Return To The Batcave (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Frank Miller)

Name: Jake Speed

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Product:	Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Frank Miller
Date:	16/06/08 (281 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: One of the best graphic novels ever

Disadvantages: Um...it's fairly dark

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 City and the Cold War between America and the Soviet Union is heating up abroad. Both of these events has consequences for Bruce Wayne that will unfold during the course of The Dark Knight Returns.

Batman has not been active for ten years but Bruce Wayne has been quietly watching the steady chaos brewing around him and feels the call of the Bat more and more difficult to ignore. When Harvey (Two-Face) Dent escapes from a secure institution, Bruce Wayne (now a distinguished older figure with grey hair) puts on the batsuit and apprehends him. The media however, like Wayne's butler Alfred, are not sure what to make of it all. Is this the real Batman? Is Batman a friend or a dangerous menance? Is Batman an amusing anachronism? Did he even exist in the first place? Batman meanwhile continues his comeback and soon has a 13 year-old female 'Robin' working for him. He might be knocking on a little bit but he will now have to face his biggest challenge ever, one that will involve The Mutants, The Joker, Superman and the US Government...

The Dark Knight Returns is right up there with the very best graphic novels. Miller takes the Batman character and returns him to his darker origins, a vigilante who even the authorities are not convinced they can trust or work with. By presenting us with a 55 year-old Bruce Wayne/Batman, the story gives an immediately fresh slant on the character because comics never used to answer or really specualte on what happens to heroes when they get older. This Bruce Wayne is battling agaisnt time and age but he still has the backstory of the batman we know from the comics. Jason Todd for example, who died in action as 'Robin', is hinted as a factor in Batman's disappearance. But the real thrust of the story, and its 'charm', albeit in such a dark tale, is Bruce Wayne/Batman being compelled into one last adventure. He might be running out of time as Batman but he still has work to do. It might not know it yet but Gotham still needs a Batman.

Like an Alan Moore story, there is much crammed into The Dark Knight Returns. The Mutants, who are like something out of a Robocop film (Miller used similar characters in his 'Robocop 3' script), are quite striking and fit in very well with the 'near future' feel of the book. Batman's battle agaisnt them (which is resolved in a very clever way with interesting ramifications for the story and the myth of Batman) are tense and used almost as a first act to warm us up for larger battles ahead. Batman learns a lot during his encounters with them - most saliently about his age and what he can no longer do as well as he used to. Miller doesn't forget Wayne's age in his story and reminds us of it when Batman is in action.

Jim Gordon is still a friend of Batman though sidelined by illness and imminent retirement. He does of course still find ways to help his own friend. A new Police Chief is not so inclined to look upon Batman as a hero but rather a nutty hindrance. Having Batman battle both the Police and the villains adds an extra layer of complexity, intrigue and novelty to the comic.

The Joker is of course as bonkers as ever and is used in a clever way by Miller. The Joker has been in a trance for many years but snaps out of it when he sees the reports of Batman being back. He is soon at large again having convinced everyone he is sane and appears on a Letterman style television show. Inevitably though, The Joker is headed for a climatic final showdown with Batman. Free from the usual conventions of comics, Miller really does give us a final showdown between Batman and The Joker with much food for thought about their relationship to one another and past. Should Batman have just killed him years ago to save lives even though it goes agaisnt his code? Bruce Wayne starts to wonder this himself.

The Joker is given a good treatment in this story. I like how when he is introduced, The Joker is just staring straight ahead in his cell and a guard comments that he's creepy because you never see him sweat. It's little macabre moments like this that make The Dark Knight Returns special.

The writing is sharp and clever too for comics. Take this exchange between Alfred (who is very dubious about the wisdom of Wayne becoming Batman again) and Bruce Wayne for example;

Alfred: Your accountants wait in the West Wing, sir.
Wayne: Tell them I'm sick.
Alfred: Shan't have to lie. That Refugee Charity called...
Wayne: Write them a check.
Alfred: And the Committee for the Prevention of Obsessive Behavior in Middle-Aged Men?
Wayne: Write them a check.
Alfred: Very good, sir. Your sense of humor is keen as ever, sir.


Frank Miller of course throws in his usual quota of conspiracy elements and political commentary. The US government usually ends up being the villain in many of Miller's stories and here they eventually target Batman when his activities threaten to make him a hero that can dimish the government by his mere presence. The government send in Superman and so we get another much anticipated showdown, this time between The Dark Knight and The Man Of Steel!

Superman's treatment here would quickly be latched onto for countless 'near future' or 'alternative future' one-offs, specials and graphic novels, but Miller's take was fresh at the time. So The Dark Knight Returns features the now familiar 'Earth bound God' Superman. Like Dr Manhattan in Watchman, his power makes him a strange, slightly unsettling figure.

The art in The Dark Knight Returns looks fairly simple at first glance but is very effective. Frank Miller was inspired by the look of old noir films and manages to project a very brooding, atmospheric quality to his panels, with scenes of riots, dark skies and even Batman on horseback at one point. Miller even uses multiple panels to affect a slow-motion techniques in places.

Another clever thing about the book is the use of 'Talking Heads' to give a running commentary through the story. These range from news broadcast speculation about Batman's mental state to members of the public recounting what Batman did to the person who tried to attack them and much more. The Dark Knight Returns packs a lot of detail into its story.

Overall, if you like comics or graphic novels then you can't go wrong with The Dark Knight Returns. I've read it many times but I still dig it out about once a year and find it fun to read again. It's a classic book that any Batman or comic fan should own.

Summary: All hail Frank Miller