Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Frank Miller

The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel is really the Holy Grail of comic books as this stirred up the Batman legacy in such a sufficient manner that it changed to an extent it is what it is today. At the time of its release in February 1986 the sales of the Batman comic started to dwindle, the movies were not even released and the only time Batman was seen was if cartoons and shows were re-run on TV which was damaging the sales potential of the Batman product. The book itself completely rejuvenated Batman as a whole as this was really the first time that a graphic novel had departed from the normal passage of a character and gone off on a completely new ...  Read the complete review

When i finished reading this book the only thing i could think was that i was sad that i could never read it for the first time again. Its an amazing book, never mind being the best comic book out there. If you even remotly like Batman this is one book you should add to your collection. It tells the tale of how Bruce comes out of retirement to tackle the ever growing crime in Gotham. The characters featured include the old favourites like TwoFace and the Joker, and even Superman. It is told so well by Frank Miller, and features some great artwork. Its all drawn in a very gritty way which reflects the city which they are in. There isn't ...  Read the complete review

The Dark Knight Returns is one of the most famous and groundbreaking graphic novels ever written and was first published in 1986. Frank Miller, the author and artist, was at the forefront of a growing trend for adult, dark, postmodern takes on superhero characters. Alan Moore produced the legendary 'Watchmen' that same year while Miller added a new angle to the Batman myth with this classic story of a 55 year-old retired Bruce Wayne bringing The Dark Knight out of mothballs to fight crime once again. The Dark Knight is set in a nightmarish near future. A juvenile street gang of cyberpunk type characters called The Mutants now control more and more of Gotham ...  Read the complete review

'Batman is a child molester' went the headline on the radio Picadilly news. It seems a shame that they clearly didn?t read Frank Millers milestone publication and chose to glorify a very small and insignificant aspect of the story. I seem to remember the DJ, Mike Sweeny, running a phone in about it. I'd always liked Mike Sweeny as a DJ, until I saw him running in the Manchester marathon, he was about five foot nothing with ginger hair, he always sounded taller on the radio. Still I wasn't into comics then and so I thought it was amusing poking fun at the man in tights who climbed apartment block walls unconvincingly. The Batman of 'The Dark ...  Read the complete review

This IS Batman. This was the book that changed people’s perceptions of Batman, albeit maybe forgotten. Batman at the time this was released had been turned in to some kind of media whore that ran around in cheap nylon capes and said catchphrases like 'To the batmobile!' while Robin all the while uttered 'Holy rat-infested sewer batman!' and other phrases of comedic genius. The Batman who the police actually phoned up, and who ran around in the day after theatrical style villains whose threat never seemed particularly real. The Batman whose detective skills were forgotten in favour of a 'bat-computer' that somehow worked everything out. No, ...  Read the complete review