What’s up my dear readers?
He comes back form the night
Today I want to tell you about a comic I picked up called Batman: The Dark Night Returns by Frank Miller. I have devoted myself to reading, analyzing, and scanning this comic, all for my English class, and since I have literal done little more than that this week, I thought I could post a little bit about it here. Though I’m not complaining, the comic itself is quite good and I enjoyed it each time I read it. It is a story separate from the main plot, and consists of one volume, which apparently has a sequel, which was made much later.
In this rendition, Bruce Wayne has given up on being Batman after the death of Jason, the Robin to come after Dick Grayson and the outlaw of superheroes (except Superman, who works for the government). Gotham streets are filled with crime and the emerging mutant gang, Commissioner Gordon is nearing the retiring age of 70. Two-Face has been under rehabilitation (just as the Joker) for 12 years, and is being prepared for release after a “full recovery of Harvey Dent.” After putting up with 10 years of doing nothing, Bruce Wayne can take it no more, once again donning the title Batman and entering a world where he is a criminal. Joining him is a new and female Robin, Carrie Kelley, a girl who saves him after he saves her and rebuilds Batman’s moral. Batman finishes what he left, disbanding the mutants and keeping Two-Face from blowing up the twin towers, as well as having a final battle with the Joker, breaking his no kill rule.
Well crafted, I was amazed by the pure Batman in this book, Bruce Wayne was truly conflicted, and I feel as though this explored the darker story of ‘what if Batman was gone?’ The exploration of this was done beautifully by Miller, who was truly able to capture the aspects of each character perfectly. Miller uses even the layout of the page to convey the state of Gotham, or the feelings of a certain character. His language use is beautiful; his art is fantastic, showing a true darkness of the comic itself. The plot itself is wonderful, all except for a random scene in which Batman fights Superman, which I feel would have been better done if it was another character instead, though I can understand why it was done.
Overall, this comic is so darn awesome, I don’t even comprehend how to put it in to words, I have found myself reading it several times over, it delivers a powerful message, not just one but many. In fact, I felt my emotions move quickly from place to place as I read, going from laughing to pure shock in an instant. It’s a smooth transition from page to page, which can be extremely submerging and allows this comic to truly be enjoyed. Even things like his choice to use duller colors on a majority of pages makes huge improvements to this book, and it truly shows when colors seem to get a little brighter at the end.
I would recommend this comic to every person on the planet (or at least any with some interest in Batman) and would require it for anyone who one day dreams of making comics themselves. Miller does an amazing job of balancing this comic perfectly, leaving the reader with a feeling of pure Batman and the dream of finding the Batman in themselves.
My friend wanted me to mention I went swimming today,
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