“Batman: The Dark Knight Returns”, written and illustrated by Frank Miller, illustrated by Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley

224 pages, DC Comics, ISBN-13: 978-1563893421

What else can be said about the four-issue miniseries that reinvigorated one of Comicdom’s most iconic but, at least in 1986, tired characters? Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is the omnibus collection issued in 2014, but the art and story are all the same (what, I’m gonna plunk down a thousand bucks for a first edition set? Eh…no). First off, I am not a comic book fan or collector; I gave it a go by buying Firestorm back in the 80’s (oh, and Groo the Wanderer by Sergio Aragonés; ah, how I miss ya, Groo!), but after my Dad took us all on a history-themed vacation in 1982, my heart and my head were forever lost to the past. But when my brother Tom began collection the Dark Knight series, even I was taken with it. Me. Can you imagine? So what is it about this thing that captivated a whole generation of geeks and nerds and breathed new life into not only this one character but, arguably, into the industry as a whole? This series tells the story of a middle-aged Bruce Wayne who has given up being Batman; however, the disastrous situation in Gotham City draws him back to the cape and cowl in order to save the city and its people. I won’t spoil anything for those who haven’t read this (30+ year-old) series, but if you haven’t done so, go out and do so. NOW.

This was the first comic book…er, graphic novel, that actually made me give a damn about cartoon characters; I’d watched movies and read literature that did the same, but I’d never read a graphic novel that treated it’s characters so seriously (although, come to think of it, Alien Legion at around the same time was a series work that was awesome, to boot). It’s difficult to describe just how influential this work was, speaking as one who actually read it after its original release. Without The Dark Knight Returns, would there have been Alan Moore’s Watchmen? Or Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman? These, and many others besides, were disruptors of comics, and the genre has never been the same since; it’s so easy to forget with one comic book movie after another dominating the multiplexes of the world just how unpopular you had to be to like these, but this is a direct result of this one, groundbreaking earthshattering masterpiece. The art by Miller was controversially different from what was the norm at the time, as it challenged the predominantly Jack Kirby Style that was prevalent with something a lot more impressionistic, allowing the reader to focus more on the story than being distracted by the art. The art style also emphasized the dystopian nature of the imperfect future described by Miller. For the newbie reading this, bearing the above in mind will help, I trust, enhance the understanding and the enjoyment of the reading experience. Even if you don't like it, I hope you see the importance and significance that this book had on not only one of the most well-known characters of all time, but also an entire medium as a whole. Sooooo…why are you still sitting there? Go out and read The Dark Knight Returns. NOW.