Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Book Review: Batman, as he was meant to be.
Summary: 5 Stars
Frank Miller's depiction of Batman is everything I had hoped for when I ordered the book. A dark man hell bent on punishing criminals for tainting gotham city.
The story shows a different kind of Batman. He has retired since the death of his partner. After years of watching the news show a daily reminder of how the justice system fails its citizens, his comtemplation of returning is finalized by the scheduled release of Harvey Dent (Two-Face)
Batman returns fueled by rage. He knows that simply handing criminals to the police like your typical, cheesy superheroes would not make them have second thoughts about their career choices. When the police arrive to these crime scenes they find nothing but bad guys that have been reduced to piles of broken bones.
The media, who once praised the dark knight, labels him a menace for his brutality towards criminals. His return also motivates civilians to take to the street and punish petty criminals, causing civil unrest, which is also blamed on our hero.
Batman now has to take on criminals in his path and avoid the police that are hot on his trail after his arrest is demanded.
My description of the story is only the beginning. There are many twists and turns leaving you on the edge of your seat, I really didn't want to spoil the book. There are also apearances from another dc comics superhero. The novel also marks the return of Batman's arch nemesis.
Book Review: THIS is a real Batman
Summary: 5 Stars
You know, when talking about superheroes you always wonder why they do not have any problem such as a short suit with years or why if one is bulletproof, his boots automaticly turn bulletproof as well.
This Frank Miller Batman is really into his bad days, and has to live with his age and his weaknesses. The irony in the novel is like a warm irish cooffe that drives you through its pages slowly and kindly till the end.
Simply the best Batman I have read.
Book Review: what else can i say...
Summary: 5 Stars
...except this is a great graphic novel. I honestly wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was. Definately one of the best I've ever read.Book Review: Batman and comics both grow up
Summary: 3 Stars
Batman The Dark Knight Returns is important primarily for what it meant for graphic novels in general, and how it reinvented the Batman cliches in particular. Miller took the essence of the Batman character, originally children's entertainment about a superhero vigilante exercising his own brand of justice on evil, and turned it into a much more gritty and dark story for adults. Miller works within the parameters of the traditional Batman conventions, but reshapes them to create a much darker and adult work. As a result, it's not just Batman that matures, but the comic genre itself. Batman The Dark Knight Returns is regarded as a key work (along with Alan Moore's "Watchmen") that helped establish the credibility of the graphic novel as a legitimate literary medium, thus marking a new stage of development and maturity from the world of children's comics. In that respect, Miller not only redefined Batman, but he helped define the graphic novel, by bringing adult oriented superhero comics into the mainstream.
The story-line itself sees an aging Batman, now 20 years older, do battle with the Gotham City crime scene. His enemies include the gang of Mutants, the evil Joker, but also the authorities who find his methods questionable and issue an order for his arrest. Embarrassed by Batman's success, the US government commissions Superman to take down Batman, and the story ends with an epic final battle between the two superheroes - and a clever twist, as Batman's heart-stopping death is not quite what it seems.
There are many references to contemporary culture and issues, with subtle allusions to modern TV personalities (David Letterman, Dr. Ruth), and more important themes relating to law and order, the role of the government, the cold war, the conflicts in our own inner self, and the public fascination with heros and villains. I appreciated the satire of "criminal-coddling pop psychology" and the mass media, although in the end I can't quite see this as being quite as serious a work as some make it out to be. Surely Batman is more about a gritty story than a social commentary, and perhaps it gets more credit than it deserves. Furthermore, to some extent an appeal for Batman is a matter of personal taste. Being unfamiliar with the genre and characters, I found the story hard to follow at times - although as others have argued, much is lost upon first reading, and it's best appreciated and understood the second time around. But the gritty artwork and violent narrative didn't always make obvious sense, and for the most part just didn't grab me, and in addition the numerous instances of blasphemous language certainly did nothing to enhance my appreciation for it. But while I didn't find Miller's Batman particularly enjoyable personally, I can see why it is an important work, both in terms of what it did for Batman, and for the graphic novel. Batman has grown up, and comics are no longer just for kids. - GODLY GADFLY (2007)
Book Review: The Dark Knight Returns indeed
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll admit, at first, I was a little put-off by this book. I enjoyed it, but it didn't set off any sparks. When I read it again a few days ago after some years gone by, then I finally realized what exactly I had in my hands. TDKR is a classic, and Frank Miller, et al, have created an epic for the ages. It features everything that is great about Batman and his world, and takes it up a notch or two. Now, TDKR is not for everybody, and I understand and respect that. I was one of those people, until I decided to give it a second chance. Now, I'm glad I did.
Check this graphic novel out. It's way cool. Awesome.