Batman - The Dark Knight Returns
I recently delved back into reading comics after a long absence. I was never an avid comic book fan but I did like to dabble from time to time. Batman The Dark Knight Returns was the first Batman TPB I picked up, I decided to read this first before reading some of the more contemporary Batman to try and get an understanding of where Batman came from, not in the sense of Batmans origins but in the sense of how writers were perceiving him and the world of Batman. One of the first things that jumped out to me with The Dark Knight Returns is the standard of the writing, it isn't typical comic book fare, infact it stands head and shoulders above the usual level of writing found in comic books. This is good yes? well yes and no, yes to the reader of maturer years like myself (I'm not that old but I'm no longer 12 either) but I wonder if the social complexities The Dark Knight Returns conveys hits home with it's younger audience, not likely. The Dark Knight Returns therefore in my opinion was the closing chapter of a Batman that had been made for yesterdays generation who had grown like the Batman himself older, wiser and more conscious of the world around them.
There is as you can expect with something nearly thirty years old signs of age that may not appeal by today's standard, the artwork is that of a bygone era and the text with the 'joined up' style lettering was clumsy making it at times difficult to read at first glance.
I would recommend Batman The Dark Knight Returns to the older reader who is looking for a true insight into the Batman of old. Batman The Dark Knight Returns isn't just a testament to the Batman of yesteryear it's also a testament to Batman himself and his journey through the ages.
