Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again
by Frank Miller, Lynn Varley
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Book Summary Information
Author: Frank Miller, Lynn VarleyBrand: DC Comics
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-01-01
ISBN: 1563899299
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: DC Comics
Book Reviews of Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again
Book Review: "I was sentimental back when I was old."
Summary: 1 Stars
I've had this book sitting on my shelf for almost a year, now-- I bought it almost immediately after reading Frank Miller's awesome "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns," which is probably the best comic book ever written (next to 'Watchmen,' maybe). I remember at the end of "TDKR" it left room open for a sequel, and when I found there was a sequel, I naturally bought it, but at first I paged through it and hated the art and put it on the shelf and let it sit there until the other day, where I read it all in one sitting out of boredom and having read every other comic I owned leaving me with only one piece of virgin reading material.
The story picks up three or four years after the unspecified date of "TDKR" and, from what I could gather, it's mostly about the army of Bat-Men that Batman put together in the other book. But the storytelling is so fragmented, the artwork is so confusing, that ninety percent of the time that I was reading it, I didn't know what was going on because I couldn't understand what the heck I was looking at. The whole thing felt rushed, there were too many characters that didn't need to be fleshed out (the Atom, Plastic Man and Green Lantern) and then there were characters that weren't in it enough that really needed to be fleshed out (Dick Greyson's Joker). I'm not sure when this was written, but from looking at it, I'd say it's post-9/11, and there's a bunch of unwarranted self-important political dialogue in it that basically blasts the Republican party for no reason. Now, I'm not saying that I have a problem with blasting the Republican party, but if you're going to do so, you really ought to have something to fall back on as to why. This book seemed like one big political allegory for either the war in Iraq or just another high and mighty liberal who hated Bush-- which again, I get that, I really do-- but you need to have a reason for hating Bush. You don't just go and write a 200 page graphic novel that says Bush is about as useful as a hologram without backing up your little statement, seriously. The artwork, and as much as I hate to say this, is terrible. Frank Miller's "TDKR" had such an amazing style, it was etched and rough, yet it was realistic. This, this looks like something a third grader drew for art class, and what's worst of all is half of the time, there's no backgrounds, so I had no idea where the characters were or why they were doing what they were doing. In the first half of the first part of the story Catgirl/Robin/Carrie and a bunch of Bat-Men infiltrate... something. I don't know what it was, but they were invading it, and there were guards shooting at them for some reason, but I don't know where it was or why, because all the background was, was a gradient done on PhotoShop in five seconds with the characters pasted over it and shadows added below their feet. Some might consider this a very 'artsy' style, and to a degree, it is, but there's a fine line between artsy and ridiculous, and this is just ridiculous. By the end of the last part of the story, when I read the final words and saw the final picture, and closed the book, I felt like I had just gotten done with MATH HOMEWORK. To it's credit, though, the book is bound nicely and looks good on the shelf next to "The Dark Knight Returns." Other than that, it's dumb, but harmless.
Overall, I hated this book. It was an unworthy successor to one of the greatest graphic novels of all time and it actually took a little bit of awesomeness away from "TDKR" for me, but not enough to make me hate Frank Miller or stop reading Detective Comics. The one thing I will say is that this book would work better as a movie, because if what was going on in the book were illustrated properly, it might be a halfway decent story, but it's not, so I can't really say for sure. If you want to read Batman comics, stick to "The Dark Knight Returns," and "Year One." I don't recommend this book to a casual reader who enjoyed "TDKR," this one is for strict Batmaniacs only.
Summary of Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again
The Dark Knight Strikes Again is Frank Miller's follow-up to his hugely successful Batman: the Dark Knight Returns, one of the few comics that is widely recognized as not only reinventing the genre but also bringing it to a wider audience.Set three years after the events of The Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight Strikes Again follows a similar structure: once again, Batman hauls himself out of his self-imposed retirement in order to set things right. However, where DKR was about him cleaning up his home city, Gotham, DKSA has him casting his net much wider: he's out to save the world.The thing is, most of the world doesn't realize that it needs to be saved--least of all Superman and Wonder Woman, who have become little more than superpowered enforcers of the status quo. So, the notoriously solitary Batman is forced to recruit some different superpowered allies. He also has his ever-present trusty sidekick, Robin, except that he is a she, and she is calling herself Catwoman. Together, these super-friends uncover a vast and far-reaching conspiracy that leads to the President of the United States (Lex Luthor) and beyond.The Dark Knight Strikes Again is largely an entertaining comic, but much of what made The Dark Knight Returns so good just doesn't work here. Miller's gritty, untidy artwork was perfect for DKR's grim depiction of the dark and seedy Gotham City, but it jars a bit for DKSA, which is meant to depict an ultra-glossy, futuristic technocracy. Lynn Varley's garish coloring attempts to add a slicker sheen, but the artwork is ultimately let down by that which worked so well for DKR--this time around, it just feels sloppy and rushed. The same is true of the book's denouement, which happens so quickly that it leaves the reader reeling and looking for more of an explanation. Moreover, DKSA is packed full of characters who will mean little to those unfamiliar with the DC Comics universe (e.g., the Atom, the Elongated Man, the Question).Perhaps the book's biggest failing is that where The Dark Knight Returns gave comic book fans a base from which to evangelize to theuninitiated, The Dark Knight Strikes Again is just preaching to the converted. Comic book superhero fans will find much to enjoy here, but others would be better off sticking with the original. --Robert BurrowThe Dark Knight Strikes Again is Frank Miller's follow-up to his hugely successful Batman: the Dark Knight Returns, one of the few comics that is widely recognized as not only reinventing the genre but also bringing it to a wider audience.Set three years after the events of The Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight Strikes Again follows a similar structure: once again, Batman hauls himself out of his self-imposed retirement in order to set things right. However, where DKR was about him cleaning up his home city, Gotham, DKSA has him casting his net much wider: he's out to save the world. The thing is, most of the world doesn't realize that it needs to be saved--least of all Superman and Wonder Woman, who have become little more than superpowered enforcers of the status quo. So, the notoriously solitary Batman is forced to recruit some different superpowered allies. He also has his ever-present trusty sidekick, Robin, except that he is a she, and she is calling herself Catwoman. Together, these super-friends uncover a vast and far-reaching conspiracy that leads to the President of the United States (Lex Luthor) and beyond.
The Dark Knight Strikes Again is largely an entertaining comic, but much of what made The Dark Knight Returns so good just doesn't work here. Miller's gritty, untidy artwork was perfect for DKR's grim depiction of the dark and seedy Gotham City, but it jars a bit for DKSA, which is meant to depict an ultra-glossy, futuristic technocracy. Lynn Varley's garish coloring attempts to add a slicker sheen, but the artwork is ultimately let down by that which worked so well for DKR--this time around, it just feels sloppy and rushed. The same is true of the book's denouement, which happens so quickly that it leaves the reader reeling and looking for more of an explanation. Moreover, DKSA is packed full of characters who will mean little to those unfamiliar with the DC Comics universe (e.g., the Atom, the Elongated Man, the Question). Perhaps the book's biggest failing is that where The Dark Knight Returns gave comic book fans a base from which to evangelize to theuninitiated, The Dark Knight Strikes Again is just preaching to the converted. Comic book superhero fans will find much to enjoy here, but others would be better off sticking with the original. --Robert Burrow
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