If any comic has a claim to have truly reinvigorated the genre then The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller--known recently for his excellent Sin City series and, previously, for his superb rendering of the blind superhero Daredevil--is probably the supreme 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. In his introduction the great Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing, the arguably peerless Watchmen) argues 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, streetgangs 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

2008-09-28 SUPERB!

Only Watchmen can be considered to be on the same level as Batman: The Dark Night Returns. However where Watchmen had an absolute myriad of characters bursting out of the seams, Batman: The Dark Night Returns is better able to create characters the reader can emphasise with.

The reader is introduced to an ageing Bruce Wayne who has come out of retirement to continue is vengeful fight against crime. This dark, disturbed and sad character is pitted against those he considered allies, new enemies that are stronger than him and an all too familiar nemesis. The story is wonderfully written, well paced with a few twists and turns that keep the story interesting and a surprise shock ending with a man in tights. The artwork is brilliant, quick loose drawings capturing the action and suspense of a dark brooding story in a way some comics are unable to achieve.

Batman: The Dark Night Returns is a must own and a must read. The story is brilliantly told and features a damaged, weary character that draws you in to his own one man war.