Customer Reviews
The Greatest.... - By: Julian Nunn, 24 Jul 2008 
In all types of history there are defining moments. A moment that is so extraordinary that you have to see it again to believe what you have just seen. It sometimes takes time for the dust to settle to appreciate such a moment.
This comic is one of those moments.
The Dark Knight Returns took a tired out superhero genre & re-injected it with the modern paced style we see today. A comic thatin fact saved the superhero himself. The multi-layering of story linesin this epic tale is almost cinematicin its construction.
Maybe a little dated now, but at the time it re-defined everythingin comics & the way superheroes where percieved. If you are a fan of Batman, this should be the cornerstone to your collection.
DARK KNIGHT RETURNS - By: M. Green, 23 Jul 2008 If you are used to the slick, photo-realistic art of some modern Graphic Novels/Comics, then the look of this book may take some getting used to... but get passed that, & it's one of the best comics you'll ever read.
A very good read. - By: G. R. Stovold, 05 Jun 2008 If I had to choose one word to describe this, I would choose the word epic. Why? Because its an interesting look on how Bruce Wayne would handle himselfin his later years with excellent action sequences & crisp dialogue. There's really only one thing bad about this, & that is the lack of Joker. Sure he'sin it, but he's not really as important to the plot as he should have been. And he's camper than ever. But aside from that, buy it. It should tickle your fetish.
Dissapointing... - By: Triggerhappytel, 13 May 2008 
Honestly, I didn't see what the fuss was all about with this graphic novel. I thought the plot was all over the place, the pacing was shot to pieces, the art was average & there were more than a few absurdities which I found hard to swallow.
I don't read many comics or graphic novels, but I went through a brief obsession last year & bought about 25 or 30 over a few months. Given the hype & acclaim which has been heaped on this, I was expecting great things, & sadly I was disappointed on almost every level.
As others have said, Frank Miller's characterisation is probably closer to Bob Kane's original vision of the Dark Knight than anyone's (except perhaps Tim Burton). However, his motivations here are never wholly clear & the excessive scripting & repetitive 'news report' cells do little to help. The plot meanders through a handful of scenarios over its four chapters but they never feel wholly cohesive - & things take a turn for the frankly ridiculous when Batman is deemed such a menace that Superman is calledin [personally by the president] to deal with him (not to mention the resolution of this encounter, which I won't detail). Further, the new Robin is just utterly irritating & a somewhat needless character (given that she brings very little to the proceedings).
It is rare that I get bored of a graphic novel part way through, but I found that on both read-thoughs I was losing interestin the character, the story & the situation as a whole (hence why I had to read it a second time reasonably quickly - to see if there was something I missed). I feel defensivein explaining why I didn't think much of this book, as I am well aware I amin the minority, & although I can appreciate how influential & important this may have been on release, that does not automatically make it a great read by today's standards.
So, to anyone who has yet to read this I'd probably suggest you to go for it, if only to make up your own mind, but for me this just wasn't what it had been hyped up to be.
Best Batman Ever...? I doubt that.... - By: J. Johnson, 25 Apr 2008 Batman is probably the most iconic superheroin existence (apart from the nutcase with the S on his chest). The fact he has no powers makes him fascinating. His origin also. Now I don't doubt that Frank Miller saved Batman from the humiliation of the 60s TV show. He also made way for some of the dark knights later greatest storylines (the death of Jason Todd for example). But personally I believe that Miller did for Batman exactly what Joel Shumacher did for himin Batman & robin. He changed him too much. I do agree that Bob Kane probably didn't intend Batman to end up camp, & nearer to Millers version. But this Batman is a disturbed, grumpy old man, harking on about how young or old he feels, depending on what part of the book your at. The story is half decent becoming slightly tired towards the end. The artwork is interesting to begin with but slowly deteriorates into a mess. The Joker is probably for me the most dissapointing part. The clown prince of Crime is shown here as a murder crazed fool, not the cunning calculated Joker created by Kane. There are also hints of him altually fancying Batman, leading to a very poorly conceived final confrontation. I not even going to mention the version of Robinin this awful graphic novel. The first part of the story is decent & enjoyable to read. The second is acceptable. The following i grew fed up with. I can't even remember whether or not i finished it. I would burn it if not for part 1 of the novel. Read something else such as Alan moore's incredible Batman short The Killing Joke or the Lee/Loeb partnership of Hush, people who actually know what they are doing. Not this tripe. I would also recommend Millers Year One his only interesting work with a real Batman. But not Miller's All star batman & robin, showing a crazed Batman cackling over the rooftops of Gotham, this time shouting about how much he loves himself but not even saved by Jim Lees genious artwork. Now that i would definetly burn. I was generous with two stars for the interesting first part, & the half decent page spreads placed mostlyin the early half of the novel. And get this. Theres a sequel. I won't be reading it. Wish i'd never read this, & just got back to Alan Moore...
