Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

My brother got Batman: the Dark Knight Returns for me during Christmas.  We had talked about how it was super influential in regards to Batman and comics in general (this review by Stephen on Goodreads sums up the historical significance quite nicely), but I purposely didn't really read what it was about so I could just let the story happen with as few expectations as possible. 

The Dark Knight Returns starts with Batman having been retired for ten years.  But unlike in The Dark Knight Rises, Batman hasn't been moping about in his home all alone; he's been living life as billionaire Bruce Wayne.  But with crime spiking in Gotham thanks to the Mutant Gang, something inside Wayne snaps and he can't keep the Batman hidden inside anymore; Batman returns with a vengeance.  But Wayne is a man pushing sixty.  Being the Batman is no longer an easy task for his older body.

But Batman is not alone in his war against these new criminals.  He is joined by Carrie Kelley, a girl who is inspired to become the new Robin after Batman saves her.  Unfortunately though, Batman's return doesn't just inspire the good like Kelley; the Joker also returns with a vengeance! 

I wasn't remotely prepared for how political this story was.  In many ways it reminded me of Watchmen in how much it comments on the very real threat of nuclear warfare that people living during the Cold War were dealing with.  But the book also looked at how people in and around Gotham reacted to the Dark Knight's return, with ordinary citizens, doctors, and politicians commenting on whether or not Batman is a menace or a boon to Gotham City.  This book also dealt with Commissioner Gordon retiring and being replaced by a woman who very much believed Batman was a menace. 

While the story is interesting from so many angles, I have to say, I was not a fan of the art.  The heads were weirdly blocky, and it was hard to distinguish who a good chunk of the characters were supposed to be (Lana Lang in particular - if they didn't say that's who she was, I would have had no idea - but I'm also more familiar with more modern iterations of her character). 

I can usually get through a typical graphic novel in an hour or two of reading.  The Dark Knight Returns is NOT your typical graphic novel.  There's so much dialogue in this that it gets a bit overwhelming at times.  It took me several days devoting a bit of time here and there to get through the whole thing. Luckily it is broken up into four fifty page chapters, so I generally was just trying to make a mad dash to the end of the chapter before I would put it down and go about the rest of my day.

So all in all, I enjoyed Batman: the Dark Knight Returns.  It's very interesting for its historical and political commentaries on the time it was written.  It's very interesting for how it made Batman a much grittier hero than he had been in decades. And it's just a really good Batman story in general.

Interlude: All Star Batman & Robin The Boy Wonder Volume 1

The friend who lent me both Volume 3 and 5 of Star Wars Tales also lent me All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder Volume 1. He told me it was a really good story. And it totally was. All Star Batman & Robin is a reimagining of the origins of Robin. This volume starts with Dick Grayson's parents getting killed in front of him at the circus. The cops of Gotham are still crooked, and they take the boy. Batman follows them and saves him (while looking like he kidnapped Dick), having decided to recruit him as his protege. He sets about training Dick in much the same manner as he trained himself. Or at least he tries to - Alfred won't have much of that and takes it upon himself to feed Dick hamburgers and help him where he can.

This takes place at a time where Batman isn't established yet, and neither is the Justice League. The Justice League consists of four people: Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Plastic Man. And they aren't happy with the Batman's actions, especially now that he's kidnapped a kid. Wonder Woman wants to go hunt Batman, but the rest of the League insist on talking with him first. So they send Green Lantern.

This led to a hilarious encounter between Batman and Green Lantern. I didn't know this, but apparently the colour yellow is Green Lantern's weakness. So Batman and his new sidekick Robin (named after Robin Hood - Dick Grayson styled his costume after the hero, wanting to be called "Hood." Batman removed the costume's hood and called him "Robin" instead) paint themselves and the meeting place completely yellow. Green Lantern is unable to use his powers against them. Robin also manages to steal the Green Lantern's ring, leading to a fight between the two where things almost turn tragic for Green Lantern when Robin hits his windpipe. Batman has to perform a tracheostomy to save him.

In the aftermath, Batman realizes that he has failed in his teachings. And more importantly, he hasn't given Dick the time he needs to grieve for his parents. So they stop in the cemetary to grieve together.

All Star Batman & Robin was a lot darker than I was expecting. But it was a really good story all the same, giving origins for several super heroes (like Black Canary). I'm really glad my friend lent it to me!