Inside Look @ Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

by

Mike & Amy Nappa

FAST LOOK:

The Dark Knight Strikes Again is the long-awaited, three-volume sequel to The Dark Knight Returns (the mid-eighties comic that redefined the image of Batman as a brooding, somber hero toiling in a tortured world).

INSIDE SCOOP:

In 1986, writer/illustrator Frank Miller changed the face of comic books with his four-volume take on Batman, The Dark Knight Returns. A far cry from the campy, Adam West-style of the 60s generation, this Dark Knight was gritty, emotionally tortured, and, well…dark. Miller’s “new” Batman became the Batman of our time, influencing innumerable other comic book stories and characters, and setting the pattern for the dark, and hugely successful, Batman movie franchise first directed by Tim Burton.

Fifteen years later (beginning in December, 2001, an continuing through March 2002) Miller delivered to the world a three-part follow-up to his Dark Knight stories titled, The Dark Knight Strikes Again. The first installment of that series received near-universal critical acclaim and sold an unprecedented 150,000 copies—before it even hit bookstore shelves. That made it the best-selling comic of 2001, and prompted some industry insiders to predict the series as a whole would become the best-selling comic of the last five to ten years.

The Dark Knight Strikes Again tells the story of an aging Batman on a moral crusade to topple the oppressively evil political power brokers (a.k.a. Lex Luthor) and restore freedom and justice in his world. Opposed by system enforcers like former pal, Superman, and aided by his own vigilante force of Batboys, he wages an underground war to bring society up to his high moral ground.

“I have referred to Batman as a terrorist on our side,” says Miller. “His motto is to strike terror into the hearts of villains.” And in this series, Miller isn’t afraid to depict that graphically. For instance, episode 1 includes scenes of mass murder, numerous explosions, and repeated gun battles (including one panel where a man literally gets his head blown off).

Additionally, in Miller’s world, profanity is a regular part of most characters’ dialogue, and near-graphic pornography is an integral part of Gotham society. In fact, in The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Miller uses “News in the Nude,”—which features Playboy Playmate-style newscasters with strategically-placed word balloons—to narrate much of the action.

Fans of Miller’s work liken his latest comic book event an artistic masterpiece, calling it an excellent example of realistic, modern storytelling. Others contend that Miller has simply co-opted a popular character and turned it into a voyeuristic, excessively violent, soft-porn fantasy.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT: Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again

“The superhero makes a great metaphor for all kinds of things about society. I've planned Dark Knight Strikes Again so that you will see various political fronts and points of view and forces of society represented by these superheroes.”

—Frank Miller

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“There's plenty here of what Frank Miller does best: brutal, well-paced violence.”

—Ted Blanton, comic book reader from Nara, Japan

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 “[The Dark Knight Strikes Again] is not a comic that people should read quickly; it is so well done…Go back and slowly absorb the concepts, panel by panel.”

— Michael Sangiacomo, critic for the Cleveland Plain Dealer

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“If anybody’s gonna get away with anything, it’s gonna be [Frank Miller]…There are things [in The Dark Knight Strikes Again] that you wouldn’t see in your average, regular monthly comic book.”

—Bob Schreck, DC Comics editor

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“The Dark Knight Strikes Again presents [the] world in [a] nightmarish fashion that I found both intriguing and repellant…original and deeply unsettling...”

—Mason King, comic book aficionado

LOOKING INSIDE…:      

Use these questions to spark family discussion about Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again:

---Why do you suppose critics and fans alike are so taken with Frank Miller’s portrayal of Batman as a “Dark Knight”?

---Some say superhero comics are harmless escapism, other say they are lewd and violent fantasy. Which opinion do you think is most true? Defend your answer.

---How can you judge what is appropriate content for comic book readers in your family?

[SIDEBAR]

If members of your family like Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again then you may want to check out:

---Batman: War on Crime and Batman: Gotham Adventures (DC Comics)

Both these Batman offerings are much tamer, more family-friendly versions of the Dark Knight. The oversize graphic novel, Batman: War on Crime, is superb, following America’s favorite superhero as he takes on the challenge of redeeming an inner-city neighborhood—one child at a time. It also features stunningly realistic paintings by award-winning artist, Alex Ross.

Batman: Gotham Adventures is a monthly comic about the Dark Knight that eschews the use of profanity and overly graphic, potentially objectionable content. Illustrated in Saturday-morning cartoon style, it delivers entertaining action and storylines with a lighter feel that are generally acceptable for family members ages 10 and up.

---Archangels (Eternal Studios).

A visual, superhero style depiction of spiritual warfare, Archangels is currently the best-selling Christian comic book series on the market. It follows the triumphs and setbacks of four warrior angels as they battle evil to ensure the salvation of a young man. Since it occasionally deals with mature issues (such as suicide, and alcohol abuse), this series is better suited to the teen and adult readers in your family. Archangels is available at your local Christian bookstore, or on the Internet at: www.eternalstudios.com.

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[BIO LINE] Mike & Amy Nappa are renowned cultural commentators, best-selling and award-winning authors, and creators of the Internet magazine for families, www.FamilyFans.com