The Dark Knight Returns
Okay, I realize what I’m about to say is Batman blasphemy, but I didn’t like this book very much.
The Dark Knight Returns (by Frank Miller) takes place in the near future where Bruce Wayne is a man in his sixties, Batman is a myth of the past, Commissioner Gordon is being forced into retirement and most of the arch-villians of Gotham have been put away. However, with the appearance of a mutant uprising Bruce decides it’s time to bring the Bat back from the dead.
The story has what it takes to be absolutely amazing, and there are definitely areas of awesome in the book. My problem lies in the inconsistency of both the Bat-verse and the story itself. First, there are moments when Batman is not only killing people, but he killing a guy with a gun. If you know anything about Batman, you know his number one rule is no guns. When I saw this panel I literally stared at it for 10mins trying to figure out if I was seeing it right. I’m still not entirely sure since the artwork was another thing I had a beef with.
Secondly, they tried to jam way too many villains into this story (it reminded me of Spiderman 3). First it was Two-Face, then the Joker, then the Mutant rebels then… Superman! This felt like they were trying to jam four completely different books into one story and hoping it would make sense. Though, I will say that the Two-Face/ Joker story was the most cohesive out of the whole.
As mentioned, there were some moments of awesome in the book as well. I adored how Frank Miller focused on the way Bruce felt as a 60 year old Batman. You get to see how he struggles with overexertion, trying not to have a heart attack mid-battle and just keeping his breath. It was great to see that Batman really is just a guy behind a mask.
I also loved the role Commissioner Gordon plays. He sees Bruce’s need for Batman for what it is, and isn’t sure if he agrees with it anymore. Also seen Gordon’s struggles with forced retirement during a time when the world needs him the most.
I also thought it was great the Alfred was still alive. He’d be about 90 years old.
Overall, it had the ingredients of a great book, however I felt the story was confusing, the art was messy (I’m picky about my art styles) and the continuity lacked. I’m sorry Batman fans, but Frank Miller let me down on this one.
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