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brock12's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
adamskiboy528491's review against another edition
5.0
"There are seven working defences from this position. Three of them disarm with minimal contact. Three of them kill. The other - [KRAKK] - hurts." - Batman
The Dark Knight Saga by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley is a seminal comic book work with a gritty, unique style draped in the best film noir techniques. Batman is a bitter, angry figure who narrates much of the story with philosophical musings and breaks down his methods. News broadcasts shed light on the political debates surrounding Batman's influence, positive and negative, on the criminal underworld. The art itself is moody and atmospheric, black and grey dominate every page, and the use of red and yellow are eyesores.
TDKR and TDKSA present Batman as a dangerously obsessed, deeply disturbed, paranoid control freak who is possibly a mentally ill sociopathic hero instead of the stalwart Caped Crusader of the Golden and Silver ages, the Adam West series. This interpretation is touched on depending on the writer, and sometimes it is the basis for whole story arcs. There's a reason it is one of the most famous and darkest Batman stories in comic history. The world has become a wretched hive, and Batman's become much more vicious. Miller's rendition of Batman starts rather traditional, if not bulkier. As the book goes on, noticeable wrinkles start appearing on his face, and his posture begins hunching over.
The Dark Knight Returns - In this storyline, Batman has been retired for ten years, alcoholic and consumed with grief after the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. Still, as young and handsome as ever, Superman has become little more than an icon, answering to the government and trying to stay as neutral as possible. Commissioner Gordon is weeks away from retirement, The Joker has been silently locked away in Arkham for years, and Two-Face is about to be released back into the world with brand new skin. In Batman's absence and amidst a killer heatwave, Gotham City is overrun with crime, plagued by a monstrously violent gang known as The Mutants. After encountering a Mutant team in the alley where his parents were murdered, Bruce Wayne resurrects Batman, aided in his renewed crusade by Carrie Kelley, a 13-year-old girl who becomes the third Robin. Defeating the Mutants turns out to be child's play compared to what Batman faces next...
Bruce is an ageing man, well past his prime, with a few mementos of his time as Batman and even fewer friends to keep him company. The Joker's conflict with Batman reveals just how much death and destruction are left in their wake because Batman lets the Joker live. Much of Batman's internal monologue in the third issue is devoted to him seriously examining whether upholding his no-kill rule is worth it regarding the Joker. Also, the operatic nature of their conflict has the Joker all but confirming he treats their "relationship" as a twisted kind of romance.
The Dark Knight Strikes Again - Set three years after the events of The Dark Knight Returns, the world has managed to go downhill since then—the President is a fake, and the police state of a planet is run by Lex Luthor and Brainiac, who has many a hero enslaved. Of course, Batman won't be having that, so he and his allies—Catgirl, the Green Arrow, and his Batboys—set out to change the world by judicious application of violence. But first, they need partners—and they need to deal with Superman, who is still in the thrall of the government...
Overall, it goes further off the deep end than TDKR, almost to the point of being a deconstruction of the darker and edgier nature of the first story, though. Naturally, not everyone thinks that makes it any good. The colour palette is much more varied than TDKR muted colourisation, taking it to an almost garish degree that takes a little getting used to. The colouring is the most noticeable change (from muted and dirty to garishly bright), but everybody has exaggerated figures in proportions or angles. Lex, in particular, looks like a shaved gorilla. As the book received a more mixed reception when compared to its predecessor, frequent complaints include an inconsistent art style, convoluted story (side characters are introduced and immediately thrown away) and overall seems to have very little purpose outside of cashing in on its more celebrated predecessor. I felt the same way as well.
TDKR is, without a doubt, the most extraordinary Batman comic book story of all time.
The Dark Knight Saga by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley is a seminal comic book work with a gritty, unique style draped in the best film noir techniques. Batman is a bitter, angry figure who narrates much of the story with philosophical musings and breaks down his methods. News broadcasts shed light on the political debates surrounding Batman's influence, positive and negative, on the criminal underworld. The art itself is moody and atmospheric, black and grey dominate every page, and the use of red and yellow are eyesores.
TDKR and TDKSA present Batman as a dangerously obsessed, deeply disturbed, paranoid control freak who is possibly a mentally ill sociopathic hero instead of the stalwart Caped Crusader of the Golden and Silver ages, the Adam West series. This interpretation is touched on depending on the writer, and sometimes it is the basis for whole story arcs. There's a reason it is one of the most famous and darkest Batman stories in comic history. The world has become a wretched hive, and Batman's become much more vicious. Miller's rendition of Batman starts rather traditional, if not bulkier. As the book goes on, noticeable wrinkles start appearing on his face, and his posture begins hunching over.
The Dark Knight Returns - In this storyline, Batman has been retired for ten years, alcoholic and consumed with grief after the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. Still, as young and handsome as ever, Superman has become little more than an icon, answering to the government and trying to stay as neutral as possible. Commissioner Gordon is weeks away from retirement, The Joker has been silently locked away in Arkham for years, and Two-Face is about to be released back into the world with brand new skin. In Batman's absence and amidst a killer heatwave, Gotham City is overrun with crime, plagued by a monstrously violent gang known as The Mutants. After encountering a Mutant team in the alley where his parents were murdered, Bruce Wayne resurrects Batman, aided in his renewed crusade by Carrie Kelley, a 13-year-old girl who becomes the third Robin. Defeating the Mutants turns out to be child's play compared to what Batman faces next...
Bruce is an ageing man, well past his prime, with a few mementos of his time as Batman and even fewer friends to keep him company. The Joker's conflict with Batman reveals just how much death and destruction are left in their wake because Batman lets the Joker live. Much of Batman's internal monologue in the third issue is devoted to him seriously examining whether upholding his no-kill rule is worth it regarding the Joker. Also, the operatic nature of their conflict has the Joker all but confirming he treats their "relationship" as a twisted kind of romance.
The Dark Knight Strikes Again - Set three years after the events of The Dark Knight Returns, the world has managed to go downhill since then—the President is a fake, and the police state of a planet is run by Lex Luthor and Brainiac, who has many a hero enslaved. Of course, Batman won't be having that, so he and his allies—Catgirl, the Green Arrow, and his Batboys—set out to change the world by judicious application of violence. But first, they need partners—and they need to deal with Superman, who is still in the thrall of the government...
Overall, it goes further off the deep end than TDKR, almost to the point of being a deconstruction of the darker and edgier nature of the first story, though. Naturally, not everyone thinks that makes it any good. The colour palette is much more varied than TDKR muted colourisation, taking it to an almost garish degree that takes a little getting used to. The colouring is the most noticeable change (from muted and dirty to garishly bright), but everybody has exaggerated figures in proportions or angles. Lex, in particular, looks like a shaved gorilla. As the book received a more mixed reception when compared to its predecessor, frequent complaints include an inconsistent art style, convoluted story (side characters are introduced and immediately thrown away) and overall seems to have very little purpose outside of cashing in on its more celebrated predecessor. I felt the same way as well.
TDKR is, without a doubt, the most extraordinary Batman comic book story of all time.
mruddock27's review against another edition
4.0
"Dark Knight Returns" is commonly referred to as the best graphic novel of all time and while I liked it, I didn't love it. It had some memorable parts for me and I can still pictures some of the artwork in my mind even after all the time that has passed since I read it.
"The Dark Knight Strikes Again" on the other hand isn't as good at all. Only recommended for the hardcore Batman/Frank Miller fan.
Luckily for me, they came together in a huge book with a sexy book vest and the best part, it was free!
"The Dark Knight Strikes Again" on the other hand isn't as good at all. Only recommended for the hardcore Batman/Frank Miller fan.
Luckily for me, they came together in a huge book with a sexy book vest and the best part, it was free!
ferkan4's review against another edition
4.0
Batman: Mračni Vitez
Ova knjiga sadrži:
Povratak Mračnog viteza
- pročitao sam ovaj klasik koji je s razlogom hvaljen i dajem 4/5 a nastvke ne planiram čitati jer mi se crtež u njima ne sviđa i priča je glupa.
Mračni vitez uzvraća udarac
Ova knjiga sadrži:
Povratak Mračnog viteza
- pročitao sam ovaj klasik koji je s razlogom hvaljen i dajem 4/5 a nastvke ne planiram čitati jer mi se crtež u njima ne sviđa i priča je glupa.
Mračni vitez uzvraća udarac
kalinichta's review against another edition
5.0
Five stars for the first book. Love love loved it. The second book, sadly, lost my attention pretty quickly, but I may go back and try again eventually.
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