The dark knight returns is a twopart directtovideo animated superhero film, an adaptation of the 1986 comic book the dark knight returns by frank miller. After faking his own death in the batman v superman fight from the dark knight returns the same one youre sure to see recreated on the big screen, the comics final frames focus on bruce wayne training his own private army. The dark knight introduces a female, yearold robin. The return of bruce wayne storyline, the dark knight depicts bruce waynes life in gotham city following his new global commitment to the newly established batman incorporated. A new breed of criminal ravages gotham city, forcing 55yearold bruce wayne back into the cape and cowl. Yindels first action as head of police is to issue a warrant for batmans arrest. His most notable works include sin city, the dark knight returns, batman year one and 300. Gotham is in a heat wave, and it has been ten years since the last sighting of the batman. Certain issues of will eisners the spirit are masterpieces. Now, in this and the following three or four posts, ill take a closer. The dark knight returns, is a 1986 fourissue comic book miniseries starring batman, written by frank miller, illustrated by miller and klaus janson, and published by dc comics. A decade since bruce wayne retired, gotham city has turned into a living hell making bruce don batmans mantle once again.
Alfred tries to stop batman from training her by mentioning the robin who died, and batman snaps, he was a. Suffering in lawlessness and despair the city desperately needs its hero. Now, when his city needs him most, the dark knight returns in a blaze of glory. Covering the first two issues of the series, part 1 pits the masked crusader against oncereformed harvey. It remains an undisputed classic, one of the most influential stories ever told in comics, and is a book cited by the filmmakers as an. Most of the supporting characters and personalities from the comic book. With peter weller, ariel winter, david selby, wade williams. If any comic has a claim to have truly reinvigorated the genre, then the dark knight returns by frank millerknown also for his excellent sin city series and his superb rendering of the blind superhero daredevilis probably the top contender. Unfollow batman the dark knight returns comic to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. The dark knight returns alternatively titled batman. Granted, beyond did have a lot more success than strikes. Frank miller comics this study guide consists of approximately 27 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your. Both women are proactive and are a main part of the story. First off, why do people think that the character john blake, played by joseph gordonlevitt is robin.
A group of teenagers who were formerly part of the. Just as the characters of norse mythology have their ragnarok, frank miller sought to. The dark knight returns is a 1986 fourissue comic book miniseries starring batman, written by. It is considered by many as one of the greatest batman stories ever. Generally speaking, the two comparable successors to dark knight returns are frank millers 2001 direct sequel, the dark knight strikes again, and the saturday morning cartoon, batman beyond. One of two new ongoing titles to feature bruce wayne after the batman. The dark knight returns is the story of one mans journey to discovering his true self and finding comfort within it. Superman, still as young and handsome as ever, has become little more than an icon. The dark knight returns, frank millers groundbreaking 1986. Ten years after batman has retired gotham city has lost its way. The dark knight returns was one of the two comic books, alongside.
So the fact that the dark knight returns, part 1 still manages to please. Part one of this series surveyed millers comics work prior to his landmark 1986 miniseries batman. The dark knight joined by his female robin carrie kelly return to turn the city around. The dark knight returns is a batman story written by frank miller with. The story, art, themes and characters in dark knight returns, and how they changed batman forever but not batman forever. Set 20 years in the future, this story finds that in the absence of superheroes, criminals have run amok, and a gang called the mutants are terrorizing gotham city. Here, for the first time in the dark knight returns, the massive physical differences between the characters of batman and bruce wayne start to become clearbruce wayne is fiftyfive years old and has fallen victim to the weight of age, while batman is a man of twenty or thirty years who is in excellent physical condition. Dc comics the dark knight returns batman statue by prime 1 s. Dc is home to the worlds greatest super heroes, including superman, batman, wonder woman, green lantern, the flash, aquaman and more. The dark knight, with a different subtitle for each issue the dark knight returns, the dark knight. Since comics sadly remain an understudied and underanalyzed literary medium, i thought id take advantage of john maderas generosityand your patienceto sketch out some thoughts about the form and importance of frank millers 1986 graphic novel batman. The dark knight returns part 2, the conclusion of the movie series that began with part 1 last fall commissioner gordon is being replaced by ellen yindel, who declares batmans actions illegal and demands his arrest.
Comics that influenced the dark knight trilogy home. His actual name is robin and he takes the mantle of the bat at the end of the film. The dark knight returns, part 1 is a mustbuy for any batman fan. For example, batman can see twoface for who he really is, even though plastic surgery has. You can see bits and pieces and themes he borrowed here and there. It is ten years after an aging batman has retired, and gotham city has sunk deeper into decadence and lawlessness. It stayed in the realm of comic books, set in a city that never existed and featuring characters that five. It was directed by jay oliva, who worked as a storyboard artist on man of steel, under the red hood, year one and batman v superman. The dark knight returns is set in a dystopian version of gotham city in 1986.
The dark knight returns is a 1986 fourissue comic book miniseries starring batman, written by frank miller, illustrated by miller and klaus janson, and published by dc comics. The dark knight returns is based on a comic of the same name by frank miller and. Joker kills several people and batman manages to gouge one of the jokers eyes. More so than many other comic book characters, batman builds. The dark knight returns is a fourissue batman comic book miniseries written and drawn by frank miller and published by dc comics from february to june 1986 in this storyline, batman has been retired for ten years, alcoholic and consumed with grief after the death of jason todd, the second robin note. Frank millers batman is a fascist and you really shouldn. See more ideas about dark knight returns, dark knight and batman. Based on the revolutionary 1986 frank miller graphic novel of the. The story depicts bruce wayne as an old man, coming out of retirement to be batman again. The last crusade by frank miller, brian azzarello, john romita jr.
Today on variant arris breaks down the dark knight returns storyline. According to the newscast, that is a prominent part of the narration throughout the story. With the recent release of a twopart animated adaptation you can see warner bros. Based on the 1986 frank miller graphic novel, this batman is a reflection of a mid80s vigilantism mindset as exemplified by dirty harry, rambo, and so many other tough guy gets even movies from that era. This page was created to inform fans of christopher nolans the dark knight trilogy, the comic book resources that were used as. The dark knight returns, part 1 is extremely violent. With brian heinz, doug walker, lewis lovhaug, allison pregler. This is one of the most tragic characters in the batman mythology and.
The dark knight was an american comic book ongoing series, written and penciled by david finch and featuring batman. The dark knight returns endures as a comic book classic. The dark knight returns casts a long, enduring shadow on. The dark knight returns opens with bruce wayne, the famous. Several other batman veterans were also involved in the film. It is a limited series set in a possible future, portrayed as batmans last adventure.
The dark knight let us look the gorgon in the facetalking about things like terrorism, government corruption, and the fact that even the good guys lose sometimeswithout having to deal with the sheer overwhelming awfulness of it all. The dark knight returns is a great comic, but i dont think its a masterpiece. The dark knight returns, we have good and evil in heroes and villains, but we also have internal conflict that causes duality. This cynicism is one of the weakest parts of millers work overall, not just in dkr. Duality this can be an extension of the balance theme. What i see in dkr is a guy whos read some comics masterpieces and understands the medium to a t, but falls slightly short in his own attempt. This two part feature length length animated treatment of the dark knight mythos, based on the ground breaking graphic novel from comic icon frank miller, has everything fans of bob kanes immortal antihero could want, without the camp and without the tongue in cheek attempts at softening the blows. The dark knight returns, script and pencils by frank miller, inks by klaus janson. Batman the dark knight returns 1986 internet archive. If the dark knight returns felt like a nolan movie its because nolan was heavily inspired by it for both tdk and tdkr. Frank miller is an american writer, artist and film director best known for his film noirstyle comic book stories.
Meanwhile, superman has been sent by the government to rein bruce in, as batman tries to stop the joker from doing what he always does. Book 1, pages 115 book 1, pages 1630 book 1, pages 3145 book 1, pages 4655 book 2, pages 5873 book 2, pages 7489. Book 1, pages 1 15 book 1, pages 1630 book 1, pages 3145 book 1, pages 4655. On pages 1516, we are introduced to the psychologically tormented and physically disfigured character of harvey dent. Conflicted throughout most of his life, bruce waynes mission never changes. Its not based on any one single comicgraphic novel as it is, but each movie in the trilogy borrows elements from multiple different comics. It was not until the 1970s when the character began to feature in darker. The dark knight returns part 2 comics worth reading. Billed as a prequel to the dark knight returns, dark knight returns. His many works have not only redefined classic characters, but also, on a few occasions, revitalized the comics industry. Comic book issues the dark knight returns movie tv.
Part 1 was released september 25, 2012, and part 2 was released january 29. The dark knight returns has been a huge influence on the character. Not because he was untalented miller in the 80s had talent for miles but because. This article is adapted from a paper i presented at the 2009 midwest popular culture association conference. When originally published, the series was simply titled batman. They battle the mutant gangs that have taken over the city including a final. Grade universal signature series restored qualified total. He is one of the most widelyrecognized and popular creators in comics, and is one of the most influential comics creators of his generation. Bringing the dark knight returns to animation form was not. Hailed as a comics masterpiece, the dark knight returns is frank millers 300 and sin city reinvention of the legend of batman. Dawn of justice swoops into movie theaters around the world, this is an opportunity to analyze the comic miniseries that inspired it, frank millers the dark knight returns 1986. The dark knight returns opens with bruce wayne, the famous million heir of gotham, in a car race that ends in crash. But, does he still have what it takes to fight crime in a new era. Imagine a bigscreen, liveaction version of the dark knight returns working within the continuity of the existing movies as a coda to everything taking place in the modern day.
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