With peter weller, ariel winter, michael emerson, david selby. Despite a heavy promotional campaign by the publisher, the book failed to gain the same acceptance from some fans that the original story received. The dark knight returns, part 1 animated feature film, which adapts the. The dark knight returns part 1 is arguably the best of dcs directtovideo comic book animation features. Duality this can be an extension of the balance theme.
Joker the dark knight returns villains wiki fandom. The dark knight returns is a 1986 fourissue comic book miniseries starring batman, written by. I present a homage to one my favorite comic book characters of all time. The film is being produced by warner premiere, dc entertainment, warner bros. Most of the supporting characters and personalities from the comic book. Joker kills several people and batman manages to gouge one of the jokers eyes. The dark knight returns endures as a comic book classic. This two part feature length length animated treatment of the dark knight mythos, based on the ground breaking graphic novel from comic icon frank miller, has everything fans of bob kanes immortal antihero could want, without the camp and without the tongue in cheek attempts at softening the blows. The dark knight introduces a female, yearold robin. He singlehandedly redefined the presentation of comic book characters and heroic fiction with his granddaddy of. According to the newscast, that is a prominent part of the narration throughout the story. Alfred tries to stop batman from training her by mentioning the robin who died, and batman snaps, he was a good soldier.
The feds want the man of tomorrow to put a stop to him. Dec 12, 2018 part 1 was very gritty and somewhat similar in its premise to the dark knight rises film released around the same time, but in my opinion, dark knight returns is better in every way. The dark knight returns motion comic chapter 1 w peter weller. Here we see audiovisual representation of frank millers exquisite graphic novel batman the dark knight returns, where. A group of teenagers who were formerly part of the. Jan 12, 2014 the dark knight introduces a female, yearold robin.
The author is the same and they were made in sequence first tdkr, then year one, beginning months after the end of tdkr. It remains an undisputed classic, one of the most influential stories ever told in comics, and is a book cited by the filmmakers as an. Superman manages to divert the missile to an uninhabited desert area before it detonates, but damage is done nonetheless. Thurston may 01, 2019 about six months ago i decided to get into comics and made the mistake of starting with the dark knight returns, frank millers 1986 portrait of a middleaged batman, and a work of art so good ive been comparing every comic to it since. Set 20 years in the future, this story finds that in the absence of superheroes, criminals have run amok, and a gang called the mutants are terrorizing gotham city. Just as batman is seen and reported on the news, the joker in arkham asylum, awakens from his comatose state. The two old and greyed heroes fight their personal frustrations as the city continues to descend into crime and. The dark knight returns, we have good and evil in heroes and villains, but we also have internal conflict that causes duality. With peter weller, ariel winter, david selby, wade williams.
It is without a doubt the definitive batman origin story and will continue to be referenced as such for years to come. The dark knight returns, part 1 is a mustbuy for any batman fan. It is a limited series set in a possible future, portrayed as batmans last adventure. The st the dark knight returns is a batman story written by frank miller with illustrations by miller, klaus janson, and lynn varley in 1986. The comic that changed comics is now an animated movie. Sep 25, 2012 batmans back 0 the dark knight returns. This is one of the most tragic characters in the batman mythology and. Sep 22, 2012 the dark knight returns, part 1 is a mustbuy for any batman fan including those who swear by the comic version of the story. The dark knight returns is a 1986 fourissue comic book miniseries starring batman, written by frank miller, illustrated by miller and klaus janson, and published by dc comics. Among them was frank millers limited series the dark knight returns which shows an aging, possibly psychotic bruce wayne restoring order to a. It tells the story of how bruce wayne returning to being batman after a ten year absence and how the world has changed without him. Written by frank miller, and illustrated by miller, klaus janson, lynn varley, and john costanza, this historymaking story showed the wider public that superhero comics could be a medium. Debuting in february of 1986, frank millers fourpart miniseries offered a bold reinterpretation of batman and his world, one that aggressively worked to shatter the popular perception of the character created by the batman tv series of the 60s. But, does he still have what it takes to fight crime in a new era.
Jan 23, 2010 since comics sadly remain an understudied and underanalyzed literary medium, i thought id take advantage of john maderas generosityand your patienceto sketch out some thoughts about the form and importance of frank millers 1986 graphic novel batman. Its probably the best dc story ever written, definitely the best batman story. The film was produced by warner premiere, dc entertainment, warner bros. The dark knight returns is a batman story written by frank miller with. Just as the characters of norse mythology have their ragnarok, frank miller sought to. The dark knight returns is a fourissue batman comic book miniseries written and drawn by frank miller and published by dc comics from february to june 1986 in this storyline, batman has been retired for ten years, alcoholic and consumed with grief after the.
The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 197 pages and is available in hardcover format. Hailed as a comics masterpiece, the dark knight returns is frank millers 300 and sin city reinvention of the legend of batman. The dark knight returns part 2 is the second in a twopart directtovideo animated adaptation of the 1986 story of the same name that was written by frank miller, preceded by part 1. Comic books dramatically read by the eligible monster team. The dark knight returns opens with bruce wayne, the famous. Based on the 1986 frank miller graphic novel, this batman is a reflection of a mid80s vigilantism mindset as exemplified by dirty harry, rambo, and so many other tough guy gets even movies from that era. Dawn of justice swoops into movie theaters around the world, this is an opportunity to analyze the comic miniseries that inspired it, frank millers the dark knight returns 1986. Did batman kill the mutant leader in the dark knight returns. It was directed by jay oliva, who worked as a storyboard artist on man of steel, under the red hood, year one and batman v superman. The dark knight returns rise of batman pt1 incomplete. Dc comics, marvel comics and indie alike, nothing is free from our dramatic readings. The films reverse this, with part 1 mostly using orange colors due to having many sunset or torchlight scenes, while part 2 uses a dark blue color scheme due to most of the film taking place during a nuclear winter.
He singlehandedly redefined the presentation of comic book characters and heroic fiction with his granddaddy of graphic novels, the dark knight returns. Dec 10, 2019 if the story and ideas beneath the depiction are even half as competent as grampas work, then this is liable to be the best sequel to the dark knight returns since 1986. The dark knight returns opens with bruce wayne, the famous million heir of gotham, in a car race that ends in crash. Part 1 was very gritty and somewhat similar in its premise to the dark knight rises film released around the same time, but in my opinion, dark knight returns is better in every way. The immense popularity of the dark knight returns served both to return the character of batman to a central role in pop culture, but also along with watchmen started the era known as the dark age of comic books also known as the modern age and the iron age. The dark knight returns in the 1980s, a series of graphic works such as maus and watchmen convinced the world that comics could be a legitimate art form. The joker is one of the main antagonists of frank millers 1986 batman. The dark knight returns is a fourissue batman comic book miniseries written and drawn by frank miller and published by dc comics from february to june 1986 in this storyline, batman has been retired for ten years, alcoholic and consumed with grief after the death of jason todd, the second robin note. When the ussr launches a nuclear warhead called coldbringer in response to supermans presence in corto maltese. The dark knight returns part 1 is the first in a two part directtovideo animated adaptation of the 1986 story of the same name that was written by frank miller.
The superior paper and printing processes used for both ronin and the dark knight returns allowed varley to use gouache, employing a far subtler color palette than that seen in any other mainstream american comic at the time ibid. In all, the dark knight returns part 1 displays all of the graphic novels greatest attributes, while also giving it a memorable score and incredible voice talents. The pg rated film was released january 29, 20 in both bluray and dvd. The dark knight returns comic book miniseries, a posthumous antagonist on its 2002 sequel miniseries the dark knight strikes again, an unseen antagonist on the 1988 story arc batman. Yindels first action as head of police is to issue a warrant for batmans arrest. The dark knight returns part 1 is an impressive, if sometimes too faithful, adaptation of the milestone comic book. Since comics sadly remain an understudied and underanalyzed literary medium, i thought id take advantage of john maderas generosityand your patienceto sketch out some thoughts about the form and importance of frank millers 1986 graphic novel batman. He takes down a gang of criminals, and discovers the talisman of twoface. Among them was frank millers limited series the dark knight returns which shows an aging, possibly psychotic bruce wayne restoring order to a fascistic future gotham. The dark knight returns, part 1 is extremely violent. If the story and ideas beneath the depiction are even half as competent as grampas work, then this is liable to be the best sequel to the dark knight returns since 1986. The dark knight returns, part 1 is a mustbuy for any batman fan including those who swear by the comic version of the story. A new breed of criminal ravages gotham city, forcing 55yearold bruce wayne back into the cape and cowl. The dark knight returns is a batman story written by frank miller with illustrations by miller, klaus janson, and lynn varley in 1986.
The comic that changed comics is now an animated movie and it was awesome. Part 1 was released september 25, 2012, and part 2 was released january 29. The first edition of the novel was published in 1986, and was written by frank miller. The dark knight returns, part 1 animated feature film, which adapts the first half of the critically acclaimed graphic novel by frank. The comic was highly influential on the direction of superhero comics over the last 30 years. It was not until the 1970s when the character began to feature in darker. The cover for the part 1 dvd is blue, while the cover for part 2 is orange. It will premiere in new york on september 20th, 2012, and in l. Gotham is in a heat wave, and it has been ten years since the last sighting of the batman. For better and worse, the dark knight returns dkr changed the course of superhero comics. If any comic has a claim to have truly reinvigorated the genre, then the dark knight returns by frank millerknown also for his excellent sin city series and his superb rendering of the blind superhero daredevilis probably the top contender. The dark knight returns casts a long, enduring shadow on. The dark knight returns alternatively titled batman. The batman that many people know and love today was spawned not in the 1930s, when the caped crusader first appeared in comic books but rather in the 1980s, under the revisionary design of writerartist frank miller, creator of sin city and 300.
Year one gave a new edge to the dark knight and did a superb job showcasing gordon in a way comic book fans were unfamiliar with up until that point. Here we see audiovisual representation of frank millers exquisite graphic novel batman. The dark knight returns is a twopart directtovideo animated superhero film, an adaptation of the 1986 comic book the dark knight returns by frank miller. The story, art, themes and characters in dark knight returns, and how they changed batman forever but not batman forever. Alfred tries to stop batman from training her by mentioning the robin who died, and batman snaps, he was a. The dark knight returns was one of the two comic books, alongside. The warhea when the ussr launches a nuclear warhead called coldbringer in response to supermans presence in corto maltese. The dark knight returns western animation tv tropes. Aug 07, 2015 i present a homage to one my favorite comic book characters of all time. One shows the beginning and the other shows the end of the same character. The dark knight returns, script and pencils by frank miller, inks by klaus janson. First part of the animated adaptation of frank millers classic comic book miniseries, the dark knight returns.
The sequel, which differs drastically in style from the. Mar 24, 2016 cover by frank millerdc comics editors note. No other dc animated film has so successfully captured the. So the fact that the dark knight returns, part 1 still manages to please.
Here, for the first time in the dark knight returns, the massive physical differences between the characters of batman and bruce wayne start to become clearbruce wayne is fiftyfive years old and has fallen victim to the weight of age, while batman is a man of twenty or thirty years who is in excellent physical condition. It was directed by jay oliva, who worked as a storyboard artist on man of steel, under the red hood, year one and batman v. Abner is a mentally ill henchman of the joker who fights batman and robin during the events of dark knight returns. Frank miller is one of the seminal creative talents who sparked todays onslaught of motion pictures featuring comic book characters and concepts. The main characters of this sequential art, graphic novels story are oliver queen, harvey dent. In a new interview, the batman director matt reeves has shared his love for some of the previous movies starring the caped crusader and teases. Part of the appeal, particularly at the time of its release in 1986, was its novelty. The dark knight strikes again, millers controversial sequel to batman.
The dark knight returns, part 1 was a stunning triumph in the way that it took frank millers seminal storyline which forever changed the face of batman and effectively captured the dark, brooding, meditation on who batman is, and what he stands for. On pages 1516, we are introduced to the psychologically tormented and physically disfigured character of harvey dent. The story was divided into two parts, so for part one we see batman trying to move on, but gets called back and faces harvey dent and the mutants. The batman director shares his love for batman returns. Both women are proactive and are a main part of the story. Spoilers ahead the dark knight returns is based on a comic book of the same name.