List Price: £14.99 Price: £8.99 You save: £6.00 (40%)
Media: Paperback Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Editorial Review:
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 recognised 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 realise 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 colouring 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 (eg, 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 evangelise to the uninitiated, 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
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
Better than I expected I like Frank Millers "Dark Knight Returns", and "The Dark Knight Strikes Again" is different but equally brilliant. The story brings in the whole DC universe, like Lex Luthor, Superman, Green Lantern and so on. But also less widely known like the Atom, Flash, Brainac, Captain Marvel, the Question, Wonder Woman and a new Supergirl. And the Bottle City of Kandor. I think all of this is very well done, especially as I read these comics as a child. The graphics are splendid and done in Millers personal... more info
DKSA "Dark Knight Strikes Again" is a continuation of Miller's seminal "Dark Knight Returns," and runs with many of the latter's themes, particularly the mutual emnity of Superman and Batman. One can read "Dark knight Returns" as an analogy of the way in which power is willingly given to a Government or resentfully refused it by the People - the characters of Superman and Batman provide voices for two points of view and two actions - Superman gave his power away and immediately compromised, put his shoulder to... more info
Classic in its way... This sequel to Dark Knight Returns, arguably the best-known Batman story ever, retains a similar tone of rebellion to the first. However, it doesn't maintain the integrity of the first part. One of the reasons for this is Miller's decision to centre the story not on Batman, but on his former allies. With no regard to modern continuity, Barry Allen aka The Flash is rescued from a power station in Bruce's last attempt to bring down the government. Whilst Miller's portrayal of the character is classic,... more info
Ugly I wonder what DC thought about this book? They probably thought 'Frank Miller = $$$', but I'll tell you what I think. The first thing that bothered me about this book was the artwork. The drawings here range from dark and twisted to light and twisted- grotesque, ugly, pretty much offensive inkings coloured in a neon CG style that is devoid of subtlety or charm with garish pixellations and psychadelic special effects thrown in seemingly for the hell of it. These images ride on the back of an insane... more info
