The Dark Knight Strikes Again
by Frank Miller
Isn’t this what everyone wanted? We all loved The Dark Knight Returns. I think at the time we saw it as an edgy dark take on a beloved superhero. A recent reread kind of puts the story, and Frank Miller, more in perspective. It’s super simplistically libertarian, man. Just, WOW. I don’t know if Miller is capable of being self-aware. One thing for sure is, he definitely doesn’t think it’s fascism if the “right people” are in charge. Still, the story is fun and the artwork is great.
We all wanted a sequel! We got one! People hated it! Why? I’m not sure. The Dark Knight Strikes Again is more of what everyone “loved” from the original. More authoritarianism! More brooding Bruce Wayne! More stakes! More telling us that we’re dumb and we need a leader! Miller himself said he wanted to bring these old superheroes back into the spotlight and he definitely does that with his own trademark flare. To be honest, I don’t mind it. I actually enjoyed this book a lot. I remember liking it, and I still do. Just go in knowing that in Frank Miller’s world, the characters are all one-dimensional. The good guys are just good and the bad guys are just bad. They live in these boxes. It’s all macho and they simp on powerful women.
One big difference from the previous book is the art. While the Dark Knight Returns featured detailed art and lush colors, the artwork here is very raw and complimented with saturated almost neon-color-esque hues. I think people had a big problem with that and I get it. It’s nothing compared to how Frank Miller’s art looks now, which seems to have reverted to a grade-schooler’s. Here it just looks rough, like Miller skipped pencils and went straight to inks. I’m not saying he did, it just looks that way. Again, I like it.
If it’s not clear, I like this sequel to DK. It’s an obvious next step for the story while still exploring new ground and upping the stakes. I hear that the Dark Knight series continues. You can’t keep an old man down.
