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: 5 Stars for its Masterful Storytelling
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow. Frank Miller is a genius. I was really blown away by his noir dialogue this time around. You thought his Sin City stuff was good? This makes Sin City look like coloring books. The story is unpredictably unpredictable! I wouldn't be suprised if Frank Miller was entirely under the influence of a mind-altering substance while creating this work of art. It's so different, and that's what makes it so appealing.
Batman is now an old man. Imagine a gray-haired Batman with achy bones. Probably wouldn't come across as your first suspect for masked vigilatism. With this in mind we get a story that works. Gotham is the worst we've seen it, and now a gang seriously borders on ruling the city. After building up to a huge climax, the city is in chaos and our only help is this decrepit Batman with the aid of a preteen female Robin. What are the odds?
But somehow, somewhere Frank Miller makes an incredibly engaging Batman story. We discover so many themes and truths as we see an aged hero trying to save a city that refuses his help. It hold so much value and I would argue that this book is, although graphic, educational in a sense. I felt intellectual forces grow inside my brain. I wish, I hope I could be a writer someday. And I'd owe it to my idol of modern comic literature. I don't fathom him failing to impress anyone.
If I were to say anything I'd say "It's all in the ending." I felt a little confused at times, but by the ending I had a full Joker grin as well as a full understanding. By far this graphic novel has the best ending I've read. Read it for yourself, because It is a must read for any comic/Batman fan.
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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