Rating: 
Summary: This book is everything the movies should have been
Review: The best difinitive look at Batman that I've ever seen to date in the comic book world. I found the character, portrayed as their future selves, to be old haggard and somewhat cynical. Bruce Wayne/Batman forsakes his minimal violent approach for a more "shoot first, ask questions later" approach. Gotham City is portrayed as a violent microcosm compared to the violence and decay that exist as the USA fights a Vietnam/Granada type war in Maltese Coro. This is a book that exists on many levels. It's not Batman Vs. The Joker, or Batman Vs. The Mutants, but Batman Vs The World.
Rating:
Summary: A great one.
Review: Where Watchmen picked apart everything superheroes were about, Dark Knight Returns says it doesn't matter. It's just a stylish, artistic achievement, entertaining all the way through. This is the best Batman comic yet and ranks behind Watchmen as the best comic ever. The art is what makes this so good for me. Frank Miller's layouts are stylish, cinematic, and surprisingly offbeat. Frequent Miller collaborator, Klaus Jansen's inks are good as they ever were. And Lynn Varley, who colors every color comic Miller draws these days, does excellent with paint.
Rating:
Summary: The Penultimate Batman Narrative
Review: Often have I heard the praises sung for Frank Miller and his work on Daredevil. Though I have not read any of those compilations, they can hardly be better than The Dark Knight Returns. Here is a work (along with Alan Moore's Watchmen) that truly proves that comic books are a legitimate literary medium. The Dark Night Returns on the surface is a story of an aging Bruce Wayne who realizes that his true destiny is to be the Batman, and subsequently comes out of retirement. Beneath this narrative, however, is a tale (less a tale than a commentary) on the state of our society. Miller's artwork is subtle and mercurial. In some panels his artistry cannot be matched even by the likes of Frazetta, and in others his art is simplistic and even messy, a genius stroke to convey slight, difficult changes in mood and scene. His evenly-spaced panels, his "overuse" of television-like segments, all point to a post-modern masterpiece of literature and a deep understanding of the comic medium's power. Comics are a most potent combination of television and literature that hits the reader with a one-two punch of reality and fantasy. The book's symbolism is subtle, yet obvious, a difficult thing to evoke in your standard comic. This work MUST be read at least twice, as there are a great deal of instances in dialogue, etc. that are lost on the reader the first time through. Comments made by reporters or bystanders or merely in narration boxes that seen insignificant and throwaway are often powerful vehicles for metaphor, symbolism, and foreshadowing and must be paid attention to to get the whole picture. I would rank this book among the greatest comic stories ever told, along with: the continuing saga of Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura; the aforementioned Watchmen by Alan Moore; Marvels and Kingdom Come, both masterfully illustrated by Alex Ross; and, for the light-action seeker, Battle Chasers: A Gathering of Heroes by Joe Madureira. Check it out and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent...
Review: Over 50% of the reviewers below gave it a five star rating. I can not argue with these blokes. The reason why is that evvything about The Dark Knight Returns is great. I read my copy a lot and it is over 10 years old...I always get that same satisfaction reading it...
Rating:
Summary: Heroes, Myths, and Legends
Review: This work is pure fantasy at its best. It is equal to the Homeric poems and the great epics Beowulf and Gilgamesh. How can I make this rather grandiose claim? Because the hero is truly larger than life: godlike, yet flawed. This man, recognizable as a man, faces inhuman foes, in both the outside world and himself.The psychoses that must compel a man to forge his life more sharply, more tempered, than the hardest blade, in pursuit of a cause that is doomed from its outset, forever threaten to overwhelm and annihilate him. How can such a one find peace? That is the beauty of this story. The pencils, inks, coloring, layout, dialogue, story- everything -describe a universe where "giants walk this earth."
Rating:
Summary: The best graphic NOVEL I have read
Review: This was the first graphic novel I ever purchased - bought on a whim. I was gripped from the first page to the last. This was before the exceedingly lame films were produced, and I share the opinion of at least one other reviewer when I say that I wish the films (and other graphic novels)followed this canon. The art is a bit simplistic in places, but the story keeps you going through it, emerging in a most satisfactory read. Recommended especially for days in bed with 'flu.
Rating:
Summary: One of the all time great comic books
Review: This book is magnificent. It centers on an aged and retired Batman, coming out of retirement to clean up a corrupt Gotham City. In the comic he battles Harvey Dent, The Joker, a gang called "The Mutants", and another caped superhero you MAY have heard of before....some guy by the name of SUPERMAN! The art takes some getting used to, but now I think it's great. Particularly interesting are various newscasts from Gotham News interspersed throughout the stories. It provokes some deep thought when you see people out there committing crimes IN BATMAN'S NAME! This is fantastic all around. Kudos to Frank Miller for redefining Batman, if only the movies were like this!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best graphic novels ever
Review: Frank miller redefines batman in this clasic graphic novel in whitch batman comes out of retirement to clean up the city. It shows a darker side of batman and realy explores his character. It is excelent even if you are not a big fan of batman
Rating: 
Summary: A big dissapointment!
Review: After hearing the great word of mouth, this novel has generated, I was really excited about purchasing this book and reading it. Unfortunately my memory was refreshed on why I can't stand comic books anymore. Everyone has to keep redefining old superheroes; sadly sometimes (like this) for the worst.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Work
Review: Frank Miller went to great lengths to make this a thirlling detective story and he succeeds very much so. This book became very well known for deleving more into the differences between Batman and Superman. The final battle between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel brings tears to your eyes. You ask yourself...How two heroes who were once good friends, ever came to a tragic last fight like this.
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