Am I the only one who thinks Miller's Dark Knight Returns is overrated?

Everyone calls it the best Batman story, but the art is ugly and the politics are heavy-handed. Anyone else think other books like Year One or The Long Halloween hold up way better?

2 comments

2 Comments

laura1893d ago

I gotta say, when you mention "the art is ugly" - that's what ALWAYS gets me about people who dismiss this book. But here's something nobody talks about: the art is SUPPOSED to look like that. It's not ugly, it's deliberately messy and cluttered because that's how Gotham feels in that story. The whole world is falling apart, so the art reflects that chaotic energy. Year One is clean and grounded because it's about beginnings, while Dark Knight Returns is about decay and RAGE. Also, nobody mentions how Miller's panel layouts actually tell the story better than the words do sometimes. The way he breaks the grid during fight scenes makes you feel as disoriented as Batman does. So yeah, it's not for everyone, but calling it "ugly" misses the whole point of why Miller drew it that way.

park.abby3d ago

I had a buddy who hated that book for years, then one day he dropped acid and read it and came back saying "oh wait, I get it now, the art is supposed to hurt my eyes.

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