The Dark Knight Strikes Again (Part 2 of 3) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Lynn Varley (Author)
Key Phrases: Bruce Wayne, Jim Gordon

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Dark Knight Strikes Again is Frank Miller's follow-up to his hugely successful Batman: the Dark Knight Returns, one of the few comics that is widely recognized as not only reinventing the genre but also bringing it to a wider audience.Set three years after the events of The Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight Strikes Again follows a similar structure: once again, Batman hauls himself out of his self-imposed retirement in order to set things right. However, where DKR was about him cleaning up his home city, Gotham, DKSA has him casting his net much wider: he's out to save the world. The thing is, most of the world doesn't realize that it needs to be saved--least of all Superman and Wonder Woman, who have become little more than superpowered enforcers of the status quo. So, the notoriously solitary Batman is forced to recruit some different superpowered allies. He also has his ever-present trusty sidekick, Robin, except that he is a she, and she is calling herself Catwoman. Together, these super-friends uncover a vast and far-reaching conspiracy that leads to the President of the United States (Lex Luthor) and beyond.

The Dark Knight Strikes Again is largely an entertaining comic, but much of what made The Dark Knight Returns so good just doesn't work here. Miller's gritty, untidy artwork was perfect for DKR's grim depiction of the dark and seedy Gotham City, but it jars a bit for DKSA, which is meant to depict an ultra-glossy, futuristic technocracy. Lynn Varley's garish coloring attempts to add a slicker sheen, but the artwork is ultimately let down by that which worked so well for DKR--this time around, it just feels sloppy and rushed. The same is true of the book's denouement, which happens so quickly that it leaves the reader reeling and looking for more of an explanation. Moreover, DKSA is packed full of characters who will mean little to those unfamiliar with the DC Comics universe (e.g., the Atom, the Elongated Man, the Question). Perhaps the book's biggest failing is that where The Dark Knight Returns gave comic book fans a base from which to evangelize to theuninitiated, The Dark Knight Strikes Again is just preaching to the converted. Comic book superhero fans will find much to enjoy here, but others would be better off sticking with the original. --Robert Burrow --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

This revision of an iconic character, the sequel to Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, has been one of comics publishing's most anticipated events. As installments of the DK2 comic appeared, controversy mounted. Much sloppier and gaudier, the strip didn't really resemble Miller's earlier book, and in the wake of September 11, Miller's in-your-face confrontation with authority figures upset some readers. The collected book edition makes it easier to appreciate why he'd take such risks. Miller sees Batman as an extremist, pushed to the verge of insanity because he can't compromise his beliefs. In this continuation, he's convinced today's world is controlled by powers even crazier and more ego driven than he is. And he's right. Lex Luthor and Brainiac have imprisoned, enlisted or intimidated Earth's superheroes; but the only one they can't control is the hero with no super powers, just furious moral rage. Superman, the ultimate voice of reason, tries to calm Batman. Instead, all hell breaks loose, in pages full of bursting shapes, digitized Day-Glo colors and jagged continuity. Intense as the reading experience is, it's less disturbing than Batman's assault on the masters of America and their accomplices. Miller peppers the book with caricatures of current politicians and pundits rubbing shoulders with outrageously cartoonish goons as they defend a computer-generated president and the Freedom From Information Act. If the masters of power are engaging in terrorism, this work suggests, why shouldn't rebels use terror in return? But how does a successful rebel avoid becoming a fascist leader himself? These are the questions Miller asks in this serious, important comic, a work that's intentionally disturbing in many ways and on many levels.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563898713
• ISBN-13: 978-1563898716
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (181 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,220,694 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 2 in The Dark Knight Strikes Again Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Oh How The Mighty Have Fallen..., December 21, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again (Hardcover)

I used to be a hardcore fan of Frank Miller. I mean, growing up through the 80's and 90's, I would just buy anything with the guy's name on it cause you could always trust that it would be great. Longtime comix fans know what I'm talking about. You didn't even have to flip through the pages of a new Frank Miller book at the store to see if it was worth buying. You could just bank on it. A new Frank Miller book was ALWAYS worth buying. Great writing. Great, powerful artwork. He was a modern master of the form. For years and years, this was true. But... the first time I remember thinking "Ooo, Frank - You dropped the ball on this one." Was about halfway through his book "That Yellow Bastard", around 1995 or 96. The artwork looked rushed and hacked-out. Since then, the quality of his work has only continued to decline. It is to the point where I can no longer justify spending my money on his material. I am convinced that the man has either developed a serious alcohol/substance abuse problem, or he just doesn't care about the quality of his work (or entertaining his readers) anymore. There's just no other explanation. If you think I am being unfair, go back and compare the artwork in "To Hell and Back" with the artwork in the first "Sin City" novel. Talk about your stylistic inconsistencies. It's impossible to believe that this is even the work of the same man. Well, "The Dark Knight Strikes Again" is, for me, the final straw. Look at it. It's a mess. Can you imagine a newcomer to the comics field turning material like this in to their editor? They would never work again. I'm guessing the only reason DC Comics went ahead and published "DKSA" is because they know it will sell based on Miller's (and Batman's) name value, and because they had to make back the money they paid Miller to do this job. Sorry to be so blunt, but as a professional illustrator myself, I can recognize the difference between the work of an artist trying out a zany, experimental new style, and someone who just slopped something out to get it done and over with. This is clearly an example of the latter. Frank, if it's health problems, please try and take better care of yourself. And if you are just bored or sick of writing and drawing comics, please get over it or retire. This is unacceptable.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great Idea, Horrendous Exocution, December 14, 2005

By	B. Austin "InkZebra" (Burbank, California United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again (Paperback)

I found that the story touched on many important themes especially the way Batman finally realizes who the real "bad-guys" are and Superman finally chooses to do what's right despite how hard it is. This is why it's so incredibly disappointing to see the art that makes up most of the book. After reading The Dark Knight Returns I was expecting a similar graphic style; a bit gritty and black but was disgusted when I saw the incredibly cheap computer crap thrown into the backgrounds instead of the old fully-drawn cities and such. There are plenty of pages where the whole thing is filled by one huge Photoshop effect with a character jumping or something slapped over it; this is just lazy page-filler and is not appreciated at all. I even recognized some of the effects as I've used them while messing around with Adobe Photoshop at home or school. So if you want good comic art; leave this book alone and go with its predecessor or "Batman: Year One" which I believe has art which trumps both.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Dark Knight Strikes Again review, December 13, 2005

By	Roger Hand - See all my reviews

This review is from: Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again (Hardcover)

This sequel to the incredibly entertaining The Dark knight Returns has a lot of problems. For starters the title is all wrong, it should have been called The Dark Knight Strikes Again: Starring Superman. This alludes to the fact that Batman is hardly even in the book. There is no Batman doing detective work, no great fight scenes, and even when the dark one makes an appearance the reader gets the feeling that it is not Batman at all; in that Miller has changed key features in the Batman charactor. There is also a side story centered around Dick Grayson which seems tacked on. The only reason for buying this book is if you liked the artwork in The dark Knight Returns. Maybe someday Miller will do a remake of this book and spend a little more time on it.