The way folks treat The Dark Knight Returns like it's the only Batman story worth reading

I was at this comic shop in Phoenix last Saturday, and this guy spent twenty minutes going on about how TDKR is the greatest thing ever written. I get it, it's influential, but I was standing there thinking about how it kinda misses the point of Batman. The whole story feels like Miller's angry rant more than a real Batman arc. Has anyone else felt like that story gets way more credit than it deserves?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessica_robinson231mo ago

You lost me at 'angry rant' because that's exactly what it is. I've been reading Batman since the 90s and TDKR always felt like Miller's personal therapy session, not Bruce Wayne's story. The way he treats Superman as a government puppet is weird, and Batman being this old fascist who fights cops just doesn't match the character I grew up with. If you want a better older Batman story, grab Batman: Gothic by Grant Morrison or Kingdom Come where he actually acts like a detective. Next time you're at that shop, tell the guy to pick up Year One instead. Frank Miller actually knew how to write Batman before he lost his mind.

james_campbell121mo ago

You mentioned Year One and that got me wondering - do you think most fans who praise TDKR actually read Year One first? Because the way people talk about TDKR feels like they skipped the whole development of Batman as a character. Year One shows him making mistakes, learning, being human. TDKR just throws all that out and turns him into this grumpy symbol that beats up everyone. I mean, the part where he fights Superman in the rain feels more like Miller showing off than telling a Batman story. And the whole thing about him coming out of retirement to beat up mutants feels dated now. What makes Year One work so much better for me is that Batman actually has to figure things out instead of just being this unstoppable force.