Customer Reviews
Very high-quality graphic novel. 
2008-10-05
This is a great purchase for anyone wanting a good Batman comic who's familiar with Batman and his journey through the years. His return sparks much interest throughout Gotham and the world and one of his friends that has fought along side him against the villians of the DC universe. The imagery is surreal and Frank Miller has outdone himself again.
The shipping was quick, and my new copies were delivered without any hassles. This is a great buy.
Not bad, but not great 
2008-09-15
I bought this book shortly after reading Watchmen because it got me into the spirit of graphic novels. Unfortunately, this is not nearly as good as Watchmen. It does have some depth, but the writing and story is nothing to get too excited about.
The artwork is interesting and fits the mood of the story, but I felt at times that perhaps it was a bit too loose and stylized. There were some illustrations that I plain didn't like at all.
I enjoyed reading it and it had some good points, but overall it was just ok for me.
Great book! 2008-09-09
Originally was out to just purchase Watchmen. Several reviews for that book said it was very good like DKR. Also noticed that DKR was on Amazon's top 100 seller list (along with Watchmen). So I went ahead and bought both. I can't match the other great reviews out there for this book but I still wanted to add my 5 stars to it.
This is the stuff! 2008-09-05
This book is worth every bit of praise it gets. Frank Miller created a masterpiece with this work. And even a die-hard Marvel fan that I am came to appreciate the Dark Knight through this book. The book itself is almost a legend among comics, but don't buy it for that. Buy it for the story and the insidious art that doesn't have much appeal at first, but by the end you can't picture the story being told in any other style. At least I can't.
Frank Miller did something special with this. He gave Batman such a blistering air of realism and depth that the character was changed forever. This work is something any comic fan should read to call themselves a comic fan. It has stood the test of time and is still on the top of the pile.
Best Batman Stories Ever Told 2008-09-05
This is really good material for a 3rd Batman movie. Batman has retired. Gotham in ruins. An old-aged Batman returns and tests his limits as he battles the Joker and other nemesis to once again clean the streets of Gotham. But not everyone agrees with Batman's approach or his behavior which does not match that of a model superhero like Metropolis' Superman. The final story is quite epic as Batman battles Superman to the end. The new Robin (why would anyone want to be Robin given the history?) is the best Robin yet, a girl! The writing is gritty and exciting. The illustrations are actually not bad and some of my favorites as they give a different take of Batman and correctly so given he has aged a bit. This book is a milestone in comics as it brought it back once again to its original dark roots.
Excellent story, average artwork. 
2008-08-28
If any comic has a claim to have truly reinvigorated the genre, then The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller--known also for his excellent Sin City series and his superb rendering of the blind superhero Daredevil--is probably the top contender. Batman represented all that was wrong in comics and Miller set himself a tough task taking on the camp crusader and turning this laughable, innocuous children's cartoon character into a hero for our times. The great Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing, the arguably peerless Watchmen) argued that only someone of Miller's stature could have done this. Batman is a character known well beyond the confines of the comic world (as are his retinue) and so reinventing him, while keeping his limiting core essentials intact, was a huge task.Miller went far beyond the call of duty. The Dark Knight is a success on every level. Firstly it does keep the core elements of the Batman myth intact, with Robin, Alfred the butler, Commissioner Gordon, and the old roster of villains, present yet brilliantly subverted. Secondly the artwork is fantastic--detailed, sometimes claustrophobic, psychotic. Lastly it's a great story: Gotham City is a hell on earth, street gangs roam but there are no heroes. Decay is ubiquitous. Where is a hero to save Gotham? It is 10 years since the last recorded sighting of the Batman. And things have got worse than ever. Bruce Wayne is close to being a broken man but something is keeping him sane: the need to see change and the belief that he can orchestrate some of that change. Batman is back. The Dark Knight has returned. Awesome. --Mark Thwaite
A classic 2008-08-20
With only the acclaimed Watchmen as a peer, this is a must-read for any Batman fan. Miller's artwork takes some getting used to, but he can sure tell a story well. The only drawback is that some knowledge of the Batman universe is required going into the comic, so first-time comic book readers would be better served picking up Watchmen. That's not to say TDKR is a bad comic - far from it, it's one of the best ever. But not for first-timers.
Miller's Best Work 2008-08-15
I got the four part series several years ago before I sold off all my comics in the late 80's. I recently decided to renew my aquaintance with the series upon seeing Christian Bale in "The Dark Knight".
It is sometime in a dystopian future. Batman has disappeared. Batgirl is in a wheelchair somewhere. Robin is dead. Superman defends a corrupt government.
In book I 50 something Bruce Wayne is disturbed by what he sees happening in Gotham City and decides to resurrect The Batman to combat Punk street gangs who have taked over the streets. In the course of fighting he is rescued by Geek Girl Carey Kelley Who becomes the new Robin. In the end he is victorius and finds many imitators among former gang members.
In Book II Harvey Dent is released from Arkham Asylym. Supposably he is cured and has had plastic surgery to restore his face. In the end of what is a great psychological tour de force he reverts to being two face.
In book III The Joker is cured and released from Arkham and his appearance on a certain late night talk show might presage what Leno has in mind for its host. We see retired Selina Kyle put in danger in this one and Batman and the Joker have their final confrontation.
In book IV Batman and Green Arrow team to fight Superman and a corrupt US Government(since this was the late 80's it is Reagan but we're used to comics only showing GOP administrations as corrupt). In the end he loses or does he????
This is a fine set of stories and I agree with someone who said earlier it is like Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven". I could sorta see Clint play the part if it was made into a movie.
I'd reccomend it for batman and Frank Miller fans.
The Re-Defining of An Icon 2008-08-04
Frank Miller returned Batman to his gritty glory with this piece. For so long in the 60's and 70's the Batman had become tame and cartoony. However Batman returned to his dark roots, and Gotham became the concrete jungle it should've been once more. This story also re-defines the relationship between Batman and Superman. The World's Finest Superheroes would never really get along in real life, and this story brought that out in wonderful fashion.
A Disappointing Introduction 
2008-08-04
Let me begin by saying that I'm not a dedicated reader of comics. After seeing Sin City and 300 I gained an interest in Frank Miller so I decided to check out some of his work. I just read 300 and really enjoyed it, but I was not a fan of the Batman: TDK Returns.
My biggest complaint was a cause of constant annoyance while reading the series; the style. It is often difficult to follow the story because it skips around so much and because the animation is often incomprehensible. Some of the slang used throughout the story also makes it unnecessarily difficult to follow. There were several times where it was difficult for me to distinguish what was happening in the story. The story itself is decent enough, but nothing special. I enjoyed a bit of the political commentary, but it was a bit over the top.
I also didn't really like the fact that the reason given for Batman retiring a decade ago was because of Robin dying, but then accepts a 13-year old girl to be his new Robin with barely no explanation. This may just be ignorance on my part since she may be a character from earlier in the series or something (never read any other Batman comics), but I'm assuming since he retired 10 years ago and she is only like 13 that this is not the case. At several times throughout the story Batman also uses guns and rockets, but then preaches to the Sons of Batman group that he leads at the end that they shouldn't use guns.
Batman is a complete hypocrite throughout the story, but it does not seem to be intended. To me, this signifies poor writing. Some of the dialogue is all right, and I did enjoy some of the Frank Miller style narration, but other than that there isn't much I enjoyed about it.
