I know that I harp on this graphic novel so much it must annoy those of you with no time nor love for comics, but it is just the shit so much that I think I read this joint at least once a year. The only other book that has touched my hands as much as this one is ‘A Clockwork Orange’ by ANTHONY BURGESS. I read the book long after I had seen the film and as is almost always the case, the book was a greater deal more hardbody. I actually have the book that contains the chapter that BURGESS’ original publisher’s omitted because it lacked the happy ending. If you do two things this summer on my behalf I ask you to read ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and FRANK MILLER’s ‘The Dark Knight Returns’.
Back to TDKR…
What I have always enjoyed about the book were the political underpinnings that MILLER was shitting on with the Batman character. Comic books superheroes were always apolitic in that they beat up the bad guys, but never questioned why they were bad in the first place. TDKR condemned a government that was intrusive, exclusionary and out of control as a reason why crime and discontent existed. It was as though the government needed to create an enemy to keep itself in business. The superheroes were doing their jobs so well that the government had to get rid of them to justify it’s needs to continue wasting trillions of dollars on a defense budget.
Superman became a tool of this government. When he was ordered to Gotham City to take down the Batman because Gotham City had become the safest in the nation Superman had no idea what he was in store for. Batman kicked his azz like it was on some streetfight shit just to show and prove to Superman who was the most hardbody hero evar.
Batman knew that the U.S. Army would nuke Gotham City just to spite him if he killed Superman so what he did was to set up one of the greatest Batman tricks of all time. He took a pill that would increase his heart rate to appear that he was having a heart attack and then die while at the same time Wayne Manor would explode and the old butler Alfred would die of a stroke. It worked almost too perfectly and at Bruce Wayne’s funeral Superman heard Batman’s heart start up again from inside of the coffin. To Superman’s credit though he didn’t snitch.
You don’t even have to copp the whole series, even though you really should. Just start off with the last book in the series. Delight yourself in the spectacle of Batman putting the hammer on Superman for being a sucker-ass superhero sellout. The artwork is rendered with so much detail and color that alone will have you mesmerized.
I feel so strongly about this graphic novel that if you copp The Dark Knight Returns and e-mail me I will send you some free DP Dot Com Superhero shit. Word is bond.
I’m a comic fan and I never copped the Frank Miller DK series.
I know DC will be selling that book for the next 10+ years. Hopefully they’ll get smart and do a movie in the same vein. I’ll eventually cop some time later in the summer. I’ll be sending DP a S-S promo package soon. I’ll figure out what and when soon but definitely before the summer is over.
hell yeah dallas. by the way, it is impossible to hype this book up too much. however, i did think that the second installment was kinda corny. what did you think?
Dallas! For God sakes, don’t show the fucking climax of the story if you want people who’ve never read TDKR to pick it up! Use your head! Of all the stuff in the book that you could’ve shown that was hardbody enough to perk interest, you show the climax and explain how the story ends??? Not a good look.
i just bought my 5th copy of this in march.
“the dark knight returns” = the purple tape.
2nd installment = Miller’s weakest work. Welcome back D.
I like Batman, but never got into the artwork from Dark Knight. But then again, I love a good story and better fight. And of course I’m on my free shiznit grizzly, so I’ma hold DP to his word and find this book in the next few weeks. I know it was hella expensive back in the day…
WORD! and if your into anti-hero type ish…dont forget The Watchmen and (I think the progenitor of these type stories) Marshall Law.
OH MY GOD THE FUNNIEST SHIT EVAR:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceNf-11-ddI
And for all the NYC peeps you know who these dudes are!!!!!!
^ Thoreauly77, the sequel to TDKR wasn’t even supposed to drop, but it was obvious that Warner Bros loot got the best of Miller.
^ Lion XL, the Watchmen is dope, but TDKR edges it because the story is about effin’ Batman and not the campy cornball Adam West Batman, but the hardbody, gully as fuck dude that watched his folks get mer’cked in front of him.
^ Meka Soul, true story is that I was almost gonna drop some mean paper on the first printing and put them in my safe deposit box with my cashmere Polo teddy bear sweater and my gold TAG-Heuer.
^ Combat Jack, what’s good Black man? Shit is still rockin’ and rollin’ even without my digit from the evil empire.
“Ain’t nothing gonna break my stride
Nobody’s gonna slow me down
Oh no, I’ve got to keep on moving”
btw dallas, the spidey dvd and black superheroes tape got to me, both are dope. thanks for the hookup, now all i need is my underoos and i got me a full friday night
DP,
Good look on the spidey pack and for not letting the tdkr die. That shit had me open when it came out. The fight with supe’s was definately some of the gulliest comic ish that my 13yr old mind had ever seen. I think I got first printings of 3 and 4 but DC screwed me on the 1st and 2nd joint, hittin me with 2nd and 3rd printings. Hopefully, with the rise of the comic based movied and Miller about to emerge as a director, we might see this adapted for the silver screen.
Mike Nice Says,
“Dallas! For God sakes, don’t show the fucking climax of the story if you want people who’ve never read TDKR to pick it up! Use your head! Of all the stuff in the book that you could’ve shown that was hardbody enough to perk interest, you show the climax and explain how the story ends??? Not a good look.”
For anyone just getting up on the TDKR the fight scene with the mutant leader is the most exciting part. For all of the old school comic heads that spent countless hours arguing about who would duff who out… Frank Miller answered that argument in grand style. Batman fucking rules.
40, baby did an incredible backflip!!!
i own it but watchmen is still the comic gold standard
watchmen= illmatic
dkr = ready 2 die
^ Nahh sunsun…
The Phoenix Saga = Illmatic
The Elektra Saga = Ready To Die (and she was that hardbody)
The Dark Knight Returns = The Purple Tape (OB4CL)
The Watchmen = It Takes A Nation of Millions
Nuff’ said
Have you read Superman: Red Son, the one where Superman arrives in Ukraine instead of Kansas? I’m just making laps around this thing right now… seriously read the whole series three times this week. Probably 3rd on my list behind Watchmen and Arkham Asylum.
TDKR Batman in my mind IS Batman.
It shows him as extremely smart and scheming, as a detective and as basically the most hardbody dude ever. I particularly enjoyed the running inner monologue that lets you understand how batman operates. honestly, batman from TDKR is on some shit where given enough time/resources he could find a way to dead anyone in the Matvel/DC universe, and thats what i always liked about dude. he was just a normal dude, but he was also the most dangerous mofo alive.
lets not even talk about TDKR2