Rating: 
Summary: An utter mess
Review: For 16 years now "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" has rightly been hailed as one of the greatest stories ever told in the medium. It would have been impossible for anyone, even the immensely talented Frank Miller, to live up to the bar set by that seminal work.However, even taking that into account, "DK2" was a big, sloppy mess, cementing in my mind the notion that sometimes it's best to just leave well enough alone. The first volume of DK2 was good enough -- if the art looked a little rushed. The story was still clear and consistent with what went on before, and it was downright exciting to see how Miller developed this alternate universe of heroes that spun out of the mainstream DC Universe prior to "Crisis on Infinite Earths." But volume two was a little messier... and volume three was not only abhorrently late, but sloppy and, frankly, incomprehensible. The ending, what there was of one, was unclear, muddled and not at all worth the wait. Even worse are the rumors that DC Comics wants to allow Miller to tell tales in this alternate-DCU of his periodically, focusing on other heroes in addition to the Batman mythos. If the results are anything like DK2 #3, it's best to leave it alone.
Rating:
Summary: ...The Story's Conclusion
Review: Anyone out there who read my review of the first 2 installments of The DK2 Saga, knows how disappointed I was with those, so I wont bore you by repeating myself. Even though I was let down, I decided to stick with it, based on Frank Miller's track record and my memories of the first series So... THE STORY-After a long wait for part III, it opens with the heroes relecting on their futures, and the public reaction to previous events. I am all for other heroes appearing in the story, but not at the expense of The Bat, I know he is still the main thrust of the story--but c'mon. One of the reasons that I loved THE DARK KNIGHT 1 was the the fact that it was a story about Batman and his city. It seems to me, that DK2 reads more more like a JUSTICE LEAGE tale, than a Bat tale. I guess my expectations were too high on this one. As it turns out, I am not the only one who feels this way, many others here and elsewhere echeo these sentiments. Have I been away from comics for too long? That really shouldn't matter should it? Batman should be solving a problem and fighting crimes, not telling almost every other hero in the DC Comics universe that they are wussies, who need to follow him... THE ART-As I stated in my review of parts 1+2, the art seemed rather uninspired, all over the place, and rushed. Part 3 seems to continue with that trend. Miller and Varley use a lot of big panels for the layout, so that one would think that the art would showcase some nice work, no dice. The larger panels overpower the smaller ones so much that it looks like they decided that bigger means less work. I hate to sound so harsh here, especially, since I have great respect for the talent involved. I really wanted to like this series, I really did... instead I really didn't. What a bummer... I am so disappointed...
Rating: 
Summary: SWILL, AND MORE SWILL
Review: Please, just read my review of issue one of this mini-series. It applies to issue 2 as well. DK2 is completely a waste of anyone's time. I can't believe people out there are actually enjoying this swill. There are plenty of good comics out there--read them.
Rating:
Summary: COMPLETE SWILL!
Review: Like any comics fan of the past 20 years or so, Miller's Dark Knight Returns is a treasured favorite of mine. It's one of the books on any comics fan's list of "Books I'd have on a deserted island". With all the hype and excitement of DK2, I really thought Miller would have done more. He had the time to come up with something great. Instead we get three books of crude artwork (even for Miller) and nearly meaningless plot with little motivation for the characters to be doing what they're doing. Complete garbage and swill--and to date I love most of Miller's work. That ends today. If it isn't Sin City, I will not buy another Miller book. If he doesn't care, then neither do I. Save your money--please!
Rating:
Summary: A little BETTER...
Review: Frank Miller is at his best when he is choreographing violence. Because he had to wrap up this series, he delivers satisfying fight scenes. But, MAN, where is his story-sense? Between the "characatures" of well known television personalities, the unexplained Legion of Super-Heroes costumes, and the BIZARRE characterizations of well-established characters, I got the feeling that Miller was telling a bunch of in-jokes...that only HE was in on. The revelation of the identity of the "new" Joker made absolutely NO SENSE! Where is this great army that Batman has spent years training? Why aren't there more BATMAN villains? Varley's coloring is less intrusive than the other issues, but that's not saying much. To get a REAL sense of what Miller and Varley can accomplish together, seek out ELECTRA LIVES AGAIN. After looking at that treasure, you get an idea of how far these two have fallen.
Rating: 
Summary: More F'd up than Sin City
Review: Not great, but shocking. I wouldn't consider it as revolutionary as Dark Knight Returns. Many people may hate it. The most F'd up Batman comic I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Laughing all the way to the bank
Review: Miller's blindingly-apparent contempt for both the super-hero genre and its fans are evident on every page of this, the worst of the already mediocre three-issue series. Incoherent story and insultingly bad art (though Varley's colors are fine) combine to make for a thumb-nosing fest at the reader. Feh.
Rating:
Summary: Issue one is bad--each subsequent issue is worse!
Review: A bad, bad, sense of "contractual obligation" is passed by this. Frank Miller "writes" (and I use this term loosely) an adaptation of something much better done in "Kingdom Come." What is Batman's motivation for the ultimate carnage in issue three? I don't know. Where is the art that made "Dark Knight" the treat that it was? I don't know. Why does Plastic Man's hair keep changing color? I don't know. For those of you gluttonous enough to purchase this anyway--I'll avoid a spoiler and say that the threat to Carrie Kelly in issue three (which appears out of nowhere and is not referred to in either of the previous issues) is the most ridiculous "deus ex machina" of any that I've ever read in a comic book. (A field full of them.) If Frank Miller didn't want to write a sequel to "Dark Knight" he should have refused rather than spreading this swill on toast and calling it a sandwich. I beg you folks, re-read "Kingdom Come," a much worthier sequel to "Dark Knight" and force DC to send unpurchased copies of this [junk] to the shredder. You'll find this in cut-out bins in 3 months at less than cover price....
Rating: 
Summary: Close But No Cigar
Review: Once again, Frank Miller has written a comic book that soars above most of what the comic book genre has to offer, but unfortunately "The Dark Knight Strikes Again" will fail to assert itself among Comic Books great achievements like "The Dark Knight Returns" did in the eighties. Taking place three years after the events in "The Dark Knight Returns", "The Dark Knight Strikes Again" takes place in a much different world -- a world that, on the outside, looks quaint, perfect, and peaceful, but under the surface boils with corruption, violence, and injustice. Batman begins his crusade to end this corruption in this first book. The biggest problem with "The Dark Knight Strikes Again", is the artwork, which is a world apart from the edgy, dark, and sharp Frank Miller art in "The Dark Knight Returns". The pencils are uninspired at best, and very unimpressive to look at. Lynn Varley's coloring also shows substantial lagging, and at a whole, the artwork in this new series gives the impression that Frank Miller didn't put his best efforts into it, which so far, it seems that he hasn't. We've seen the brilliance in Frank Miller's best books, and this simply isn't it (great book though).
Rating: 
Summary: Read My Essay
Review: Coming from a 17-year old's perspective (someone who won't contrast this book with the rose-tinted memories of the last), I like it, generally. The experimental art was perfect to employ in a book like DK2 it's WEIRD art which suits the book (very entrancing), I want many of it's pictures on my wall, but some of it uneven and too weak. The media was the most creepy part about the book with it's ugly glamour style, strange informality that seemed refreshing and yet all newscasters are stupid, it was just a slightly exaggerated version of what we see today. 'News In The Nude' actually exists, it made me feel this world could happen in 5 years. The caricatures were another nice touch! Don Imus is in there, Chris Matthews from CNN's 'Hardball', George Stephanopolous, etc. etc. exaggerated here cleverly. I was even suprised to find myself fascinated by the future slang. I thought that the first issue was a lot of fun and the surprise beginning with the Atom was brilliant in form. The second being more of the same (rounding up more heroes, having hell break loose and not have it be interesting), with too many splash pages. The art was uneven. I liked the theme of childhood, Batman marking with a 'Z' and claiming children always fight the wars, his raising Robin as a son so poorly and the panels in #2 with a child falling down the stairs with a stuff animal, also the woman who screams about 'the children' -funny -or serious? This book has much to do with children. DKR1 focused on BRUCE WAYNE, in DKSA, it focuses entirely on BATMAN. In DKR1, Bruce lost his mansion, therefore Bruce is gone - and DKSA could only feature Batman - coincidentally in DKSA Batman loses his bat-cave, now there are no more personalities. Maybe that's why Miller stated a flat 'no way' when asked about another DK sequel. Bruce can't kill Joker, Batman can, that's why it was a difficult choice for him and it's why Batman isn't as kind and fuzzy in DKSA. Batman is a dark character, born out of the slaughter of his parents, he has deep multiple personalities, it's funny how hard Miller worked at showing that aspect. The third book did a lot less than I'd hoped, I was expecting a go-for-broke unexpected story with Flash [messing] up Bats' plans or something but this was far more traditional. Superman and WW's boring love story felt needless (to those of us without mid-life crises), this book seemed to cover love, and generations essentially. Overall, DK2 could have contrasted the way Superman's daughter was raised with the way Batman's son (Robin) was raised, but it didn't. I don't know why the daughter is necessary to the story, or even if she is (I'm sure there's some significance to her and Paradise Island). Regardless, it couldn't be worth the ... Dollars+ I paid! I wish I could tell why Plastic Man was in a machine in Arkham Asylum, or what GL turned into or how. I liked the new looks for all of the characters, and the retro take. I think Superman's taking over earth was inevitable, I liked the character angle of Superman being stupid and following 'Ma and Pa'. As much as I love comics, this is the only Graphic Novel I've ever re-read, and I don't even re-read individual issues of books. A lot of us may like this book when we're older and can relate to some of these themes, with children and a disturbing new world around us. Despite his apparent dislike of superheroes, he still likes comics and good stories. I think, ultimately Miller said everything he wanted to say, and that there is something connecting almost everything in this story. Remember in issue two, when WW and Superman are in love, it cuts away to volcano erupting...foreshadowing AND metaphor (even though it can be seen as funny in that sequence). The volcano idea and Robin's death wasn't goofy as it didn't come from nowhere (although it's so unrealistic, it fits the story like a glove and I can't see how anything else would work now), it was fore-shadowed from repeatedly showing us how Bruce is now ultra-violent and cruel, taking pleasure in inflicting pain and terror, calling Luthor and Superman names, etc. I'm sure that the orphanage home that experimented on children was commentary on Batman's parenting of Robin, setting the stage for Robin's appearance, and that's why we don't hear the entire orphanage story, because we've just heard the crucial part (it may feel like the story has gone on a tangent, but it didn't). When the orphans say 'they poked us, and touched us', it seems like a funny inside joke on the Batman/Robin 'relationship'. In the end, Bruce told Robin that the cave stretched further than he ever knew, and at it's core, there was a volcano. I believe that the cave is, and probably always was (for Miller) a metaphor -a reflection of Bruce's own soul, which is why he's telling Robin, and why he dies there. Batman really doesn't understand parenthood or relationships, he's that [messed] up.... that dark, that's how he can say those things to his own son (Robin), and that's why Robin is now so disturbed and in pain (he never raised him or even called him 'son', he just fought crime with him, this is the 'ridiculousness of superheroes' aspect because in reality, that would screw a mind up forever...it's absurd, but we know he raised Grayson to think he exists to save the world). The molton lava shows us the torrent of his tumultuousness emotions, it's why he became Batman, why he fought every night and it is entirely consistant with the character. As Batman is saved from death in his volcano (while Robin dies from it), the book ends almost optimistically (for a bleak story) as it shows he could still love someone in Carrie. Miller has stated that this story is not how the DCU and Batman should end up, it was written specifically to be more out of character, bleak, and realistic (while still very fantastic-looking and acting). the realism isn't all darkness, it can be funny like in Watchmen. In my humble opinion, DK is about what would happen if Batman let the emotions that keep him fighting every night get the best of him... in an apocalyptic world of tomorrow. This book inspired a lot of thought for me about these classic characters and political differences, it makes me want to create something. I think it's had a greater positive effect on me than DK1, which told a great, though less complex story.
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