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Editorial Review:
If any comic has a claim to have truly reinvigorated the genre then The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller--known recently for his excellent Sin City series and, previously, for his superb rendering of the blind superhero Daredevil--is probably the supreme 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. In his introduction the great Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing, the arguably peerless Watchmen) argues 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, streetgangs 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
This ground-breaking synthesis of comic-book icons and modern cinematic sensibilities redefined an American myth and reshaped the face of modern graphic novels. And now, a decade later, it's back...to inspire a new generation! This edition contains 28 pages of never-before-seen sketches, art and text, with a new cover, designed by Chip Kidd. This is the tale of a tortured hero's twilight and his efforts to save the city he had once sworn to protect from spiralling relentlessly into chaos. Batman's struggles with a new breed of criminal, the training of a new Robin, and his fateful final encounters with Superman, Two-Face and The Joker, are all woven together seamlessly to mark a warrior's mythic rite of passage.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
The Greatest.... In all types of history there are defining moments. A moment that is so extraordinary that you have to see it again to believe what you have just seen. It sometimes takes time for the dust to settle to appreciate such a moment.
This comic is one of those moments.
The Dark Knight Returns took a tired out superhero genre and re-injected it with the modern paced style we see today. A comic that in fact saved the superhero himself. The multi-layering of story lines in this epic tale is almost... more info
DARK KNIGHT RETURNS If you are used to the slick, photo-realistic art of some modern Graphic Novels/Comics, then the look of this book may take some getting used to... but get passed that, and it's one of the best comics you'll ever read.
A very good read. If I had to choose one word to describe this, I would choose the word epic. Why? Because its an interesting look on how Bruce Wayne would handle himself in his later years with excellent action sequences and crisp dialogue. There's really only one thing bad about this, and that is the lack of Joker. Sure he's in it, but he's not really as important to the plot as he should have been. And he's camper than ever. But aside from that, buy it. It should tickle your fetish.
Dissapointing... Honestly, I didn't see what the fuss was all about with this graphic novel. I thought the plot was all over the place, the pacing was shot to pieces, the art was average and there were more than a few absurdities which I found hard to swallow. I don't read many comics or graphic novels, but I went through a brief obsession last year and bought about 25 or 30 over a few months. Given the hype and acclaim which has been heaped on this, I was expecting great things, and sadly I was disappointed on almost... more info
