Scan barcode
ericbuscemi's review against another edition
2.0
Where to start? How about the animation. In one word, neon. Overbearingly so. But that alone was not enough for me to dislike Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again. After all, I enjoyed Batman: Year One, and the animation there was less than extraordinary.
Lets move on to the pace of the comic. It was frenetic, which is not necessarily bad. But it this case it was an absolutely incoherent mess. There are a ton of superheroes thrown into the mix with Batman -- Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Catgirl (formerly Robin), Atom, Flash, Elongated Man, Plastic Man, Green Arrow, Question, Martian Manhunter, Hawkboy, Saturn Girl, Hawk and Dove, and the Green Lantern. I have no problem with ensemble casts or stories that are epic in nature, but trying to give all of those characters their due in a three-issue comic series was an exercise in futility. Most of the heroes only appear for a few panels, and some are completely superfluous, such as the left-wing/right-wing banter of Green Arrow and Question. Then there is the appearance of the Green Lantern, which while not superfluous was more infuriating, as he is used as the deus ex machina at the climactic arc of the story. Frank Miller must have felt the need to give a nod to every character ever associated with Batman as a wink to hardcore fans, but the attempt was not pulled off successfully.
Finally, let me address the plot of the comic, which in summation was: In a bleak alternate future, former superheroes come out of retirement to bring order to the chaos. Some rely on technology and their wits, while some have other-worldy powers. During this, villains have been killing off heroes, and a former hero has gone crazy and become a villain. Does that seem at all familiar? Because it is basically the plot of Watchmen, except the [b:Watchmen|472331|Watchmen|Alan Moore|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175041710s/472331.jpg|4358649] is a flawless masterpiece.
That all being said, even a poorly conceived Frank Miller Batman comic is still a good time, and better than a lot of what else is out there in the graphic novel medium.
Lets move on to the pace of the comic. It was frenetic, which is not necessarily bad. But it this case it was an absolutely incoherent mess. There are a ton of superheroes thrown into the mix with Batman -- Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Catgirl (formerly Robin), Atom, Flash, Elongated Man, Plastic Man, Green Arrow, Question, Martian Manhunter, Hawkboy, Saturn Girl, Hawk and Dove, and the Green Lantern. I have no problem with ensemble casts or stories that are epic in nature, but trying to give all of those characters their due in a three-issue comic series was an exercise in futility. Most of the heroes only appear for a few panels, and some are completely superfluous, such as the left-wing/right-wing banter of Green Arrow and Question. Then there is the appearance of the Green Lantern, which while not superfluous was more infuriating, as he is used as the deus ex machina at the climactic arc of the story. Frank Miller must have felt the need to give a nod to every character ever associated with Batman as a wink to hardcore fans, but the attempt was not pulled off successfully.
Finally, let me address the plot of the comic, which in summation was: In a bleak alternate future, former superheroes come out of retirement to bring order to the chaos. Some rely on technology and their wits, while some have other-worldy powers. During this, villains have been killing off heroes, and a former hero has gone crazy and become a villain. Does that seem at all familiar? Because it is basically the plot of Watchmen, except the [b:Watchmen|472331|Watchmen|Alan Moore|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175041710s/472331.jpg|4358649] is a flawless masterpiece.
That all being said, even a poorly conceived Frank Miller Batman comic is still a good time, and better than a lot of what else is out there in the graphic novel medium.
nickleby_shepherd's review against another edition
3.0
More of a 2.5stars. The general story is pretty interesting. And I like the assemblage of various DC characters big & small. But I don’t really like the majority of the artwork. And lot of the characters “voices” were either corny, dumb, or simply felt off.
caitcoy's review against another edition
1.0
If you enjoyed The Dark Knight Returns, do yourself a favor and DO NOT read this one. It couldn't quite ruin that spectacular graphic novel and Batman story for me but it came very, very close to doing so. The story is a conspiracy nut's wet dream and very poorly illustrated to boot. Batman is ridiculous and causes other people to act ridiculously. I wanted to strangle everyone except Wonder Woman and even she was so lovey-dovey with Superman that I occasionally wanted to slap her too. Just do yourself a favor if you like graphic novels and find a better Frank Miller one because this one was seriously disappointing and painful to read.
helpfulsnowman's review against another edition
4.0
I am fully prepared to be objectively wrong about this: I kinda liked it.
I mean, it's no Dark Knight Returns, which I consider one of the best comics. I wouldn't put this one above that by any stretch, and I'm not totally sure this one would stand on its own without DKR.
That said, I mostly enjoyed it.
The art style is very frenetic, which is a nice way of saying it's...weird.
But, I don't know, there's something about what Frank Miller is doing that works for me.
I have, in my life, had exactly one super-vivid dream based on a comic book, and it was based on Frank Miller's Ronin.
There's just something about his art style that seeps into my brain.
Maybe there's some element of this being overstuffed, and after reading so many comics that are streeeeeeetched out to the max, it's at least different.
And maybe that's part of it, too: it's different. Something is going on here. I don't think this book is a big nothing burger the way some comics end up being a nothing burger.
I hesitate to go down the road of "a piece of art that causes such strong reactions in readers is obviously doing something..." so I won't do that.
All I can really say, in 2023, is that I didn't have high expectations for this one, I didn't really know what I was going into, and it was totally fine. There's some good art, stuff happens. That's all I'm looking for sometimes.
Oh, and I'm only vaguely aware of Frank Miller's politics, and I don't care. You can't make me care about some old man's libertarianism.
I mean, it's no Dark Knight Returns, which I consider one of the best comics. I wouldn't put this one above that by any stretch, and I'm not totally sure this one would stand on its own without DKR.
That said, I mostly enjoyed it.
The art style is very frenetic, which is a nice way of saying it's...weird.
But, I don't know, there's something about what Frank Miller is doing that works for me.
I have, in my life, had exactly one super-vivid dream based on a comic book, and it was based on Frank Miller's Ronin.
There's just something about his art style that seeps into my brain.
Maybe there's some element of this being overstuffed, and after reading so many comics that are streeeeeeetched out to the max, it's at least different.
And maybe that's part of it, too: it's different. Something is going on here. I don't think this book is a big nothing burger the way some comics end up being a nothing burger.
I hesitate to go down the road of "a piece of art that causes such strong reactions in readers is obviously doing something..." so I won't do that.
All I can really say, in 2023, is that I didn't have high expectations for this one, I didn't really know what I was going into, and it was totally fine. There's some good art, stuff happens. That's all I'm looking for sometimes.
Oh, and I'm only vaguely aware of Frank Miller's politics, and I don't care. You can't make me care about some old man's libertarianism.
pearlmorpho's review against another edition
3.0
This book is one big battle scene. I enjoyed it, it was a decent follow-up to The Dark Knight Returns but the art and the constant battling made it sometimes difficult to understand what in the world was happening. There were so many fat men with craggy faces, I was really glad that Bruce Wayne cut up one of their faces so at least I could tell who he was.
It was just sort of weird. Not BAD, but weird. I will probably end up buying it if only for the Wonder Woman/Superman sex scene.
It was just sort of weird. Not BAD, but weird. I will probably end up buying it if only for the Wonder Woman/Superman sex scene.
shadowhelm's review against another edition
3.0
I don't think this book is quite as bad as some say it is and yet I fully admit it isn't good either. I'd rather rate it 2.5 stars instead of three but that isn't a choice. There are some interesting ideas here but they get lost in the other insane stuff that just doesn't make sense. I also really tried to enjoy the art but I can't get behind the style either. My suspicion is that if this was done 10 years before it was actually published it would be a much better story along with better artwork. Ultimately, however, it is really just a jumbled up mess.
bryce_is_a_librarian's review against another edition
3.0
This is still almost unforgivably sloppy, especially in the second and third chapters. But man, I don't know, I guess its the changing times but a fable about a young generation embracing superheroes as a tool and symbol against an authoritarian regime can't help but warm my heart a little these days.
dorinlazar's review against another edition
3.0
The Dark Knight Strikes again presents itself as a very complicated and abstract story. The drawing style sets it back and makes the story even more complicated and fuzzy. It's a good story, but too much Deus Ex Machina, too much of Superman & friends, and too little of Batman. I liked it, but I can't say I was thrilled. The story doesn't capture you the way a Frank Miller story should.