Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
by Frank Miller
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Book Summary Information
Author: Frank MillerIllustrator: Klaus Janson
Colorist: Lynn Varley
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1997-05-01
ISBN: 1563893428
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: DC Comics
Book Reviews of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Book Review: "I am vengeance! I am the night! I--AM--BATMAN!"
Summary: 4 Stars
Okay, so that heading is actually taken from Batman: The Animated Series, but hey, who knows if that cartoon would've taken off if it wasn't for this comic?
After hearing so much about Frank Miller and how he can pretty much touch anything and make it gold, I decided to read one of his most renown Batman tales. And I have to admit: It creates for me the darkest of Batmen I ever thought could be possible.
Years after his "retirement," we see Bruce Wayne struggling to still break free from his former heroic nights (I'd say "days," but he is the Dark Knight after all), only to find that the Batman is not subject to Bruce Wayne's control. The Batman is its own living, breathing creature, using the body of Bruce Wayne as its vessel. Bruce then decides to give the black cape one last go, only to find the current state of Gotham City worse than he thought.
This is definitely the best Batman comic I've read, and probably will read (Batman: Year One is next, though). I've grown up from the '80s with the darker Batman--from Tim Burton's adaptations to the '90s cartoons--than from the early comic and Adam West days, so reading this novel was a real thrill. The only thing I don't really like about this novel is, from comparing it to Miller's other works, the illustrations seem kind of sloppy. They do the job just fine in interpreting the story, but it feels as if Miller hadn't put much time and effort into this opus.
But don't let that detract you from reading The Dark Knight Returns. If you're a fan of the much darker Batman, like I am, and you haven't read this yet, pick up a copy immediately.
Summary of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
If any comic has a claim to have truly reinvigorated the genre, then The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller--known also for his excellent Sin City series and his superb rendering of the blind superhero Daredevil--is probably the top contender. Batman represented all that was wrong in comics and Miller set himself a tough task taking on the camp crusader and turning this laughable, innocuous children's cartoon character into a hero for our times. The great Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing, the arguably peerless Watchmen) argued that only someone of Miller's stature could have done this. Batman is a character known well beyond the confines of the comic world (as are his retinue) and so reinventing him, while keeping his limiting core essentials intact, was a huge task.Miller went far beyond the call of duty. The Dark Knight is a success on every level. Firstly it does keep the core elements of the Batman myth intact, with Robin, Alfred the butler, Commissioner Gordon, and the old roster of villains, present yet brilliantly subverted. Secondly the artwork is fantastic--detailed, sometimes claustrophobic, psychotic. Lastly it's a great story: Gotham City is a hell on earth, street gangs roam but there are no heroes. Decay is ubiquitous. Where is a hero to save Gotham? It is 10 years since the last recorded sighting of the Batman. And things have got worse than ever. Bruce Wayne is close to being a broken man but something is keeping him sane: the need to see change and the belief that he can orchestrate some of that change. Batman is back. The Dark Knight has returned. Awesome. --Mark ThwaiteIf any comic has a claim to have truly reinvigorated the genre, then The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller--known also for his excellent Sin City series and his superb rendering of the blind superhero Daredevil--is probably the top contender. Batman represented all that was wrong in comics and Miller set himself a tough task taking on the camp crusader and turning this laughable, innocuous children's cartoon character into a hero for our times. The great Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing, the arguably peerless Watchmen) argued that only someone of Miller's stature could have done this. Batman is a character known well beyond the confines of the comic world (as are his retinue) and so reinventing him, while keeping his limiting core essentials intact, was a huge task.
Miller went far beyond the call of duty. The Dark Knight is a success on every level. Firstly it does keep the core elements of the Batman myth intact, with Robin, Alfred the butler, Commissioner Gordon, and the old roster of villains, present yet brilliantly subverted. Secondly the artwork is fantastic--detailed, sometimes claustrophobic, psychotic. Lastly it's a great story: Gotham City is a hell on earth, street gangs roam but there are no heroes. Decay is ubiquitous. Where is a hero to save Gotham? It is 10 years since the last recorded sighting of the Batman. And things have got worse than ever. Bruce Wayne is close to being a broken man but something is keeping him sane: the need to see change and the belief that he can orchestrate some of that change. Batman is back. The Dark Knight has returned. Awesome. --Mark Thwaite
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