Stephen's Reviews > Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Haha fun review. Although Jim Lee drawn Batman is not the best loved art of Batman. Too 90s X-men macho art. Look at the gothic Tim Sale art.

DKR is historical important in the medium but also more importantly for me my first Bat story that made me a huge fan :)

I agree with you that the Tim Sale art is great, but I must be in the minority as I really enjoy the Jim Lee Batman...plus you have to admit the macho Batman is the proper contrast to the Adam West polyester-thon.

You did not make fun of one of my favorite movies ever!! I love Batman: The Movie and thanks to my kids I no longer need to be sober to enjoy it. One of my favorite quotes ever, it just hurts thinking about whoever wrote it,...

Commissioner Gordon: It could be any one of them... But which one? Which ones?
Batman: Pretty *fishy* what happened to me on that ladder...
Commissioner Gordon: You mean where there's a fish there could be a Penguin?
Robin: But wait! It happened at sea... Sea. C for Catwoman!
Batman: Yet, an exploding shark *was* pulling my leg...
Commissioner Gordon: The Joker!
Chief O'Hara: All adds up to a sinister riddle... Riddle-R. Riddler!
Commissioner Gordon: A thought strikes me... So dreadful I scarcely dare give it utterance...
Batman: The four of them... Their forces combined...
Robin: Holy nightmare!

Stephen wrote: "I agree with you that the Tim Sale art is great, but I must be in the minority as I really enjoy the Jim Lee Batman...plus you have to admit the macho Batman is the proper contrast to the Adam West..."

Macho Batman is awesome just Jim Lee macho art has never been good in Batman. Adams,Aparo,Frank Miller,Sale and many other have drawn good macho Batman.

Jim Lee is more known for X-men,other comics.

Hush story drawn by Lee is the only Batman books i have wanted to sell,give away.

Kathryn wrote:

If you enjoy that sequence, you should check out Black Dynamite, which features a five minute long conspiracy unraveling very much like that one.

Kathryn wrote: "You did not make fun of one of my favorite movies ever!! I love Batman: The Movie and thanks to my kids I no longer need to be sober to enjoy it. One of my favorite quotes ever, it just hurts think..."

I love Batman: The Movie! "Some days, you just can't get rid of a bomb..."

Kathryn wrote: "You did not make fun of one of my favorite movies ever!! I love Batman: The Movie and thanks to my kids I no longer need to be sober to enjoy it. One of my favorite quotes ever, it just hurts think..."

My bashing of the Batman movie was done with tongue planted firmly in cheek. In all seriousness, the Batman Movie with Adam West is a cult classic and I have seen it many, many times and love it as the camp that it is. Of course, it did have a "horrible" effect on the Batman mythos and his portrayal in comics until the Dark Knight Returns so that part of my review was accurate.

By the way, your quote is hysterical and I think proves both sides of the argument which is a pretty amazing feat.

I completely agree. The movie is hilarious but had a horrible effect on the comics. The darker a Batman story in print, the happier I am. I think I like the extremes. Batman either has to be total camp or intensely dark.

Kemper, I looked up Black Dynamite. Only released in 2009? And staring Spawn! I'll have to check it out, if I tear myself away from reading and goodreads long enough to ever watch a movie again.

Kathryn wrote: "I completely agree. The movie is hilarious but had a horrible effect on the comics. The darker a Batman story in print, the happier I am. I think I like the extremes. Batman either has to be total ..."

Black Dynamite is worth your time.

Well, whatdaya know. It's on instant play with Netflix...I might just turn it on tonight. I need a laugh.

Dynamite! Dynamite!

Kemper wrote: "Dynamite! Dynamite!"

Your knowledge of scientific biological transmogrification is only outmatched by your zest for kung-fu treachery!

Who the hell is calling here and interrupting my kung-fu??

Kemper wrote: "Who the hell is calling here and interrupting my kung-fu??"

Hahaha that among the funniest movie i have seen in years. I saw for first time on cable a week ago and loved every bit of it.

Jai White is an awesome action hero with his abilities and was fun.

Mohammed wrote: Jai White is an awesome action hero with his abilities and was fun.

And just to bring this back full circle to Stephen's Dark Knight review, Michael Jai White also played Gambol in the Dark Knight movie.

Love the Batman and the Joker especially the later.

What?! You didn't like all the CRASH!! BANG!! of the very first series? :D :D:D
That costume did not fit him well, that's for sure. Great review.

God, the last photo made me laugh! Cheers!

Lisa O. wrote: "What?! You didn't like all the CRASH!! BANG!! of the very first series? :D :D:D
That costume did not fit him well, that's for sure. Great review."

Thanks, Lisa. It wasn't the CRASH and BANG that I found troubling as much as the POW!! and KABOOM!! :)

Kwesi 章英狮 wrote: "God, the last photo made me laugh! Cheers!"

Glad you liked it, Kwesi.

Laughing helplessly over here. Thank you, I needed that.

While in general I agree with your theory in the review, I have to object to your statements regarding the Punisher and Wolverine. Neither of these characters were created after The Dark Knight Returns. Matter of fact they were both created way back in 1974, a good 12 years before TDKR.

By the time The Dark Knight Returns debuted, both these characters already were firmly established as very popular anti-heroes. Wolverine had 2 successful mini series published by then, one of which was drawn by Frank Miller himself. The Punisher mini series, by Mike Zeck, was published in Jan 1986, basically at the same time as TDKR. Being that these two series were running concurrently, it can hardly be speculated that The Dark Knight led to the creation or popularity of the Punisher.

The only thing that really happened to these characters after the publication of The Dark Knight Returns was that they both received their own ongoing series. The Punisher started the first of three in the following year, 1987, and Wolverine didn't receive his until 2 years later in 1988. Again, with the enormous popularity that Wolverine and the Punisher enjoyed prior to TDKR, I do believe it's a bit of a stretch to say that The Dark Knight led to either their popularity or creation.

The Dark Knight was an extremely important book and I do think that its effects are still felt to this day. Much like Star Wars has influenced a generation of movie makers and storytellers so to has The Dark Knight. Tim Burton and Zack Snyder both list TDKR as an influence. Tim Burton's Batman was heavily influenced by TDKR as he showcased Batman for the first time in film as a dark and edgy hero, distancing the character from the camp of the 60's Batman. Zack Snyder (Watchmen and 300) cited his love for the TDKR at the 2008 ComicCon when asked about the more mature direction of comic book adaptations.

The campy Adam West Batman will live for some as a fond memory or perhaps as the definitive Batman, however for most The Dark Knight Returns showed us the definitive, darker, more mature Batman, that illustrated what comic books were truly capable of, and for that we are so much the better.

Thank you Frank Miller!

U sure have good taste stephen. Must admit it.movie turned out to be a box office hit.but the comic,was first class.anyways how do u like v for vendetta?:)

Awesome review Stephen! This comic really made me love Batman even more!

I agree with many of the reviews I've seen on this website. I am a millennial, so my first true experiences with Batman have come from Cartoon Network's reruns of Batman: The Animated Series, and my most memorable experiences with the superhero have been on the big screen via Christopher Nolan's works (The Dark Knight film trilogy), or with a video game controller in my hand (Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham video game series). Each of these portrayals of Batman depict him as dark, foreboding, and mysterious, which led me to grow up with that "Dark Knight" image. Therefore, it is quite comical to see the older interpretations, such as Adam West's Batman, Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze, Jim Carrey's Riddler, etc. I occasionally wondered what led to the eventual shift to a darker tone in the video games and movies, but I once attributed it to 21st Century advancements in technology, and a general change in the public's taste.

I loved reading this graphic novel, but I respected even more when I realized that this was the turning point for Batman. It's 1989 release was well after the Adam West-ian days of old. Frank Miller's penmanship, along with the ink and color work of Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley, paved the way for the modern Batman that has inspired children and grossed billions at the box office. The historical significance made this an even more enjoyable read.

When Batman was first published in 1939 he had a gun. In the first issue he pushed a criminal into a vat of acid. But later with the comic code and all that he was turned into the "Adam West" Batman. In the 70s Denny O'Neil was tasked with taking him back to his roots. DKR was more of a climax of all that buildup afterwards.

Haha

How strong is he

Yikes

Haha

Neal Adams brought the charcter back to his darker roots with the Brave and the Bold in the late 60s

1966-1986 is a plenty of time... mr Historian. @David Golden Age Batman is from Earth-2.

Hellllloooooo

Comment

As a parent of 4 and 7 year old sons, I am growing to love the 60s era Batman. It is refreshing to see the whole situation treated as a semi-nonsensical fairy tale. Both versions of Batman have their strengths and one does not need to reject one in order to enjoy the other.

So this is a really good book!!!:-)

To be fair, it wasn't Miller that single-handedly returned Batman to his dark and brooding roots. A big part of that return was thanks to Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams. But thanks to Miller, that darkness was forever cemented for the Caped Crusader.

It is still a bad book!

Troll harder you tasteless moron.

godawful Dark Knight Returns is the SINGLE WORST portrayal/complete butchering of Batman ever done across any medium.

And to top it all off, you were genuinely dumb enough to troll on ACTUAL great versions of Batman like the beyond iconic 60's show??? LOL unreal stupidity.

But keep laughably praising DK Returns' gay Joker, fat Catwoman, godawful girl Robin, government puppet Superman, and the absolute worst Batman/Bruce Wayne ever done period.

Batman 66 > horse manure >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> DK Returns

Actual facts, you're welcome X )

can i have the book