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: Lighting May Not Strike Twice, but Frank Miller Does.
Summary: 5 Stars
Don't listen to the detractors, Dark Knight Strikes Again is great comic. Sure the art is a little off, but that wasn't sloppiness on Miller's part, after reading the comic I'm convinced that he was trying to change his style. You'll get used to it, besides, the story is so good that you just can't help but want to finish the book. And you should. It should be on your shelf right next to the DKR (which is this books only real problem, it had the rotten luck of being a follow up to the greatest comic ever written, Dark Knight Returns.)
Now, about those detractors. Some people were saying, "oh it's such a bad book and fuh-fuh-fuh nonsense." It's not, it's a great book, their is action and reason in this book. It's as deep, if not slightly deeper than DKR, even if it's depth isn't coded and hidden as well. And at some points, I think that may work against the book, because the political and social commentary is constantly in the reader's face to the point that it becomes difficult to seperate the two levels of writing (the simple, action story level, and the social commentary level), and I think being able to seperate the readings is important in the upper echelons of writing, where this book most certainly is.
If you're expecting all Batman action, you may be a bit surprised, this is more of a JLA story, but what's really interesting about this book is that it seems to answer many questions Alan Moore's Watchmen asked. Some say Frank Miller was influenced by Watchmen by about the second part of his Dark Knight Returns. I'm just reporting rumor, but I think it's certainly true that he was influenced by Watchmen in writing this book because it's an answer to it. Frank Miller shows when superheroes actions are good and when they are bad, and he works at uncovering and enshrining the human spirit, the attitudes that drive us towards the good rather than the bad and whatever it is inside us that makes us want to grow and live and overcome (this is a common Frank Miller theme actually, in the same way Alan Moore can't seem to avoid politics, Frank Miller always looks at the human spirit. "Oh look, there goes Frank Miller exmaming how man over comes circumstances and chaos, again."
Dark Knight Strikes Again is not DKR, but it is worth owning in it's own right. I really hope I've defended this book well because it's taken a beating in some circles but it really is a tremendous effort by a tremendous writer. Each time Frank Miller writes he shows why he is the greatest comics writer in the business. It's just not true that he lost steam after Dark Knight Returns. And yes, All-Star Batman and Robin will be good.
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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