Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller

So I read this masterpiece for English 202 (Writing about literature). I am admittedly not very familiar with the Batman mythos, but Frank Miller's Batman packs some seriously dark punch. This work actually has a lot to say about the human condition as Batman/Bruce Wayne battles old age and hopes for a glorious, memorable death as much as he battles crime.

Also it spawned lots and lots of hilarious jokes, especially pertaining to this panel (from a different comic): [link]

I'M THE GODDAMN BATMAN.

Yeah. Way too amusing.

I could go on in this or any other vein, but at this point I am exhausted. Sorry this review/rant is VERY short, I will put more meat into this later, but I have to be awake again in six and a half hours.

Goodnight, Gotham.

[EDIT]

I promised I'd be back and back I am.

ENG 202 spent a lot of time discussing what the superhero trope was and is (and despite this fact I still have a lot of trouble describing it), but I can't help but notice that Batman, in this depiction, is really more of an anti-hero than a hero. It was only reinforced by the dark material the book dealt with as well as the inherent cynicism throughout.

There was something that struck me during discussion: there's a certain emphasis throughout this comic that anyone who attempts to create an image for themselves which is outside of the norm is automatically evil. For sake of example, there are characters who are portrayed as having undergone extensive body mods (spikes protruding from bald scalps, wrists or waists, as well as the act of filing one's teeth down to sharp points), and who are they? the first gang Batman trashes. Also the only character who is portrayed as transgender is a neo-nazi. It's an interesting cultural statement, and an unsettling one. I think it speaks a lot to the fact that there is an accepted dichotomy ingrained in our minds of good and evil, irrespective of any intellectual grey area. That it's accepted is a sad truth, but it seems to be a truth nonetheless.

On a completely different note, one of the things I liked the most about this comic was the presence of - gasp! - strong women! Of course, they ultimately are quite masculine in appearance and that is a little disappointing, but we still have strong female characters acting independently and not taking no for an answer. Robin via Carrie Kelly - so I suppose for this case Robin is the Girl Wonder - is the best and most prominent example. For all of you who are manga readers, be warned: it's a tad bit backwards for us. The (best of the) women look like men.

Not that I'm complaining about it, of course: thank goodness for women in comics who can act independently. Not to mention Robin is just amazing. c:

So for all you comics enthusiasts, get your mitts on one of these. You will not be disappointed.