Rating: 
Summary: Great Story, Good Art, a gripping Finale'
Review: This Graphic Novel compilation is Frank Miller at his best. The story centers on a Bruce Wayne that comes out of a retirement after 10 years, into a world where all the heroes and villains have fled or have died. The first Tim Burton Batman movie is based on the dark atmosphere from this Graphic Novel. Appearances include the Joker, Catwoman, (Wonder Woman of sorts), Two-Face, Green Arrow, and a certain Boy Scout hero in blue tights working for the government. Imagine a world where Reagan is still president and the US is at war with Russia. Imagine a world with no superheroes, and city streets being riddled by crime and gangs. This is the future of Gotham city. This is a book that can't be missed. I highly recommend this book. (Not suitable for young children)
Rating:
Summary: ART!!!!
Review: Ive always been a huge advocate of the idea that comics are art. Words are art, pictures are art, words + pictures= art. And this book really goes a long way to prove it. Absolutely, bar none, the best comic storyline ive ever come across; the writing is noirish drama at its best, and the artwork is textbook frank miller all the way. Having read this ive been on a bit of a marathon spending spree to get all the great graphic novels; it really is the kind of comic that even a non comic fan could pick up and enjoy from start to finish. Plus, you dont have to know all the history behind batman, as the collection is very user friendly; luckily, Miller threw out most of the crap and stripped batman down to the bare essentials to tell this story of the Dark Knight 20 or so years later coming out of retirement... hell, id better stop.. i dont want to go on and list the whole plot in my review (actually, i think someone already did.. weirdos.) Its dark, its gritty, its psychological, and there is absolutely no doubt that this IS art.
Rating:
Summary: Great graphic novels should be considered great novels
Review: I love graphic novels as much as the next collector and have just about everything listed by Amazon. Not exactly everything, but a great percentage. This graphic novels should actually be rated and listed the same as regular novels, because the dynamics of their stories, not just the fantastic artwork, takes you away to places that novels, such as STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, CHILDHOOD'S END, FOUNDATION, RINGWORLD, STAR TREK novels, DARKEYE: CYBER HUNTER and so forth, take you. All are extremely imaginative and have visually-gratifying narrative/dialogue not too far removed from graphic novels such as this or any other. Broaden your minds, but hang on to the graphic novels as well!
Rating:
Summary: A comic book classic
Review: This is one of the best stories that I almost missed out on as a kid. I was a Batman fan but at that time trade paperbacks and internets were rarely spoken of or known of. I almost passed on this TPB at my local store for one of the more recent stories. But when I asked the "comic book guy" (here comes the Simpsons rip-off) at the store, he recommended the Dark Knight Returns paperback. I was not disappointed. Ten Years later and I am still not disappointed.
This is one of the milestone comic stories of this era. Written by Frank Miller, the story shows a brooding, old and retired Bruce Wayne. The world is in chaos and Bruce Wayne decides to take back the world by donning the mantel of the Bat. But his second coming is met with opposition from all classes, the mutant gangs and its leader, the Gotham City police dept., the Joker, Two-Face and last and most dangerous opposition from Superman. The plot has been talked about plenty so I'll digress from spoiling further.
The strength of the writing lies in Miller's ability to personalize the characters to the readers. At one moment, we are deeply immersed in the thoughts of Batman (strategizing against criminals) and at the next, we are immersed in the thoughts of Comm. Gordon contemplating his retirement. The art fits the story perfectly and is laid out perfectly throughout the story. There are splash-pages only when necessary and is not blatantly used everywhere. Another strength in Miller's writing is ability to expose the readers to a brand new Batman with deep, dark and fascistic thoughts. He also manages to make social comments that reflect the time period (the arms race, Reagan's presidency, overseas threat). He mixes fiction and some loose non-fiction in order to produce a book that is still one of the best, more than 2 decades after its publication.
Rating:
Summary: The Pitch Black Knight
Review: As dark as Batman was ever intended to be. An intense tale of renewal and retribution. Batman has been gone for a decade, and Gotham is under siege of a young generation seemingly gone mad. The entire world is holding it's breath while a crazed Reagan prepares for nuclear war in South America. Then, like a dark Christ, Batman reappears to reclaim his city, and in the process saves the whole world. Millers words and art are as perfect as this art form gets. Batman here is a chunky, aging warrior refusing to be hampered by age. He uses intutition, intelligence and malice to carry the battle for Gotham right to the bad guys and gals. This is one of the true classics of the comic book world, but also an important piece of American political satire. It savages the political and cultural landscape of the eighties. This is not a child's story, it is not a tale of heroism and absolutes, it is a work that prods the mind and astounds the senses at the same time. What more can one ask for in these days of compromise and duplicity? Nothing more than the ultimate Batman, and here you will get it.
Rating: 
Summary: Innovative in its day, but lacked subtlety and timelessness.
Review: No one can doubt the impact his book had on comics. It began the "grim and gritty" trend, for good or bad. In this case at least, it was mostly good. The ones that came after, they were the bad ones.... DKR was never as good as its reputation, sadly, but that doesn't mean it was a poor work. Quite the contrary, in fact. Frank Miller is a very good comics storyteller, and this is one of the more memorable Batman stories ever done. The problems are two-fold. Like with Miller's ELEKTRA: ASSASSIN, he let his blatant political satirizing get in the way of the story, and the work suffered because of it. The liberal moralizing is very heavy-handed at times (the near-death/rebirth of Superman and the Reagan satire was unreadable) and only mildly distracting at other times (Green Arrow/Ollie is clearly a Miller "mouthpiece" here, but at least it's fully in line with the character's established personality, so it works). The Batman story becomes secondary at to Miller's bashing of the elected political powers of the eighties. Which leads to the second problem. The book is so built around attacking Ronald Reagan and his policies, foreign and domestic, that it makes the story inevitably dated now that Reagan is a distant figure in history books unattached to the political emotions of the day. For a better use of comics as political allegory, read WATCHMEN. For a better Frank Miller Batman story, and one that is timeless, read BATMAN YEAR ONE.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Story Ever Told
Review: Hands down the best book I have ever read-and I'm an English Major so I've read a few.This book is modern day mythology plain and simple.Read it and see Batman not as a comic book character but as the mythic god of justice he was always meant to be.
Rating:
Summary: Innovative in its day, but lacked subtlety and timelessness.
Review: No one can doubt the impact his book had on comics. It began the "grim and gritty" trend, for good or bad. In this case at least, it was mostly good. The ones that came after, they were the bad ones.... DKR was never as good as its reputation, sadly, but that doesn't mean it was a poor work. Quite the contrary, in fact. Frank Miller is a very good comics storyteller, and this is one of the more memorable Batman stories ever done. The problems are two-fold. Like with Miller's ELEKTRA: ASSASSIN, he let his blatant political satirizing get in the way of the story, and the work suffered because of it. The liberal moralizing is very heavy-handed at times (the near-death/rebirth of Superman and the Reagan satire was unreadable) and only mildly distracting at other times (Green Arrow/Ollie is clearly a Miller "mouthpiece" here, but at least it's fully in line with the character's established personality, so it works). The Batman story becomes secondary at to Miller's bashing of the elected political powers of the eighties. Which leads to the second problem. The book is so built around attacking Ronald Reagan and his policies, foreign and domestic, that it makes the story inevitably dated now that Reagan is a distant figure in history books unattached to the political emotions of the day. For a better use of comics as political allegory, read WATCHMEN. For a better Frank Miller Batman story, and one that is timeless, read BATMAN YEAR ONE.
Rating: 
Summary: Dumb as they come
Review: Comic books started as sub-literate junk for teenagers, and turned into sub-literate junk for adult males. This book was one of the major players in that transition. The satire here is so heavy-handed, it reads like something Rush Limbaugh would have composed in high school. And setting that apart - well, you have nothing but battle scenes, really.
Rating:
Summary: By far, THE BEST Batman tale.
Review: Back in 1986 or so, Batman's partner Jason Todd(Robin II) was killed brutally by the Joker. After that, Batman kept going on with his work alone, but very dark. Suppose he hadn't gone back to work? Suppose he vowed never to put himself or any others in harm's way again. That's where Dark Night Returns take us. About 20 years after the last appearence of Batman, Bruce and Jim Gordon sit, talking of the old days. Gordon by now has figured out that Bruce Wayne and Batman are one in the same. Jason is broght up and suddenly Bruce wants to leave. The subject is still touchy for him. Bruce realizes that Gotham is not safe anymore. Without protectors, his city is nothing. The Batman in him tells him what he must do. Bruce resists, but inspiration comes to him again. Later a mugger is attacked, a brutal beating is stopped, and two young girls are saved by "a huge man in a Dracula costume". All stopped by none other than Batman. Former villains that have been supposedly "cured" come back on the scene, including the Joker. A legendary fight ensues here. This book is, simply put, awesome. A must have for ANYONE who is REMOTELY a fan of comics. Buy it. You won't be sorry. I would even reccomend buying the hardback, you'll want to keep this one for a long time.
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