Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again 
asked by potato on November 6, 2006 7:32 PM
The Dark Knight Strikes Again is Frank Miller's follow-up to his hugely successful Batman: the Dark Knight Returns, one of the few comics that is widely recognized as not only reinventing the genre but also bringing it to a wider audience.Set three years after the events of The Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight Strikes Again follows a similar structure: once again, Batman hauls himself out of his self-imposed retirement in order to set things right. However, where DKR was about him cleaning up his home city, Gotham, DKSA has him casting his net much wider: he's out to save the world. The thing is, most of the world doesn't realize that it needs to be saved--least of all Superman and Wonder Woman, who have become little more than superpowered enforcers of the status quo. So, the notoriously solitary Batman is forced to recruit some different superpowered allies. He also has his ever-present trusty sidekick, Robin, except that he is a she, and she is calling herself Catwoman. Together, these super-friends uncover a vast and far-reaching conspiracy that leads to the President of the United States (Lex Luthor) and beyond.
The Dark Knight Strikes Again is largely an entertaining comic, but much of what made The Dark Knight Returns so good just doesn't work here. Miller's gritty, untidy artwork was perfect for DKR's grim depiction of the dark and seedy Gotham City, but it jars a bit for DKSA, which is meant to depict an ultra-glossy, futuristic technocracy. Lynn Varley's garish coloring attempts to add a slicker sheen, but the artwork is ultimately let down by that which worked so well for DKR--this time around, it just feels sloppy and rushed. The same is true of the book's denouement, which happens so quickly that it leaves the reader reeling and looking for more of an explanation. Moreover, DKSA is packed full of characters who will mean little to those unfamiliar with the DC Comics universe (e.g., the Atom, the Elongated Man, the Question). Perhaps the book's biggest failing is that where The Dark Knight Returns gave comic book fans a base from which to evangelize to theuninitiated, The Dark Knight Strikes Again is just preaching to the converted. Comic book superhero fans will find much to enjoy here, but others would be better off sticking with the original. --Robert Burrow
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What happens when someone writes a classic and edgy story about Batman that becomes one of the greatest legends of the comics medium and years later creates the sequel? It was inevitable, the vocal majority had to criticize it without mercy. Dark Knight Strikes Again is misunderstood in this way, people are reading the book expecting that trademark Frank Miller storytelling, long monologues that take us into the heads of a few central characters, which in DKR were Batman and Jim Gordon. This focused style runs throughout Miller's work on Daredevil, Batman, Sin City, and everything else that I'm aware of him writing. Strikes Again does not follow this same pattern. Because of the large cast we get very little time alone with Batman or any other character. Instead of being immersed in Batman's mind we get a more normal system of snippets of what each character is thinking. If say Mark Millar (random example) had written this story (and had it not been tied to DKR) I think it would have received much more praise and much less disappointment. The world wasn't ready for Frank Miller to take a risk this time. I certainly agree that Dark Knight Returns is superior in every way, but I also think that this is a fine story that should be given a chance without unreasonable expectations.
reviewed by redsink on November 12, 2006 8:46 PM
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It's hard to be critical of a graphic novel that sucks you in, entertains, fascinates and makes you wish there was another volume in the series, but I am going to criticize anyway.
For me, Dark Knight Returns was an awesome addition to and reinterpretation of the Batman Saga. The simplicity of the dichotomy between the "sell-out" Superman and the embittered-but-still-fighting Batman powered the story. I am a casual comic book fan so I was easily able to follow along since every casual fan knows the basics of both Batman and Superman.
This one, however, has so many characters and so many sub-plots going on that it actually gets confusing unless one backs up and re-reads a bit. Many of the characters are relatively minor when compared to Dark Knight Returns' focus on Superman, Batman, Robin and the Joker.
Another strength of Dark Knight Returns was that it primarily focused on an aging Batman who is appalled at what has become of the world that he voluntarily (well, sort of...) retired from protecting. Batman becomes the tool that Miller uses to criticize modern society and what we have done to ourselves. "Strikes Again" has so many characters that Batman often becomes just a part of the crowd. In the second volume, Superman is the focus - we get to see him re-born into something new after he sacrifices himself. In fact, the series deals so much with Superman, it would not have been inappropriate to have re-worked it a bit and called it "Superman Returns". However, that name has already been used so perhaps "The Blue Knight Returns".
It also would have been better to have slowed it down and made it a 10 volume series rather than forcing everything in to a 3 volume set. The third volume seems awfully rushed - too many things with too many characters going on in too few pages.
Perhaps most disappointing was the presence of Lex Luthor. I have no problem with Luthor vs. Batman. What disappointed me was that all of the ills that Batman is fighting against are not the ills of humankind's very nature (as implied by "Batman Returns"). No, they are the product of the skillful manipulations of a master criminal. Batman's Quixotic struggle agains the built-in evils of the human race is transformed into a standard plot that could have been stolen from Adam West's Batman TV show (Holy holograms, Batman! The President has been replaced by a computer generated image controlled by that Evil Lex Luthor! Pow! Bam! Oof!)
All that being said, I enjoyed myself thoroughly. It was a fun dip into the mind of Frank Miller. I don't agree with many of Miller's political stances, but I do enjoy the presentation of his arguments. The sloppy style that many have criticized in this forum was part of its strength - the reader has to closely look at the pictures to see what is going on. Miller hides lots of fun stuff in his art so it is worth a closer look. I especially enjoyed the touch of having Superman's "S" logo changing as he changed - it went from the oversized block style "S" of the 80's and 90's Superman to the more informal "S" that Superman started with in the 30's as Superman's worldview began to change.
So, final thoughts: Despite the deep, deep flaws in this series, I have to give it a grade of B+.
For me, Dark Knight Returns was an awesome addition to and reinterpretation of the Batman Saga. The simplicity of the dichotomy between the "sell-out" Superman and the embittered-but-still-fighting Batman powered the story. I am a casual comic book fan so I was easily able to follow along since every casual fan knows the basics of both Batman and Superman.
This one, however, has so many characters and so many sub-plots going on that it actually gets confusing unless one backs up and re-reads a bit. Many of the characters are relatively minor when compared to Dark Knight Returns' focus on Superman, Batman, Robin and the Joker.
Another strength of Dark Knight Returns was that it primarily focused on an aging Batman who is appalled at what has become of the world that he voluntarily (well, sort of...) retired from protecting. Batman becomes the tool that Miller uses to criticize modern society and what we have done to ourselves. "Strikes Again" has so many characters that Batman often becomes just a part of the crowd. In the second volume, Superman is the focus - we get to see him re-born into something new after he sacrifices himself. In fact, the series deals so much with Superman, it would not have been inappropriate to have re-worked it a bit and called it "Superman Returns". However, that name has already been used so perhaps "The Blue Knight Returns".
It also would have been better to have slowed it down and made it a 10 volume series rather than forcing everything in to a 3 volume set. The third volume seems awfully rushed - too many things with too many characters going on in too few pages.
Perhaps most disappointing was the presence of Lex Luthor. I have no problem with Luthor vs. Batman. What disappointed me was that all of the ills that Batman is fighting against are not the ills of humankind's very nature (as implied by "Batman Returns"). No, they are the product of the skillful manipulations of a master criminal. Batman's Quixotic struggle agains the built-in evils of the human race is transformed into a standard plot that could have been stolen from Adam West's Batman TV show (Holy holograms, Batman! The President has been replaced by a computer generated image controlled by that Evil Lex Luthor! Pow! Bam! Oof!)
All that being said, I enjoyed myself thoroughly. It was a fun dip into the mind of Frank Miller. I don't agree with many of Miller's political stances, but I do enjoy the presentation of his arguments. The sloppy style that many have criticized in this forum was part of its strength - the reader has to closely look at the pictures to see what is going on. Miller hides lots of fun stuff in his art so it is worth a closer look. I especially enjoyed the touch of having Superman's "S" logo changing as he changed - it went from the oversized block style "S" of the 80's and 90's Superman to the more informal "S" that Superman started with in the 30's as Superman's worldview began to change.
So, final thoughts: Despite the deep, deep flaws in this series, I have to give it a grade of B+.
reviewed by iread on November 22, 2006 4:59 AM
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Since the release of The Dark Knight Strikes Again in 2001, the title has continuously garnered bad press and understandably so since The Dark Knight Returns is widely considered one of the greatest comics of all time -- even the slightest degradation in quality for a follow-up work can seem drastic when the source of comparison is a masterpiece. Complaints typically consist of "Miller just keeps writing Sin City over and over" and "The art is sloppy and the coloring looks horrible" and there is some truth to these observations but any expectations of DK2 being as revolutionary or groundbreaking as its predecessor are unrealistic. Despite this fact, Strikes Again manages to be interesting for some completely different reasons than DKR. DK2 is the total stylistic opposite to other Miller Batman books Returns and Year One; where once the world of Miller's Dark Knight was gritty and realistic, this latest installment features some of Miller's most abstract pencils and inks and Varley's colors make the world bright and vibrant (whether this new approach is "good" is for the reader to decide but it is a bold statement and the philosophy behind the decision is sound). The new artistic direction is very fitting of the Big Brother-esque computer age in the book. However, the idea that this drastic change in culture occurred in only a three year gap (when the publishing difference between the two books is 14 years) makes it harder for the audience to suspend disbelief. The majority of the changes are most evident through the TV media and the public's comments on the Internet (an abstract medium that Miller manages to illustrate successfully) and Miller makes sharp, satiric jabs at both the content and vocabulary that are used, reflecting the shallowness and ignorance of our own culture. The dialogue fulfills its function by helping to depict the times but again it also works against the credibility of the book -- even the older characters such as Batman, Lex Luthor, and Superman speak in slang - and in combination with the majority of the heroes acting out of character account for the biggest problems in the book, making the world seem increasingly foreign and, in the end, harder to appreciate. Once all these problems are spotted, however, it becomes easier to respect the effort put into this book and enjoy the homage that Miller has created for the old school adventures of Batman and the Justice League.
reviewed by 90210 on November 23, 2006 5:57 PM
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Many people say that the lighthearted nature of this book distracts from the realism of the story, but the way in which this world mirrors our own can be disturbing. Thus, this story is more realistic than the original because while life is a mix of horor and joy, so to is this book.
reviewed by geri1956 on November 25, 2006 2:25 PM