Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (tpb)

A colleague of mine was discussing this classic Batman story the other day and I realized I haven’t read it in over 10 years and had forgotten much of what happened. I could remember the general gist of the story and the artwork but the details eluded me. So I did what anyone would do when I got home, I dug through my boxes, found my copy, and proceeded to re-read it.

This story is written and drawn by Frank Miller and is responsible for the re-emergence of Batman.  Not to spoil anything I’ll just say that this is a story of a middle-aged, retired Batman who decides his city needs him one last time. Not as robust as he once was he none the less dons the cape and cowl to the displeasure of the left wing media and politicians to help save his city from the plague of crime overtaking it.

This is an intense tale with plenty of social and political commentary. The thing that really struck me with the re-reading of this classic from 1986 is how it’s still very much relevant today. The depiction of the constant news feeds is exactly what we have presently. There is so much so called news coming at us at such alarming rates we really have to question how much of it is completely verified beforehand. Also the whole theme of personal responsibility is very strong issue we still struggle with today. Everyone blames everyone else instead of looking at themselves. Growing old, letting go of the past, hope, racism, and terrorism are just a few more of the many issues tackled throughout this story.

The art is just as gritty as the story. Miller’s violent and dark style only adds to the intensity of the story. Instead of the usual narrative blocks Miller’s use of a news feed to move the story along was ingenious. I found the art beautiful, dirty, and ugly all at the same time.

This collection published by DC comics and was originally a 4 issue deluxe mini series. The originals used a higher grade of paper and a thicker cardboard for the cover than the usual run-of-the-mill comic. It is hailed as one of the greatest Batman stories of all time and I’ll go as far as saying it’s one of the greatest stories of all time.  This is most definitely a must read.