 | This is one of the milestone comic stories of this era. Written by Frank Miller, the story shows a brooding, old and retired Bruce Wayne. The world is in chaos and Bruce Wayne decides to take back the world by donning the mantel of the Bat. But his second coming is met with opposition from all classes, the mutant gangs and its leader, the Gotham City police dept., the Joker, Two-Face and last and most dangerous opposition from Superman. The plot has been talked about plenty so I'll digress from spoiling further.
The strength of the writing lies in Miller's ability to personalize the characters to the readers. At one moment, we are deeply immersed in the thoughts of Batman (strategizing against criminals) and at the next, we are immersed in the thoughts of Comm. Gordon contemplating his retirement. The art fits the story perfectly and is laid out perfectly throughout the story. There are splash-pages only when necessary and is not blatantly used everywhere. Another strength in Miller's writing is ability to expose the readers to a brand new Batman with deep, dark and fascistic thoughts. He also manages to make social comments that reflect the time period (the arms race, Reagan's presidency, overseas threat). He mixes fiction and some loose non-fiction in order to produce a book that is still one of the best, more than 2 decades after its publication. (Amazon website review) |
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
