Rating: 
Summary: Still #1, then and now...
Review: The simpliest way to describe "The Dark Knight Returns". THE BEST!! What a story. What characters. What passion. What misery. What a thrill. We all got to see and experience, first hand, Bruce Wayne's troubled soul. The pain, misery and life questions he goes through on a daily basis as the years overlap. You could not help but understand and care and pity him all at the same time about his "on going war" with crime. He was a little boy who witnessed his parents being murdered. How would seeing that affect anyone of us? His ultimate nemesis, the Joker, coming out of his ten year catatonic state after simply hearing the name of Batman. The psychological bond between the two is eerie, almost as if one can't exist without the other. In truth they can't. When one man signifies the ultimate good and honor in men, there has to be it's complete opposite. The Joker is "the evil" in every sense of the word. I loved the tension between Superman's "good guy / sell out" persona compared to Batman's "selfish personal war" vendetta. As powerful as Superman is, he had NO CHANCE against the ever cunning Batman. Mind over muscle in the "Battle of the Titans". I find myself admiring and rooting for Bruce Wayne and the Batman because he is doing the best he can with the situation he is in. His "on going war" with crime is the only thing he can do that will exorcise his inner demons that forever trouble his soul. Dark Knight Returns is an exquisite story as well as some very intelligent writing. Tremendous battles, amazing art and just extreme satisfaction. Enjoy it again and again as I have and will continue, first time readers and long time fans.
Rating:
Summary: This book is awesome
Review: I've got each of these books individually and I must say this is one of the best comics ever created. Frank Miller knows how to write a dark and gritty crime tale better that anyone. His art, though simplistic in style sets a dark mood to the whole story. His use of the media tells an effective story. The city scape is breathtaking as usual. Very film noirish in it's portrayl. Miller used the same technique on his run in Daredevil, making the city a supporting character. Some criticize this books art, or the fact he's not your average boy scout in tights superhero. Art isn't really what Miller does best, but it's above average. And the reson batman uses a gun is because after robin died, and he stayed inactive for 15 years, he became even more of a revenge freak vigilante than before. Alan Moore is a better writer, and their are many better artists, but Miller really does now how to write Batman. I just can't wait for the sequal.
Rating: 
Summary: Why is this book so popular?
Review: I found this on sale at a local bookstore one day. I bought it, hearing how great it was. What a disappointment it was! First of all, the artwork isn't very good; Gotham suddenly looks dull! Jim Gordon is the only charactor who looks 10 or 20 years older. Batman looks like he's a lot older than 50(his approximate age in this story), Alfred doesn't look much older than he is in the current continuity and The Joker looks like a faggot. What made Frank Miller think it was a good idea to use mutants. I expect that in Superman, but not Batman. And why is Batman using guns when he's supposed to try not to kill? I know his mental stability was shaken after The Joker murdered Jason Todd, but this is pushing it. When I heard Frank Miller wrote this book only because he could not bear the thought that he was going to be older than Batman, I thought I'd heard everything. Actually, I read a previous review that says there's going to be a sequel to this so I was wrong. Overall, if things had been handled differently, this comic book mini-series could've been great. But as it stands it's a very poor compared to "A death in the family" and "No man's land".
Rating:
Summary: Forget those terrible Batman films and BUY THIS BOOK!
Review: All hyperbole aside, this is one of the greatest comic books ever written. In fact, if you're taking the time to read this review, you're just wasting time when you could be adding the book to your Shopping Cart. So stop reading and order this book ASAP. You won't be disappointed. Huh? You're still reading this? Didn't you hear what I said? Jeez...
Rating:
Summary: A Comics Masterpiece
Review: This is the ultimate Batman story. Dark and Gothic, the way Batman was ment to be. Vastly superior to the over-rated "No Man's Land" story and written at a time when DC still allowed it's writers to do the stories they wanted to do. It get's even more exciting as Frank has recently announced he will be doing a sequal to this book; titled Batman; The Dark Knight Strikes Again. I can't wait for it.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Amazing
Review: Wow. This book tells the tale of a Batman who is too old and too bitter for his own good. Bruce Wayne has just spent the last ten years self-loathing himself and Gotham when he decides to pick up the old cape and cowl one more time. Frank Miller mocks the media and morality of America in the most appropriate of ways. Batman represents the common man who finaly says enough is enough. Appearances by several popular characters are perfect. The Joker has mellowed out some, but is just as crazy as ever. The Green Arrow's cameo is awesome as the one man who maybe still sees things the way Bruce Wayne does. But the best of all is Superman. While Batman has grown old, withered and bitter; Superman is as young as ever, full of pride and a sell-out to the American government. The contrast is just beautiful and it flips the standard symbolism where Batman is Despair and Superman is Hope. This time, Batman is the remaining hope and Superman is the hero lost to the enemy. Just simply amazing.
Rating:
Summary: This book gets way too many props
Review: If you're looking for a purely one-dimensional violence machine portrayal of Batman, you'll adore this book. However, if you love Batman as written by such writers as Bill Finger, John Broome, Gardner Fox, Steve Englehart, Paul Dini, Len Wein, and Jeph Loeb, this book is a total mess. While those writers succeeded in giving Batman depth and characterization beyond his war on crime, Frank Miller's take on Batman in a depthless, bland, completely unlikeable masochist who only cares about inflicting pain on his enemies and nearly nothing else. While the book's premise (Batman coming out of retirement to save Gotham from a disatrous crime wave) is worthy, Miller's execution, as both a writer and an artist, sinks the book like a rock. In addition to making Batman a lead character you have to hate, we're given such idiotic characters like the lame Carrie Kelley/Robin and the Mutants, disgusting characters like Bruno and the bloated Selina Kyle, silly plot devices (mind-controlling lipstick, talking doll bombs), and a Superman so poorly handled that it's embarrassing. Miller's treatment of Superman and Batman's relationship is totally off-base and uncalled for; instead of the Spock/McCoy friendship the characters have shared for years, Miller's Batman has a sheer hatred and contempt for Superman that only reinforces the the total lack of personality Miller gave him in the story. Add poor dialogue (the Mutants' lingo is ludicrous and unreadable) and bad artwork, and what you get is a complete disaster. There are so many better Batman stories out there; don't waste your money on this.
Rating:
Summary: I shouldn't even have to post a review
Review: This is a true masterpiece that shows superhero comics can be socially relevant. I think back to when the original 4 issues were released, and I thought "An OLD Batman, still duking it out? Please!" Then I bought the leatherbound "Frank Miller's Batman", at a remainder price no less, and was floored. I know that this story is considered an Elseworlds tale, but I like to think that this is how Batman will actually wrap it up. I've been reading comics for 25 years, and I get tired of the same heroes having the same adventures, never aging, not changing with the times, and so on. The interesting thing is that this story reflects so many attitudes of the '80s, but it's not dated by any means. Many people gripe these days about how comics have been soured by the grim and gritty, "Goetterdaemmerung" trend (Dark Knight, Watchmen, The Golden Age), but I think that more heroes would benefit from this kind of treatment. I like to know where they are going, for a change, and it shouldn't always be a happy ending.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST BATMAN STORY EVER TOLD
Review: That was what I thought when I read it, years ago. It's arguable that much of the interest in Batman in the last 14 years is directly relatable to the success of this book. As a kid I was a comic book fan, but always Marvel, not DC. The former had revolutionized storytelling in comics by giving their characters storyline continuity, angst, and very real issues. DC meanwhile, still treated its characters about as agressively as the average episode of SUPERFRIENDS. Then in my 20's, I came across this book and observed that, almost overnight, DC figured out how to compete (and eventually surpass) Marvel at its own innovations. Miller's economy of image and dialogue said so much without overworking it. Taking a cue from him, I'll stop here. BUY THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: A truly startlingly new view of our caped hero!
Review: When I first picked up this copy a few years back, I really got hooked on The Knight of Darkness! In fact, this is nothing like you have ever seen before in any superhero comic! It's really dark, brooding, and quite sophisticated. Sexy as well! The story takes place many years into the future, when Bruce Wayne was a white-haired retiree who still had the taste for extreme danger. So when Half-and-half and Joker decided to make trouble, Batman was forced to shake mothballs out of his old cape and draw the scowling cowl over his face to strike once again in the cloak of night. Enter a young junior high school girl who wants to help out and thus contributed tremendously to the great ressuraction of the old Caped Crusader. However, after a great ramage of bloody violence and destruction, end for once and all still looms before the aging knight in black. Pretty sad, but the bat guy still hangs in grimly, not ready to give up everything forever. An very absorbing read that can give you a very jilting electric shock as as each scene opens up dramatically before your inexperienced eyes!
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