Rating: 
Summary: A Man with a Moral Conscience....
Review: I never thought that a sequel could live up to the original, but this book truly does so. Frank Miller is a genius, but more importantly, he is something greater than a mere genius- he is a man with a moral conscience. There are damn few of those left. Mr. Miller brings in a theme here that he addresses in his Sin City books- namely, that the rich and powerful will not hesitate to hold hostages in order to gain the obedience of good men. You see, a sociopath doesn't need superpowers- he only needs to threaten harm to innocents if you move against him. This just doesn't happen to the likes of Superman, Captain Marvel, and Wonder Woman, as in this story. It happens everyday on capitol hill, city hall, and corporate boardrooms. Believe me, I know. I look forward to seeing how the Dark Knight and the other heroes solve this problem- hopefully it is a strategy that can also be applied to the real world....
Rating:
Summary: Eagerly awaiting the next two parts
Review: Many of the negative reviews seem to diss the book based on its incompleteness, which is not unlike people dissing _Fellowship of the Rings_ because "it doesn't have an ending." The story ain't quite done yet, people... don't be so quick to bury Miller.OK, so by the same token, i shouldn't be so quick to praise him, and if the next two installments don't live up to the promise of the first, i'll adjust my rating. But the story builds quite well, and my initial reaction to the Superman-as-stooge element was the same as "a reader from San Francisco"'s. But i thought about it some more, and Superman was already a stooge of the government in DKR... it's only a natural progression. Once you let someone make you their serving wench, it's over for you. You've shown you can be manipulated. And that's something that Batman would have never let happen.
Rating:
Summary: It's getting bigger and better!
Review: For those of you expecting a lame follow-up to the most important graphic novel of all time, this isn't it. Dark Knight 2?...I try to explain this to my non-comic reading friends as if Homer came back and wrote another epic poem after the Iliad and the Odyssey. Yet, I was expecting something OK, but that didn't quite live up to the original (i.e., The Phantom Menace). Instead, what we get is something that promises to be even bigger and more expansive than the original. Whereas the first book limited itself primarily to characters in the Batman comics history, this book goes further, with Batman reuniting with some old friends from the Justice League of America. The whole DC Universe looks like it may play a part in this story. In many ways, it reminds me of Kingdom Come. Superman is there too, of course - getting the fuzzy end of the stick again. The style of artwork is thankfully the same as in the original Dark Knight - without the modern, photo-shop embellishments. This is part-one of a three part story; one can only hope the other two volumes can keep it up.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic story for new and old readers alike
Review: Any fan of the first "Dark Knight Returns" books will love this sequel, which takes place several years after the original series. After the mysterious death of Bruce Wayne/Batman from the first series, the United States has become a world powerhouse. The U.S. Government has taken away many personal freedoms from its citizens, while it secretly uses Superman for undercover work. There are only a handful of public outcries, mostly coming from newscaster Jimmy Olsen, who constantly calls for the return of heroes. Throughout all these years, Bruce Wayne and his band of rebels have been training for a fight that has finally come. Bruce is sick of seeing the collapse of American freedom and has decided to do something about it. His first act is to send his sidekick, Catwoman, into a science laboratory to free Ray Palmer, aka the Atom. Catwoman is actually Carrie, who wore the Robin suit in the Dark Knight Returns. It seems that the Atom has been held captive all these years by the U.S. government. Is he the only one? The rest of this book delves into this question as we see several high-level conspiracies develop. We are treated to appearances from Diana (Wonder Woman), Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), Barry Allen (Flash), Billy Batson (Captain Marvel), and several others. The story in this first book moves very quickly, much more so than the original series. This is a good thing for anyone who has read the original, but may seem a bit hasty for anyone who has not. Fortunately the plot develops quickly enough to keep the reader on his toes and not worry about back history. Personally I liked the faster pace of the story, as it gets into the action right away. It works well for this particular book. If you haven't read the original series, there will be no problems picking this book up. Overall the artwork is very good. This is classic Frank Miller style artwork (which a given read will love or hate), but it seems a bit less refined than the original series. There are much more brighter colors used in this book, compared to the gritty feel of the original, but I like both styles of artwork. It seems as if Frank Miller is having a lot of fun writing and drawing this story, and that's the key work - FUN. This is a great book for adults and teenagers alike. Parental Guidance is suggested for younger kids due to violence and dialogue. This is a great book to read, and fun to look at. I definitely recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, but missing Klaus Janson
Review: Miller clearly has thought out an excellent storyline that won't disappoint readers with the return of the seminal Dark Knight series. As with the first series, Miller wastes no time building tension and energy into the storyline, waeving multiple threads into a fast-paced plot. The art on the other hand I find lacking compared to the first series, which featured in my opinion some of the most striking, seminal artwork to appear in comics at the time it was published. This time the work looks slightly unfinished and hurried, with a few panels that Miller and Varley should have simply redone. Clearly the influence of Klaus Janson would have helped develop the art further, as a quick comparison to the first series would illustrate. All in all, this is definitely worth owning and it is likely that many comic collectors will find it impossible not to buy this entire series, regardless of the reviews.
Rating:
Summary: Volume 1 - Bridging The Three Year Gap
Review: You're not the same, Miller's not the same, and Batman's not the same, either. Fifteen years ago, Frank Miller came out with one of the greatest comics stories of all time "The Dark Knight Returns". The landmark story revitalized Batman and left a tremendous mark on the comics industry. Three years later in comics time and fifteen years in real time, we have the first installment of the long awaited sequel. While the story is better than 99% of the stuff out there today, this is not quite as good as the original story, Watchmen, or Kingdom Come. In fact, it reads quite like an Elseworlds story (where DC takes familiar characters and places them in different times and situations). However, DC has chosen not to put the Elseworlds logo on this release, probably because of its importance. As such, a lot of comics fans will go crazy trying to fit this story into the DC Universe continuity. Its better to take the attitude of enjoying the story rather than trying to make it fit.
Miller's art has become more crude, reminicent of Keith Giffen's latest run on the Legion of Super Heroes. Miller is using his crude style to convey the corruption and decay of this new world. Varley's coloring takes advantage of advances in computer technology. I can understand how other reviewers find Varley's colors garish. Reading the original DKR was like watching a black and white movie. In Strikes Back, the coloring is a lot more vibrant, too much so at times. I enjoyed the use of the Atom in this story. I've always felt that DC never fully realized his potential and Miller handles him brilliantly. That said, I did not appreciate the handling of Superman in this story. Miller treats Superman like a stooge/boy scout at the mercy of Brainiac and Lex Luthor. I would like to think that Superman would try to fight back rather than to knuckle under to the two, even if they represent authority in this story. The jury is still out on the Batman himself, who doesn't appear until the end. Since the Joker was killed in the original series, the villians appear to be Luthor and Brainiac and the stakes seem much higher. While this is an excellent story, it still falls somewhat short of Dark Knight Returns. The little details and "whatever became of"s in the first book were fun to read but there are less of those here. Not having read Miller's Sin City books, I found his latest style to be somewhat jarring. Nonetheless, this is still good stuff and I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment. It's a whole new ballgame.
Rating: 
Summary: Where are our heros?
Review: This first chapter (in a three chapter sequal) to The Dark Knight Returns doesn't really measure up to the originals briliance. The central theme of "Where are our heros?" gives Miller license to use other Justice League members, but it detracts from Batman's presence in his own story. This theme has been tackled many times over, so what held me (and what I believe this story is all about), was Miller's takes on the different characters. I don't want to reveal the characters used and how they're ifferent, but it's big thrill for long time comic readers to see their heros in this new light. This type of story doesn't lend itself to the deep character study and reinvention we got with DKR. The Dark Knight Strikes Again seems designed as an adrenaline rush for fans of lot's of action and the Justice League characters rather than for the larger mass audience that DKR reached. Aside from the not to original story, I also didn't care for the drawing and coloring styles. Miller's rough, sketchy drawings take some getting used to and I had to ponder over a few panels to figure out what they were depicting. What makes it even harder is the computer coloring that overpowers and distracks from many of the drawings. The contrast of the orgainic feel of the drawings and the percise, mechanied coloring does comment on the story, but unfortunately it's not attractive to look at. The warm, pastels of DKR worked much better with Miller's drawing style. I plan on reading the other two volumes of this story in the belief that it will be entertaining to see Miller's takes on the Justice League characters. But overall, my expectationcs have been taken down quite a bit. DKSA feels like Miller taking advantage of the idea of a sequal to produce a rush for comics fans rather than truly having something to say about the Batman character (and comics in general). Something that could reach out beyond comics to touch a mass audience. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not nearly as grand as DKR.
Rating:
Summary: Alright...but
Review: I remember picking up Dark Knight Returns when I was 13 and loving it. I remember rediscovering it when I was 17 and realizing it was true art. A masterpiece, my favorite comic book of all time, and I have read thousands. So, having not bought a comic in about 4 years, I ventured back into a comic book shop and bought DK2. After reading the 80 page book, all I can say is "Eh"... The Good:
Miller does continue the story very well. You learn some of the secrets hinted at in the first book, and see what happened to other characters in the universe. Carrie, AKA Catwoman, is portrayed well as a real ...(butt) kicker in the Bruce Wayne tradition. The futuristic world is done well, with realistic political and social observations. The Flash and the Atom are written well. Creative cameos by Jimmy Olson and Lana's daughter. The Bad:
The art. The art sucks period. Lex Luthor looks like a monkey and Carrie is so anatomically perfect as to make her a barbie doll. I thought the Batboy uniforms were lame. Not enough writing and dialogue. No Batman. Dumb battle at the end. I liked the portrayal of Superman in the first book, but this is stupid. Superman has fought crime for 60 years and he just walks right into a Batman trap? Please. Guess how Batman beats him? Kryptonite! Didn't see that coming! I'm no fan of Supes but I know he's no pushover. Conclusion:
If you love the first book you will like this one. The series does show promise however, with Batman actually in the book now. All in all, an ok book that will hopefully get better.
Rating: 
Summary: A Mish-Mash
Review: It is clear that Frank Miller's primary focus these past years is not in cartooning, but in developing movie projects. Starting with "300" and descending further "Sin City: Hell and Back", Miller's writing and artwork has grown increasingly stale, half-hearted and predictable. Case in point: DK2. For the second time, Superman is served as idealistic dupe of forces beyond his control. For the SECOND time, Batman defeats Superman with (surprise) kryptonite. Didn't they once have a story called "Kryptonite No More" to prevent writers from from constantly relying on kryptonite to fell Superman? Miller populates the comic with the Atom, Lex Luthor, Wonder Woman, Braniac, Captain Marvel and several others, making Batman a third-string character in his own book. Given that there are only three issues in total, this is a bizzare move. The artwork. While I aggree that color is an important part of a good presentation, it is NOT the equal of the writing and draftmanship of a comic. Miller relies WAY too much on Varley's coloring to compensate for his half-hearted drawing. There are three whole pages of small Miller drawings backed up with irritating Varley color swirls. Varley's color choices are annoying to say the least. Odd color splotches and patches that are more a distraction from the story than a benefit to it. Furthermore, toward the end of the book, there's this odd bit-mapping effect that really looks shoddy and second-rate. If it was a conscious desicion of her part, it was a wrong one. Miller did this book for the money. Period. After years and years of saying that super-hero books don't interest him anymore, he goes after the quick buck with this travesty (as well as doing artwork for the recent Marvel reissues of his earlier Daredevil comics). Miller shouldn't play with fan's expectations of a quality piece of work. Put in your full effort or don't do it at all.
Rating:
Summary: How DK2 will probably ruin my life...in a good way
Review: This first installment of the sequel to The Dark Knight Returns promises to be as good or better than the first. During the first installment of this three part series, Batman stayes mainly in the shadows, operating his kind of justice from the Batcave. Could it be tat this is a phrophetic coincidence with Kingdom Come, where Bruce Wayne controlls Gotham by remote Bat-bots? Kitty Kelly is here again and has taken the mantle of the new Catwoman. She is the "lieutenant" of Batman's fighting forces, the bat-boys, or the former members of the Mutant gang in the DKR. They are on a mission to find where all of the other heroes have gone. Superman is a government stooge, still obeying those in power, no matter who it is. What i love about this new series is how Batman's look on the way to bring justice around hasn't changed. And the fact that he kicks Supes around in the first part, with a little help from Green Arrow, who has a new bionic arm.
This book will probably take all of my time. I would reccomend this to anyone who loves Batman and how he should be done. Bit bastard, Bit father figure.
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