturm and drang of the original. (I've read DK2 volumes 1 and 2 already). This work is considerably lighter in tone than DKR. It considerably plays up the silliness and goofiness of the comics world and plays down the angst, grittiness and psychological drama found in DKR. DK2 is drawn in a cartoonier style and has a cartoonier story. We do not see as much of the Dark Knight himself, as this story features many of the other D.C. JLA superheroes. Bats, while still grimly determined, seems more a caricature of himself this time around, and loses something of the dark magnificence that made DKR so cool to begin with. We just can't take him as seriously. This said, DK2 is fun in a cartoony sort of way, and features some clever satire and keen observations in what appears to be a commentary on the late-nineties/pre 9-11 zeitgeist of frivolous hedonism and material prosperity detracting from growing big-government tyranny. But while clever at times, Miller's jests and jabs seem to lack the focus needed for great satire, choosing to half-heartedly poke fun at everything. In short, DK2 never really flies as humorous satire or as grim drama. The raw, savage passion of DKR just isn't there, but if you're a die-hard Miller fan, this still may be worth checking out.
|