There was a time when Batman was known primarily as a noble costumed crimefighter whose blows were occasionally accentuated with “BAMs” and “POWs.”
In 1986, all that changed.
Writer/artist Frank Miller unleashed “The Dark Knight Returns,” a futuristic vision of a middle-aged Batman who was much darker and incredibly violent.
Batman as a character had been heading in that direction since the 1970s, but with the introduction of the “Dark Knight,” there was no turning back.
” ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ Batman completely reshaped how I, and many other comic book fans, viewed the character,” said Marlene Bonnelly, editor in chief of Comics.tumblr.com. “While Batman’s stories have always been steeped in a sort of enigmatic melancholy what with his tragic history and all, Miller’s vision of an older, robust Bruce who had for 10 years given up on his life’s mission brings a sense of new realism to readers.”
Miller, who’s also known for authoring “Sin City” and “300,” is revisiting this saga for the second time in three decades (after 2002’s less-well-received “The Dark Knight Strikes Again”) with the just-released “Dark Knight III: The Master Race.”
Acclaimed writer Brian Azzarello is helping take on this new story, reuniting with the original’s Klaus Janson (taking on art duties with Andy Kubert).
“Batman, in ‘Dark Knight,’ is an outlaw,” Azzarello explained at New York Comic Con last month.
“He’s not a friend of the police. And Superman’s bigger and larger than life itself. Superman is an inspirational force. He’s big. That’s something that Batman fights against.”
In the original, Batman and Superman went toe to toe, something that’s heavily influenced the upcoming film “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” not to mention Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman” film and Christopher Nolan’s more recent “Dark Knight” trilogy. In other words, “The Dark Knight Returns” has had a hand in nearly every interpretation of the character over three decades, along with establishing comics and graphic novels as primarily an adult medium.
Needless to say, expectations for the new “Dark Knight” are high.
“I’m trying not to expect anything, because expectations can set us up for disappointment,” Bonnelly said. “Still, it’s easy to have those expectations, given ‘The Dark Knight Returns” status as a Batman classic. The world Miller built is fantastically dark and packed with so much social commentary that several re-reads in, I still feel like I’m finding tidbits relevant to today.”
Another thing that sets this Batman apart is Miller’s unapologetic point of view.
“The world is essentially a chaotic, dangerous place where authority cannot be trusted” is how he phrased it at New York Comic Con. “Therefore, it needs a ‘Zorro,’ a criminal who can fight for the innocent civilians. The status quo cannot be trusted.”
As for how Batman has dominated pop culture for the past 30 years, Miller puts it simply.
“Batman is wonderfully malleable: You can throw him into any situation, and you can’t hurt him,” he said.
