The Dark Knight Returns 30th Anniversary Edition

My friends have been telling me about this for years but I never really paid attention to them but when I got the store and saw this in my recommended I said "why not" it was a sound investment. Would buy again.

DC did a great work on this version celebrating the 30 anniversary of this phenomenal story. I don't know why Marvel hasn't done the same with DD Born Again since it came out the same year as TDKR and i consider BA more tragic, personal, game changer than TDKR.

I'll keep it simple and say that not only is this one of the greatest batman stories ever written but one of the greatest graphic novels and modern stories of pop culture. I won't delve too much into the actual plot since i have done so in a previous review of the older version on the store. For new readers i cannot recommend this enough as a compelling story that is equal parts superhero epic, crime noir, dystopian fantasy and political satire.
For long time batman fans i can easily say that this is a much better edition of the paperback version than the previous one that has been in print for the past several years (the one with the ugly yellow bar on the front cover and in-story panels of characters faces wrapped around the book). This will basically become the new version of the trade paperback from here on or until dc decides to re-release it yet again in 10 or 20 years so the previous version mentioned will become obsolete soon anyway regardless. I'll just use this space to mention the differences/changes to this new edition:
-The first and most obvious is the collection cover which brings back the original cover to the first chapter/book of the story when it originally released. It is also one of the best and most iconic images of batman ever, so its a good looking collection.
-The previous version only contained a fictional article written by Jimmy Olsen (superman's pal) as the books "intro" which i always thought was odd. The new edition does still include this but it also features an interview with Frank Miller himself and gives some insight into how he originally came up with the story back in the 80's.
-The previous version placed all original cover art at the back of the book but the new one places each cover before its proper chapter which I much prefer with my graphic novel collections.
-The previous version contained the original plot/script for the final chapter of the book and nothing else. This new edition omits this completely so sorry if you were a fan of that, but i personally could live without it. Instead we are treated to a dozen or so pages of original Frank Miller pencil art and sketches of various story pages before the inks or colors came in. This to me is a much more interesting bonus.
Well, that basically covers everything about this new edition and i highly recommend it to both new fans and old fans that need/want a new copy. Highly recommended!!!
One final note with regards to the other reviewer's complaint about the art: I literally have no idea what he is talking about so he either got a rare bad copy or he's a neurotic nutcase. The art looks crystal clear and just as good as prior collections and nothing is blurry or "digitized" so his comment confused me. A subtle thing i did notice is that the colors pop a bit more but are not changed from Lynn's original job which to me is simply a plus because i have noticed the colors seeming incredibly faded or muted more than they should be in the past few printings so there is that.
Hopefully new fans will give this story a chance as it really deserves to be read at least once in a life for the experience. Longtime fans can be assured that this is a quality edition that will be available for years to come.

I'm a little baffled by the hype on this one as it doesn't really seem to have any of the elements that make a good batman story. The storyline and main adversary are kind of lackluster. Since this is about batman's return from retirement I expected a little more than some flashbacks to his parent's death as reason to restart his career after age 50. The art is meh and all the major players-from the joker to catwoman have little basis in the rest of the batman canon. At one point the joker leaves a fight in a house of mirrors saying 'it's getting too weird in here'. The climax is a fight with another major DC character and I'm not entirely convinced of either of their motives and there's only random build up to it. Lastly, the reputation on this one for being text laden is true, it's super wordy. That's fine on it's own but only if the story and art isn't hard to follow which it is. Random scenes between different characters are just intertwined on a page, but without clear art it makes it a little hard to follow.

TL;DR: an okay read? sure. but in no way comes close to being in the top 10 for batman. I recommend: long halloween, dark victory, or year one over this any day.

Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns is a masterpiece, though an imperfect one. The book regularly appears on or even tops lists of the most influential comics of all time, and has strongly impacted the on-screen portrayal of the titular Dark Knight ever since its publication in 1986. Along with Alan Moore’s Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns helped usher in a new era of gritty, dark comics across the board, and helped distance the character of Batman from the lingering memories of Adam West.* It’s a seminal piece of comic book history, a must-read for any fan of the Dark Knight, and one of the best Batman stories ever written. All that said, it’s not perfect. While some elements of the story transcend the cultural milieu in which it was written or are even ahead of their time, others are incredibly dated. The plot is a bit unfocused and lacks a central antagonist, even while being an interesting character study of Batman and his supporting cast. The art…is a complicated issue I’ll get into more below.

The setting: 1986. It’s been ten years since the last sighting of the Batman, and the age of heroes is over. Superman has put away his cape and accepted a position working for the government in exchange for their ignoring his retired former compatriots as long as they keep their heads down and don’t draw attention to themselves. Martian Manhunter runs a bar. Oliver Queen turned communist and is presumed dead. Wonder Woman went back to Themyscira. Commissioner Gordon is about to retire, finally ending his never-ending battle against corruption in the GCPD. Crime across the city is rampant, and the Mutant gang rules the streets. On the world stage, the United States and the USSR are locked into the Mexican standoff of the Cold War, which is heating up as both players find themselves supporting opposing sides of a revolution on the island of Corto Maltese. Having hung up his cowl in the wake of Jason Todd’s gruesome end at the hands of the Joker, Bruce Wayne has been using alcohol to manage his emotional trauma and help him sleep, but the growing violence on the streets of his city grows to be too much to bear. He’s rusty, he’s not as young as he used to be, but he’s still the Batman. Nevertheless, he’s going to have his hands full with the likes of a not-so-reformed Harvey Dent, the Joker, and the Mutants gang…not to mention the U.S. government, which isn’t as tolerant of vigilantism as it once was, and now has the abilities of Agent Kent to deploy. Even in the face of all these obstacles, however, one thing remains true: the Batman is incapable of backing down from a challenge…even if it kills him.

First, the writing. As I mentioned, this is probably the single most influential Batman story ever written, and for one very good reason: Miller’s characterization of Batman. Miller took Batman back to his roots: a damaged man out to exorcise his demons and save his city at the same time, mostly by inflicting pain on those who would hurt the innocent. He’s older now and has to learn to fight smarter than when he was young, but he’s still Batman. Miller’s Batman is cold, relentless, a soldier fighting a war that he knows he can never win. His only goal is to hold the darkness at bay until a new generation can take up the fight – and he has a couple ideas about that, too. The characterization of Commissioner Gordon is also a strong point, painting a complex picture of a man who has faced an incredible dilemma his entire career in Gotham: to watch the city entrusted to his protection descend into (worsening) corruption and vice, becoming a haven for evil, or to endorse and enable a vigilante who operates outside the law, committing assault and battery left and right, punishing crime without even a hint of due process. Ellen Yindel, Gordon’s successor, will have to decide how to face that same dilemma. Miller also gives Gordon credit for being remotely observant: he’s only been pretending not to know Batman’s identity all these years. Fans of Superman will be less thrilled, however, as the Man of Steel’s characteristic optimism is here transfigured into fatalism regarding humanity’s view of heroes and naivety regarding his role on the world stage. It’s not exactly a negative portrayal, per se, but neither is it positive. Miller also interjects more animosity and disdain into the relationship between these two titans than do most of their incarnations. Superman believes Batman to be pigheaded and stubborn, and that his return will cause humanity to rise up and destroy those they once called heroes. Batman thinks Superman a fool who has allowed world events to reach a crisis point. Neither is entirely wrong, and that nuance is one of the strengths of the book. Other characters are not as strongly written. New Robin Carrie Kelly is not given much of a motivation for turning caped-hero, aside from the fact that Batman saves her life and she needs a father figure. The psychologist treating Harvey Dent and the Joker is a caricature of bleeding-heart liberals that blame everyone but the perpetrators for crimes, arguing at one point that Batman is the true perpetrator every crime committed by his enemies because he created them by his very existence. Contrasting this narrative is that of the various ultra-right-wing commentators that argue Batman isn’t going far enough and the gangs of reformed Mutants calling themselves the “Sons of Batman” and murdering criminals wherever they can be found. Neither characterization is subtle, but Miller uses both voices to discuss the issue of vigilantism with a level of nuance not often seen in the comics. Then you have Bruno**, a neo-Nazi thug who wears swastikas on her breasts in lieu of a shirt and where she has cut the rear out of her pants. You don’t get much more of a caricature than that. Former Robin Dick Grayson doesn’t feature here but is nevertheless mentioned briefly in a conversation between Gordon and Bruce where it is revealed that Wayne is not on speaking terms with his former protege. In contrast to the generally strong characterization, the plot is a bit unfocused. There’s no central antagonist, for one thing. Batman battles Harvey Dent and the Joker immediately after his return, fights the leader of the Mutant gang later in the story, and then battles Superman in the climax. There’s not much of an over-arching narrative, aside from Batman’s return and the powder keg that it ignites, and the book is arguably poorer for it. The social commentary is similarly all over the map. Miller explores the issue of vigilantism, and that’s a timeless debate, but a lot of his other political agenda is incredibly dated. His portrayal of Ronald Reagan is not flattering, though it can also be said that his portrayal of every politician, real or fictional, is equally negative. Miller’s Gotham has interesting hints of his future work with Sin City, minus (most of) the sex, and that’s an interesting take on things that you don’t typically see. Is Gotham an early form of Miller’s Basin City, or is Basin City what Gotham would turn into without the Batman? Given that Miller is (deservedly) in disfavor these days, due to his more modern output, I doubt this is a question that will be answered.

Finally, we have the art. A decade ago I would have told you that I simply didn’t like Frank Miller’s art across the board, but today I have to admit that it’s not that simple. Frank Miller has a specific style that serves him well in things like Sin City, where he can really lean into it and play with monotone and shadows, but when applied to a Batman comic falls a bit flat for me. It’s not that the art here is bad, but I also can’t say that it’s good. Sure, there are a few iconic moments that stand out – the image of Batman back in action for the first time in a decade, silhouetted against a bolt of lightning is iconic, and has been imitated countless times since – but on the whole the word that is best suggested by the art in this book is “mediocre.” I’m not a fan, but that is a minority opinion. Apparently, the “Millerness” of the artwork here is toned down by having Klaus Janson ink Miller’s pencils and moderate his stylization, a collaboration that, based on the sequel to this book where it was lacking, was sorely needed.

CONTENT: PG-grade language. Some fairly strong violence, PG-13 depicted “on-page,” with stronger instances happening just “off-panel.” Moderate sexual content, including the character of Bruno (mentioned above), Catwoman running an escort service (complete with politician customers), and a character clearly intended to be Dr. Ruth (though that might be lost on anyone too young to actually remember the 80s). While the book flirts with nudity in a couple places, saved from crossing that line by shadows*** or Bruno’s swastikas, the quality of the art keeps this from being at all appealing. This is not really a book for younger readers, even as the actual content may not prove traumatic, as most of what Miller is trying to do would be lost on them.

*Though I for one LOVE the zaniness of the 60s Batman television series, the effect it had on the comics was deeply unfortunate. Batman…is not supposed to be jolly. That’s all I’m saying.
**I swear that my younger, more innocent self didn’t get the significance of her name (or several of the comments made about her) when I first read this over a decade ago. Now I feel dumb.
***A common comic trick for keeping things PG, not unique to Frank Miller’s writing, though readers of Sin City will agree that he leans into it quite heavily.

I think I found this book at a college library when I was a young student many years ago.

And it is NOTHING like I have ever seen before.

First, this Batman story is quite different from your usual "friendly neighborhood superhero saving the day" formula. In fact, this is NOT a children-oriented format at all with its very somber mood, dystopian atmosphere, some unpleasant themes, violent scenes that actually cause gore and death, and yes, some profanity as well as sexual innuendo.

Second, Batman featured here is no longer at a strapping young age as he is forced out of retirement to confront new (as well as old) threats looming over his beloved Gotham City. Feeling his years (or perhaps just a bit rusty, since he's so long out of practice), Batman wants to wrap up everything AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Third, rather than a smiling blue-and-yellow caped crusader depicted on your little boy's birthday cake and footie pajamas, Batman is now a grim, brooding, and even ruthless warrior as he takes on deadly enemies and crime once again as well as an impending apocalypse. Not only that; The Dark Knight is also considered a CONTROVERSIAL figure so serious an arrest warrant AND manhunt have been issued by the city's new police commissioner against him.

Finally, the art is not your typical campy wham-bam stuff traditionally printed in four colors for generations of youngsters to pore over since The Golden Age. Beautifully drawn and arranged, this work is quite theatrical (some sequences don't even need words at all!) Tightly compressed within tiny, neat panels, the characters look worried or nervous as punkish thugs, supposedly reformed villains, and even a great nuclear weapon ominously compromise their safety and ultimate survival. Done in simple sweeping of colors, softened hues are also added like delicate make-up to characters' faces to give them a more agitated look. And there's also a quiet, sly little sense of humor hidden here and there, like a glamorous anchorwoman's funky earrings and massive, gorilla-like feet on a decrepit bag lady at a liquor store that is being held up, for instance.

The story itself is done in the vein of another famous graphic novel from the 1980s, "Watchmen" with a whole barrage of endless interviews given by various characters, including the most inhumane monsters to move along the plot all the way to its shocking end, of course.

Taking place in the alternative "future", an elderly Bruce Wayne decides to draw on his mantle and cowl once again due to intense soul-searching and some taunting demons from beyond (he had quit the world-saving business after an unspeakable tragedy happened close to him years ago.) And one of the young schoolgirls whom he had saved would eventually play a very pivotal (and sometimes, unrealistic) role as Batman's new sidekick boldly embarking on what may be his FINAL adventure.

A few other DC superheroes as well as several villains of Gotham City (at wildly different degrees of growing older) have also made their cameo appearances (or a hugely supporting role by at least one) in this great Batman epic.

Having helped change the whole face of superhero-related storytelling, Frank Miller himself would have required ACTUAL superpowers to do the ENTIRE thing without some assistance from a few talented artists like Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley, of course.

And I think this book (especially the Joker part) eventually inspired the groundbreaking 1989 "Batman" movie, BTW.

More than 30 years ago, I read The Dark Knight Returns in four installments, as they arrived in the comics shops. I was dazzled. and when the Michael Keaton Batman movie arrived, I was disappointed that it wasn't The Dark Knight Returns, and that Liam Neeson's Darkman seem to have filled the misanthropic space that Frank Miller's classic graphic novel had pioneered.

Thirty years later, however, all I remembered of the story was the dark mood and the splash pages, which had been etched in my memory.

Rereading it today, it is as though I had never read it before. I am stunned afresh by its originality, its dense storytelling in 16-panel pages, its bold, thrilling illustration, its clever reconceiving of several of the Batman's most recognizable foes, and its daring reframing of the Batman story I grew up reading in the 1950s. With its subtexts on the stupidity of crowds, the craven opportunism of politicians, the dangers of plutocracy, and the thin line between democratic order and anarchy in a time of ideology-driven politics, it is as timely today as it was in 1986.

Its brilliance continues to glister forth, like shook foil.

Breathtaking.

4.5 Stars! It's pretty dense & rigid & Miller's art style isn't really a favorite of mine, although it's grown on me a lot over the years. Also while I love the interpretations of Batman, Superman, Green Arrow, etc. I'm not a big fan of the Carrie Kelley version of Robin. Overall not my favorite Batman comic of all-time but a well written Batman story that's a hands down classic & that's inspired several other Batman tales.

If you talk to a Batman fan and ask him/her what their favorite Batman story is, chances are they'll say one of three things - Batman: The Killing Joke, Deluxe Edition,Batman: Year One, or this. Let me tell you: This isn't it. First of all, it's advertised as a graphic novel, meaning that there should be one focused story, like Watchmen, Deluxe Edition. Each issue, however, has its own separate story that's sort of connected to the next. Batman could be fighting cops one issue, the Joker the next.

Second of all, the character of Batman in this treats everyone he should (at least, if Batman: The Animated Series, Volume One (DC Comics Classic Collection) is any accurate) treat with love - Alfred (y'know, only the guy who raised him as a child), Robin II (y'know, only the street orphan that Batman saw the good in and raised as his own), and Carrie, AKA Robin III (y'know, only the kid who was inspired by Batman and so saved his life when Batman was about to be brutally killed when she could've just run away) - as just soldiers in his war against crime. These are his friends, the only things keeping him from becoming as dangerous as the villains he fights! And on the topic of characters, Batman in this has no character development at all. Heck, Carrie has more character development!

Third of all, the art. It's bad. Really bad. I think it's supposed to be stylistic, with Batman being larger-than-life and all, but it's hard to take the book seriously when Robin looks like she's a foot tall compared to Batman, who himself looks almost three normal-sized people across and a head taller than most. Although, there are sometimes some genuinely good panels, but the bad outweighs the good here. One more issue I have (ba-dum, tssssh!) is the cover. Why does Batman look like he has two capes? Seriously, could someone tell me? I'd like to know, as he doesn't have two capes in the book itself that I know of.

This isn't related to anything but I like the part where Batman dresses up as an old lady.

Speaking of things that aren't related to anything, Batman fights Superman! Don't ask me why. I mean, I get why Superman is fighting Batman - he was ordered to by the President. But why is Batman all, "It has to end here, bleeeeegh, I'm Batman and I'm sad, I have to fight Superman in Crime Alley to end my career and basically my life here because symbolism, bleeeeegh!" Why does Batman have to end both his career and his own life in a fight against Superman? I get why you would want your last fight to be in Crime Alley, but Superman isn't even a bad guy! If I walked up to someone who I used to be best friends with and said, "Let's fight!" I guarantee he wouldn't fake his own death! Did Batman do it just to prove a point? That he can beat Superman, die, and still live? Or did he simply do it because Miller needed to end the story quick? That would explain why Green Arrow comes out of nowhere and says "Hey! Fight Superman! You can take him!" and Batman just says "Okay" and then Superman comes and asks Batman where he wants to fight and then they fight and Batman has a heart attack and then Alfred has a stroke and then at the funeral for Batman, Superman hears Batman's heart beating and winks at Robin and then there's a scene with Batman, Robin, and the Sons of Batman and the book ends.

Oh, and also America gets nuked by the USSR and all the power goes out in Gotham and that makes Batman and Robin ride horses for some reason and the Sons of Batman from the second plot I forgot to talk about are there and it looks pretty cool I guess (hooray for run-on sentences!) . But why are all of the Sons of Batman out in the streets in the exact same place on that very night? They could've been out for anything really. We don't get a reason. What was the point of America being nuked in the context of this story? Is it so Batman can't rely on his fancy gadgets? I guess there was a riot he had to stop with the Sons of Batman 'cause of the power outage and the nuke. Speaking of the Sons of Batman, why were they in the story? Miller could have just said that the Mutant gang (the threat in issues 1 and primarily 2 that became the Sons of Batman) disbanded after Batman defeated their leader.

Also Batman fights a bunch of cops for no reason after Gordon retires.

Well, after reading me rant like that, you might be wondering why I gave the book two stars instead of one. While yes, it is overrated, and no, I did not list all of my troubles with this book, there are some aspects, such as the writing (in some places) and the art (in fewer) as well as the fact that if the book was advertised as a collection of separate stories with over-arching themes and plot details I would like it a lot more, that make the book okay-ish. But the main reason I gave the book two stars instead of one is because of what it did for the Batman mythos. Before this book, Batman was campy and was considered to be silly - the idea that a grown man would go out dressed as a bat and fight criminals was hilarious to most. After this book was published however, the Batman envisioned by Bob Kane and Bill Finger was the one people thought of - a cold, ruthless, broken man. If you want a good story with good art, give this a pass. If you want to have one of the most important books in Batman history on our shelf, though, I'd definitely buy it.

An incredible take of an aged Batman cast with Bats coming out of retirement. Revolutionary release in my opinion, Frank Miller was whippin' it out in 1986, rivaling Alan Moore's Watchmen among others at the time. DC was rising fast at this point. A must read for all Batman fans.

DC did a great work on this version celebrating the 30 anniversary of this phenomenal story. I don't know why Marvel hasn't done the same with DD Born Again since it came out the same year as TDKR and i consider BA more tragic, personal, game changer than TDKR.

I'll keep it simple and say that not only is this one of the greatest batman stories ever written but one of the greatest graphic novels and modern stories of pop culture. I won't delve too much into the actual plot since i have done so in a previous review of the older version on the store. For new readers i cannot recommend this enough as a compelling story that is equal parts superhero epic, crime noir, dystopian fantasy and political satire.
For long time batman fans i can easily say that this is a much better edition of the paperback version than the previous one that has been in print for the past several years (the one with the ugly yellow bar on the front cover and in-story panels of characters faces wrapped around the book). This will basically become the new version of the trade paperback from here on or until dc decides to re-release it yet again in 10 or 20 years so the previous version mentioned will become obsolete soon anyway regardless. I'll just use this space to mention the differences/changes to this new edition:
-The first and most obvious is the collection cover which brings back the original cover to the first chapter/book of the story when it originally released. It is also one of the best and most iconic images of batman ever, so its a good looking collection.
-The previous version only contained a fictional article written by Jimmy Olsen (superman's pal) as the books "intro" which i always thought was odd. The new edition does still include this but it also features an interview with Frank Miller himself and gives some insight into how he originally came up with the story back in the 80's.
-The previous version placed all original cover art at the back of the book but the new one places each cover before its proper chapter which I much prefer with my graphic novel collections.
-The previous version contained the original plot/script for the final chapter of the book and nothing else. This new edition omits this completely so sorry if you were a fan of that, but i personally could live without it. Instead we are treated to a dozen or so pages of original Frank Miller pencil art and sketches of various story pages before the inks or colors came in. This to me is a much more interesting bonus.
Well, that basically covers everything about this new edition and i highly recommend it to both new fans and old fans that need/want a new copy. Highly recommended!!!
One final note with regards to the other reviewer's complaint about the art: I literally have no idea what he is talking about so he either got a rare bad copy or he's a neurotic nutcase. The art looks crystal clear and just as good as prior collections and nothing is blurry or "digitized" so his comment confused me. A subtle thing i did notice is that the colors pop a bit more but are not changed from Lynn's original job which to me is simply a plus because i have noticed the colors seeming incredibly faded or muted more than they should be in the past few printings so there is that.
Hopefully new fans will give this story a chance as it really deserves to be read at least once in a life for the experience. Longtime fans can be assured that this is a quality edition that will be available for years to come.

I'm a little baffled by the hype on this one as it doesn't really seem to have any of the elements that make a good batman story. The storyline and main adversary are kind of lackluster. Since this is about batman's return from retirement I expected a little more than some flashbacks to his parent's death as reason to restart his career after age 50. The art is meh and all the major players-from the joker to catwoman have little basis in the rest of the batman canon. At one point the joker leaves a fight in a house of mirrors saying 'it's getting too weird in here'. The climax is a fight with another major DC character and I'm not entirely convinced of either of their motives and there's only random build up to it. Lastly, the reputation on this one for being text laden is true, it's super wordy. That's fine on it's own but only if the story and art isn't hard to follow which it is. Random scenes between different characters are just intertwined on a page, but without clear art it makes it a little hard to follow.

TL;DR: an okay read? sure. but in no way comes close to being in the top 10 for batman. I recommend: long halloween, dark victory, or year one over this any day.

Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns is a masterpiece, though an imperfect one. The book regularly appears on or even tops lists of the most influential comics of all time, and has strongly impacted the on-screen portrayal of the titular Dark Knight ever since its publication in 1986. Along with Alan Moore’s Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns helped usher in a new era of gritty, dark comics across the board, and helped distance the character of Batman from the lingering memories of Adam West.* It’s a seminal piece of comic book history, a must-read for any fan of the Dark Knight, and one of the best Batman stories ever written. All that said, it’s not perfect. While some elements of the story transcend the cultural milieu in which it was written or are even ahead of their time, others are incredibly dated. The plot is a bit unfocused and lacks a central antagonist, even while being an interesting character study of Batman and his supporting cast. The art…is a complicated issue I’ll get into more below.

The setting: 1986. It’s been ten years since the last sighting of the Batman, and the age of heroes is over. Superman has put away his cape and accepted a position working for the government in exchange for their ignoring his retired former compatriots as long as they keep their heads down and don’t draw attention to themselves. Martian Manhunter runs a bar. Oliver Queen turned communist and is presumed dead. Wonder Woman went back to Themyscira. Commissioner Gordon is about to retire, finally ending his never-ending battle against corruption in the GCPD. Crime across the city is rampant, and the Mutant gang rules the streets. On the world stage, the United States and the USSR are locked into the Mexican standoff of the Cold War, which is heating up as both players find themselves supporting opposing sides of a revolution on the island of Corto Maltese. Having hung up his cowl in the wake of Jason Todd’s gruesome end at the hands of the Joker, Bruce Wayne has been using alcohol to manage his emotional trauma and help him sleep, but the growing violence on the streets of his city grows to be too much to bear. He’s rusty, he’s not as young as he used to be, but he’s still the Batman. Nevertheless, he’s going to have his hands full with the likes of a not-so-reformed Harvey Dent, the Joker, and the Mutants gang…not to mention the U.S. government, which isn’t as tolerant of vigilantism as it once was, and now has the abilities of Agent Kent to deploy. Even in the face of all these obstacles, however, one thing remains true: the Batman is incapable of backing down from a challenge…even if it kills him.

First, the writing. As I mentioned, this is probably the single most influential Batman story ever written, and for one very good reason: Miller’s characterization of Batman. Miller took Batman back to his roots: a damaged man out to exorcise his demons and save his city at the same time, mostly by inflicting pain on those who would hurt the innocent. He’s older now and has to learn to fight smarter than when he was young, but he’s still Batman. Miller’s Batman is cold, relentless, a soldier fighting a war that he knows he can never win. His only goal is to hold the darkness at bay until a new generation can take up the fight – and he has a couple ideas about that, too. The characterization of Commissioner Gordon is also a strong point, painting a complex picture of a man who has faced an incredible dilemma his entire career in Gotham: to watch the city entrusted to his protection descend into (worsening) corruption and vice, becoming a haven for evil, or to endorse and enable a vigilante who operates outside the law, committing assault and battery left and right, punishing crime without even a hint of due process. Ellen Yindel, Gordon’s successor, will have to decide how to face that same dilemma. Miller also gives Gordon credit for being remotely observant: he’s only been pretending not to know Batman’s identity all these years. Fans of Superman will be less thrilled, however, as the Man of Steel’s characteristic optimism is here transfigured into fatalism regarding humanity’s view of heroes and naivety regarding his role on the world stage. It’s not exactly a negative portrayal, per se, but neither is it positive. Miller also interjects more animosity and disdain into the relationship between these two titans than do most of their incarnations. Superman believes Batman to be pigheaded and stubborn, and that his return will cause humanity to rise up and destroy those they once called heroes. Batman thinks Superman a fool who has allowed world events to reach a crisis point. Neither is entirely wrong, and that nuance is one of the strengths of the book. Other characters are not as strongly written. New Robin Carrie Kelly is not given much of a motivation for turning caped-hero, aside from the fact that Batman saves her life and she needs a father figure. The psychologist treating Harvey Dent and the Joker is a caricature of bleeding-heart liberals that blame everyone but the perpetrators for crimes, arguing at one point that Batman is the true perpetrator every crime committed by his enemies because he created them by his very existence. Contrasting this narrative is that of the various ultra-right-wing commentators that argue Batman isn’t going far enough and the gangs of reformed Mutants calling themselves the “Sons of Batman” and murdering criminals wherever they can be found. Neither characterization is subtle, but Miller uses both voices to discuss the issue of vigilantism with a level of nuance not often seen in the comics. Then you have Bruno**, a neo-Nazi thug who wears swastikas on her breasts in lieu of a shirt and where she has cut the rear out of her pants. You don’t get much more of a caricature than that. Former Robin Dick Grayson doesn’t feature here but is nevertheless mentioned briefly in a conversation between Gordon and Bruce where it is revealed that Wayne is not on speaking terms with his former protege. In contrast to the generally strong characterization, the plot is a bit unfocused. There’s no central antagonist, for one thing. Batman battles Harvey Dent and the Joker immediately after his return, fights the leader of the Mutant gang later in the story, and then battles Superman in the climax. There’s not much of an over-arching narrative, aside from Batman’s return and the powder keg that it ignites, and the book is arguably poorer for it. The social commentary is similarly all over the map. Miller explores the issue of vigilantism, and that’s a timeless debate, but a lot of his other political agenda is incredibly dated. His portrayal of Ronald Reagan is not flattering, though it can also be said that his portrayal of every politician, real or fictional, is equally negative. Miller’s Gotham has interesting hints of his future work with Sin City, minus (most of) the sex, and that’s an interesting take on things that you don’t typically see. Is Gotham an early form of Miller’s Basin City, or is Basin City what Gotham would turn into without the Batman? Given that Miller is (deservedly) in disfavor these days, due to his more modern output, I doubt this is a question that will be answered.

Finally, we have the art. A decade ago I would have told you that I simply didn’t like Frank Miller’s art across the board, but today I have to admit that it’s not that simple. Frank Miller has a specific style that serves him well in things like Sin City, where he can really lean into it and play with monotone and shadows, but when applied to a Batman comic falls a bit flat for me. It’s not that the art here is bad, but I also can’t say that it’s good. Sure, there are a few iconic moments that stand out – the image of Batman back in action for the first time in a decade, silhouetted against a bolt of lightning is iconic, and has been imitated countless times since – but on the whole the word that is best suggested by the art in this book is “mediocre.” I’m not a fan, but that is a minority opinion. Apparently, the “Millerness” of the artwork here is toned down by having Klaus Janson ink Miller’s pencils and moderate his stylization, a collaboration that, based on the sequel to this book where it was lacking, was sorely needed.

CONTENT: PG-grade language. Some fairly strong violence, PG-13 depicted “on-page,” with stronger instances happening just “off-panel.” Moderate sexual content, including the character of Bruno (mentioned above), Catwoman running an escort service (complete with politician customers), and a character clearly intended to be Dr. Ruth (though that might be lost on anyone too young to actually remember the 80s). While the book flirts with nudity in a couple places, saved from crossing that line by shadows*** or Bruno’s swastikas, the quality of the art keeps this from being at all appealing. This is not really a book for younger readers, even as the actual content may not prove traumatic, as most of what Miller is trying to do would be lost on them.

*Though I for one LOVE the zaniness of the 60s Batman television series, the effect it had on the comics was deeply unfortunate. Batman…is not supposed to be jolly. That’s all I’m saying.
**I swear that my younger, more innocent self didn’t get the significance of her name (or several of the comments made about her) when I first read this over a decade ago. Now I feel dumb.
***A common comic trick for keeping things PG, not unique to Frank Miller’s writing, though readers of Sin City will agree that he leans into it quite heavily.

I think I found this book at a college library when I was a young student many years ago.

And it is NOTHING like I have ever seen before.

First, this Batman story is quite different from your usual "friendly neighborhood superhero saving the day" formula. In fact, this is NOT a children-oriented format at all with its very somber mood, dystopian atmosphere, some unpleasant themes, violent scenes that actually cause gore and death, and yes, some profanity as well as sexual innuendo.

Second, Batman featured here is no longer at a strapping young age as he is forced out of retirement to confront new (as well as old) threats looming over his beloved Gotham City. Feeling his years (or perhaps just a bit rusty, since he's so long out of practice), Batman wants to wrap up everything AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Third, rather than a smiling blue-and-yellow caped crusader depicted on your little boy's birthday cake and footie pajamas, Batman is now a grim, brooding, and even ruthless warrior as he takes on deadly enemies and crime once again as well as an impending apocalypse. Not only that; The Dark Knight is also considered a CONTROVERSIAL figure so serious an arrest warrant AND manhunt have been issued by the city's new police commissioner against him.

Finally, the art is not your typical campy wham-bam stuff traditionally printed in four colors for generations of youngsters to pore over since The Golden Age. Beautifully drawn and arranged, this work is quite theatrical (some sequences don't even need words at all!) Tightly compressed within tiny, neat panels, the characters look worried or nervous as punkish thugs, supposedly reformed villains, and even a great nuclear weapon ominously compromise their safety and ultimate survival. Done in simple sweeping of colors, softened hues are also added like delicate make-up to characters' faces to give them a more agitated look. And there's also a quiet, sly little sense of humor hidden here and there, like a glamorous anchorwoman's funky earrings and massive, gorilla-like feet on a decrepit bag lady at a liquor store that is being held up, for instance.

The story itself is done in the vein of another famous graphic novel from the 1980s, "Watchmen" with a whole barrage of endless interviews given by various characters, including the most inhumane monsters to move along the plot all the way to its shocking end, of course.

Taking place in the alternative "future", an elderly Bruce Wayne decides to draw on his mantle and cowl once again due to intense soul-searching and some taunting demons from beyond (he had quit the world-saving business after an unspeakable tragedy happened close to him years ago.) And one of the young schoolgirls whom he had saved would eventually play a very pivotal (and sometimes, unrealistic) role as Batman's new sidekick boldly embarking on what may be his FINAL adventure.

A few other DC superheroes as well as several villains of Gotham City (at wildly different degrees of growing older) have also made their cameo appearances (or a hugely supporting role by at least one) in this great Batman epic.

Having helped change the whole face of superhero-related storytelling, Frank Miller himself would have required ACTUAL superpowers to do the ENTIRE thing without some assistance from a few talented artists like Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley, of course.

And I think this book (especially the Joker part) eventually inspired the groundbreaking 1989 "Batman" movie, BTW.

More than 30 years ago, I read The Dark Knight Returns in four installments, as they arrived in the comics shops. I was dazzled. and when the Michael Keaton Batman movie arrived, I was disappointed that it wasn't The Dark Knight Returns, and that Liam Neeson's Darkman seem to have filled the misanthropic space that Frank Miller's classic graphic novel had pioneered.

Thirty years later, however, all I remembered of the story was the dark mood and the splash pages, which had been etched in my memory.

Rereading it today, it is as though I had never read it before. I am stunned afresh by its originality, its dense storytelling in 16-panel pages, its bold, thrilling illustration, its clever reconceiving of several of the Batman's most recognizable foes, and its daring reframing of the Batman story I grew up reading in the 1950s. With its subtexts on the stupidity of crowds, the craven opportunism of politicians, the dangers of plutocracy, and the thin line between democratic order and anarchy in a time of ideology-driven politics, it is as timely today as it was in 1986.

Its brilliance continues to glister forth, like shook foil.

Breathtaking.

4.5 Stars! It's pretty dense & rigid & Miller's art style isn't really a favorite of mine, although it's grown on me a lot over the years. Also while I love the interpretations of Batman, Superman, Green Arrow, etc. I'm not a big fan of the Carrie Kelley version of Robin. Overall not my favorite Batman comic of all-time but a well written Batman story that's a hands down classic & that's inspired several other Batman tales.

If you talk to a Batman fan and ask him/her what their favorite Batman story is, chances are they'll say one of three things - Batman: The Killing Joke, Deluxe Edition,Batman: Year One, or this. Let me tell you: This isn't it. First of all, it's advertised as a graphic novel, meaning that there should be one focused story, like Watchmen, Deluxe Edition. Each issue, however, has its own separate story that's sort of connected to the next. Batman could be fighting cops one issue, the Joker the next.

Second of all, the character of Batman in this treats everyone he should (at least, if Batman: The Animated Series, Volume One (DC Comics Classic Collection) is any accurate) treat with love - Alfred (y'know, only the guy who raised him as a child), Robin II (y'know, only the street orphan that Batman saw the good in and raised as his own), and Carrie, AKA Robin III (y'know, only the kid who was inspired by Batman and so saved his life when Batman was about to be brutally killed when she could've just run away) - as just soldiers in his war against crime. These are his friends, the only things keeping him from becoming as dangerous as the villains he fights! And on the topic of characters, Batman in this has no character development at all. Heck, Carrie has more character development!

Third of all, the art. It's bad. Really bad. I think it's supposed to be stylistic, with Batman being larger-than-life and all, but it's hard to take the book seriously when Robin looks like she's a foot tall compared to Batman, who himself looks almost three normal-sized people across and a head taller than most. Although, there are sometimes some genuinely good panels, but the bad outweighs the good here. One more issue I have (ba-dum, tssssh!) is the cover. Why does Batman look like he has two capes? Seriously, could someone tell me? I'd like to know, as he doesn't have two capes in the book itself that I know of.

This isn't related to anything but I like the part where Batman dresses up as an old lady.

Speaking of things that aren't related to anything, Batman fights Superman! Don't ask me why. I mean, I get why Superman is fighting Batman - he was ordered to by the President. But why is Batman all, "It has to end here, bleeeeegh, I'm Batman and I'm sad, I have to fight Superman in Crime Alley to end my career and basically my life here because symbolism, bleeeeegh!" Why does Batman have to end both his career and his own life in a fight against Superman? I get why you would want your last fight to be in Crime Alley, but Superman isn't even a bad guy! If I walked up to someone who I used to be best friends with and said, "Let's fight!" I guarantee he wouldn't fake his own death! Did Batman do it just to prove a point? That he can beat Superman, die, and still live? Or did he simply do it because Miller needed to end the story quick? That would explain why Green Arrow comes out of nowhere and says "Hey! Fight Superman! You can take him!" and Batman just says "Okay" and then Superman comes and asks Batman where he wants to fight and then they fight and Batman has a heart attack and then Alfred has a stroke and then at the funeral for Batman, Superman hears Batman's heart beating and winks at Robin and then there's a scene with Batman, Robin, and the Sons of Batman and the book ends.

Oh, and also America gets nuked by the USSR and all the power goes out in Gotham and that makes Batman and Robin ride horses for some reason and the Sons of Batman from the second plot I forgot to talk about are there and it looks pretty cool I guess (hooray for run-on sentences!) . But why are all of the Sons of Batman out in the streets in the exact same place on that very night? They could've been out for anything really. We don't get a reason. What was the point of America being nuked in the context of this story? Is it so Batman can't rely on his fancy gadgets? I guess there was a riot he had to stop with the Sons of Batman 'cause of the power outage and the nuke. Speaking of the Sons of Batman, why were they in the story? Miller could have just said that the Mutant gang (the threat in issues 1 and primarily 2 that became the Sons of Batman) disbanded after Batman defeated their leader.

Also Batman fights a bunch of cops for no reason after Gordon retires.

Well, after reading me rant like that, you might be wondering why I gave the book two stars instead of one. While yes, it is overrated, and no, I did not list all of my troubles with this book, there are some aspects, such as the writing (in some places) and the art (in fewer) as well as the fact that if the book was advertised as a collection of separate stories with over-arching themes and plot details I would like it a lot more, that make the book okay-ish. But the main reason I gave the book two stars instead of one is because of what it did for the Batman mythos. Before this book, Batman was campy and was considered to be silly - the idea that a grown man would go out dressed as a bat and fight criminals was hilarious to most. After this book was published however, the Batman envisioned by Bob Kane and Bill Finger was the one people thought of - a cold, ruthless, broken man. If you want a good story with good art, give this a pass. If you want to have one of the most important books in Batman history on our shelf, though, I'd definitely buy it.

An incredible take of an aged Batman cast with Bats coming out of retirement. Revolutionary release in my opinion, Frank Miller was whippin' it out in 1986, rivaling Alan Moore's Watchmen among others at the time. DC was rising fast at this point. A must read for all Batman fans.

This is a total bargain! The book as a whole is beautiful inside and out. Lots of fun and interesting facts before and after the novel! Including Bluray, dvd, AND digi-copy is insane for this price. It's a must buy for anyone who appreciates batman!