Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Rating:
Summary: Had to read it thrice to get it!
Review: That's how "complex" Frank Miller's writing is. A good thing or
a bad thing depends on the reader. I loaned it to a friend and
he hated the book. I for one loved it. The story and FM's unique
art. I just wished the book was annotated (i.e. Why does Green
Arrow hate Superman? What did Supes do to his arm?)

I felt kind of sorry for Alfred though, dying alone like that.
But I think it symbolizes the end of Batman as we know him and
the start of a new generation of crime fighters that will take
over for him when he's gone.

Rating:
Summary: Best "comic" I have ever read
Review: It's amazing how well this story, originally written as a 4-part mini series in 1986, has held up. This story is responsible for the reemergence of Batman not just as a superhero, but as a tortured anti-hero with flaws that make him no less obsessed than the supervillains he hunts. Not only do we get heapig servings of the dark, obsessed Batman, we also meet an him as an older man, a true "lion in winter" who must come to grips with his mortality and the unstoppable decline of age.

Miller allows us to use our hero to percieve the world around us, and in doing so The Dark Knight Returns also ends up as a critique of 20th century society (and 21st, for that matter). Batman is just a few public opinion points away from being considered no different than the likes of Two-Face and the Joker.

The relation between Batman and those he hunts is outstanding. Generally, there are three types of villains. The first are everyday thugs that are shallow and meaningless both in dialogue and mentality. The second is a powerfully savage gang leader. This character forces Batman to confront his own mortality and, in an awesome final confrontation, turn to the experience of age for victory. But the most powerful relations come with Batman and his fights with the classic supervillains Two-Face and The Joker. In one really powerful scene, Batman realizes he is equally as tortured as Two-Face, but with one difference. Two-Face feels remorse and despair for what he has become (One panel has him actually jumping off a skyscraper, in a possible suicide attempt). Batman, however, has accepted what he has become, and revels in his darkness. And then of course, there's my favorite, The Joker. We have here an excellent portrayal of a supervillain with no conscience whatsoever, who commits evil deeds not for any agenda or flawed goal, but simply because he enjoys doing them. His ending scene with Batman is another one to remember.

The supporting cast in the novel are also superbly detailed. Superman is portrayed as equal parts god, innocent child, tortured soul, government flunky, dumb jock, and a lampoon of the comic industry's idea of superheroes as flawless humans. The interesting point is, Miller creates a Superman that is not to be mocked, but understood and sympathized with. His contrast with Batman benefits the development of both characters. Other characters, including a naieve yet gifted Robin, a Gordon who is more developed as a cop than anything you'll see on NYPD Blue or Law and Order, and Green Arrow, who has become the epitome of grizzled in a novel full of grizzled ornery older men.

By now, I think you can guess I kind of liked it. Frank Miller has published here a brilliant novel. If the Gods of Hollywood are truly kind, perhaps one day this will be converted into a movie. The excessive use of Batman-as-narrator increases the difficulty of writing a screenplay, but the plot is not only flawless, it is still relevant. Miller, in 1986 mind you, points out how America has a love affair with celebrities (including superheroes), public perception, a fascination with criminals, and how modern media loves to praise heroes (and successful people in general) only to aid in their entertaining downfall from public grace.

By the end of the graphic novel, with some of the most original artwork for it's time (notice how good the story is I didn't even mention how it looks until now?), Miller has us realizing we have experienced a story that explains obsession, public perception, conscience, mortality, and what it means to be a hero better than any psychology textbook could, and I am including the textbooks with pictues.

Rating:
Summary: Miller's Finest
Review: A tiny bit better than Batman: Year One, this has to be the best Batman i've ever read. Grim, violent, and hard-hitting, this graphic novel shows that there is no peace in the future of the Batman. A new Robin awaits, along with a new foe in the form of the Mutants, a menacing street gang that threaten to take over Gotham. There are several famous scenes in this excellent series, such as the classic brawl between Batman and Superman, the fairground chase, and the defeat of the Mutant Leader.
One tiny little problem with this brilliant work is that Batman is too violent. Almost too villian-ish. Miller depicts him as some kind of prophet to the religion of crime fighting, which makes him seem too gritty.

Unfortunately, this outstanding comic was followed by the terrible Dark Knight Strikes Again, which was basically an attempted remake of the style of DKR.

SO GET DOWN TO YOUR COMIC STORE.

Rating:
Summary: Frank Miller's classic Batman series
Review: I was reading the Washington Post a few days ago and I saw that Maryland schools will try to make reluctant readers read more by adding comic books to the curriculum. One of the comic books in the article was Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. I know this lacks the literary merit of Hemingway, Steinbeck or Fitzgerald but it will accomplish the goal of making reluctant readers read more. I can tell you -- this book is a page turner. It held my attention better than any videogame could ever do. Hey, it is worth a try. After children get accustom to reading (even if it is a comic book) they might tackle a book by Shakespeare, Dante or Melville in the future. And isn't that the point?

Plus this is a great story. I think all of Frank Miller's work is impressive. Check it out, even those of you who like to read will enjoy it.

Del-V


Rating:
Summary: $#%@
Review: This graphic novel is not the greatest - it is surpassed by "Watchmen" and "Arkam Asylum". It stands, however, at a cross-roads where the dull-as-a-bunny presentation of Batman (such as we were given in the rediculous television series) is shouldered aside and the psychological madness of the post-modern hero stands forth. "Dark Knight Returns" is a tragedy on all levels but the core of the tragedy is the Batman himself who is, essentially, a failure at being a fascist.
There is always a link between actual fascism and a parnoia about crime. It is not an accident that tricky Dick Nixon was a "law and order" president and it is decidedly not an accident that Ronald Reagan performs caricature cameos in "Dark Knight Returns".
This graphic novel is three-sheets-to-the-wind shy of true greatness. It is flawed by bad pacing - a sort of choppiness mars the kind of psychedelic flow we really need from the work.

Rating:
Summary: The Exact Moment When American Comics Grew Up.
Review: Frank Miller completely blew the roof off the US comics genre when this series of volumes were originally published in the 1980's. This bleak, adult-oriented twist on the cultural icon that is Batman (and his moral polar opposite Superman as well, to a lesser degree) was simply unprecedented. This was not the way comics were drawn, inked, or written. We take it for granted today, this gritty, hard-boiled PG-13 approach to what was once a very day-glo, kid-friendly made-for-TV industry...but the release of "The Dark Knight Returns" was the birth of the "graphic novel" just as "Are You Experienced?" was the birth of rock guitar.

The plot itself is revolutionary...the costumed superhero WAY past his prime, aged and insecure, the veritable "lion in winter". Something happened years ago, something that is only mentioned in passing and with little detail in the thoughts of Superman...and it resulted in essentially a diaspora of the superheroes of the DC universe. Batman's reaction was to disappear, leaving Bruce Wayne to smoulder slowly, waiting for...something.

Eventually that something occurs, and the Dark Knight returns, along with a familiar cast of villains (Two-Face and The Joker are particularly enjoyable) and an unfamiliar youthful accomplice in a Robin that is neither Dick or Jason. His return to prominence recalls his initial introduction to Gotham City wherein he was confronting the police as often as the criminals.

The era of political correctness that began in the 1990's was foreseen by Miller in this story; eventually the worst enemy an increasingly violent Gotham City has is not only warranted for arrest by the recently appointed (female) police commisioner following James Gordon's retirement, but eventually even the President of the United States (one of my favorite characters in the book) gets involved. Let's just say that his solution to the problem is more powerful than a locomotive.

This story is absolutely sublime. If you're an older reader like me who hadn't read a comic since childhood (and if that childhood took place during the 1970's) and want to see what's become of the genre, you can't find a better starting point than this. My recommendation is to buy the hardbound version; it will be re-read many times, so a durable version is a must.

Rating:
Summary: Not the groundbreaking work it is so often labeled
Review: The Dark Knight Returns is often praised by critics and fans within the comic community as being the definitive work that changed Batman from the campy, 1960s-era version that drew heavy influence from the Adam West television show. That credit should be given to Denny O'Neal and Neal Adams, who returned Batman to his dark comic origins yet managed to bring a more balanced, modern sensibility to him that made him into a more human, likeable character.

The Dark Knight Returns is though by no means without merit. Obviously not a true Batman story in the sense that it takes place within the normal comic continuity, however it escapes the Elseworlds label, most likely out of respect for the integrity for the work and what it's true intentions are. It's less of a Batman story than it is a commentary of what and who Batman is told in the form of a comic. Is Batman a noble and righteous person? when placed alongside stalwarts such as Superman, is a man with toys truly a worthy opponent? and most of all, is Batman crazy, or is the world he lives in - the world as we so obviously see through his eyes - the true nutcase, with Batman a beacon of sanity and hope?

Be warned though - there are many, MANY, elements to this story that could only truly be understood by a devoted follower of DC comics and history.

Rating:
Summary: So good, you'll hardly believe it
Review: Lots of people read comic books as kids. You remember how they used to be? Bold primary colors, over-muscled cub scouts yelling jingoistic platitudes, a new menace to The City every month?

This is not one of those comic books.

Like I said, lots of people read comic books as kids. A few people grow up and read them as adults too. In the mid-1980s, the folks in charge at D.C. comics decided to start putting out some books for grown-ups.

This is one of _those_ comic books.

I was 13 when I first read The Dark Knight Returns. I've revisited it about once a year ever since.

I consider myself an avid reader. I read at least once a day. I've read thousands of books, from "Salt: A World History," to "Moby Dick," to "The Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy," to "A People's History of The United States."

All that reading, all those books, and The Dark Knight Returns is the only book that can still hold my interest, year after year.

I more or less stopped reading comic books shortly after reading this book. After reading this, nothing else is satisfying anymore. There are a few that come close (Watchmen and Sandman come to mind), but nothing can quite match this one.

You've seen the old Batman TV show, right? Goofy tights and cartoon POWs. And you've seen Tim Burton's Batman movies, right? Villians that kill, a hero with issues, and not a pastel in sight.

This book is what changed Batman from a caricature to an anti-hero. And more than changing Batman, it changed the comic book industry, and even impacted cinema and popular fiction.

If you read only one comic book in your life, make it this one. Without reservation, I would recommend The Dark Knight Returns to anyone. It is quite simply The Best Comic Book Ever.

Rating:
Summary: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Review: Any true Batman fan should own this it is great and tells a wonderful story of destiny and Batman fight Superman in this.That's all I'll say.