The Dark Knight Returns
Part 1
Hey Otakus and Geeks fans,
Sean (The True Comic Fan) here. Today I have a question? What happens to Batman
when he gets to old to don the Cape and cowl? No the answers not hire a young Athletic boy named Terry
McGinnis. The answer is calling Frank Miller to write one of the greatest
Batman stories ever written. For those who aren’t familiar with the story of
The Dark Knight Returns, here is a synopsis:
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is a four-issue comic book limited series comprising
The
Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight Triumphant, Hunt
The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Falls, written and
drawn by Frank Miller, originally published by DC Comics under the title Batman:
The Dark Knight in 1986. When the issues were released in a collected
edition later that year, the story title for the first issue was applied to the
series as a whole. The Dark Knight
Returns tells the story of a 55-year-old Bruce Wayne who comes out of
retirement to fight crime, only to face opposition from the Gotham City police
force and the United States government.
The Dark Knight Returns is set in a dystopian near-future version of Gotham
City. A year is never specified, though it has been a full decade since the last
reported sighting of Batman. The author also alludes to the deaths of Bruce
Wayne's parents as being on the night of a movie theater showing of Tyrone
Power in The Mark of Zorro, a movie
with a release date of November 8th, 1940, a time when Bruce was a youth.
Virtually all superheroes, with the exception of Superman, have been forced
into retirement or otherwise driven away by a populace that no longer trusts
them. Bruce Wayne, now 55, has voluntarily retired from crime fighting
following the death (under unspecified circumstances) of Jason Todd, the second
Robin. In the absence of superheroes, criminals run amok, and a gang called the
Mutants terrorizes Gotham City.
·
Synopsis from wikipedia
REVIEW
The Dark Knight Returns Part
1 is Fucking AWSOME! DC animation has done it once again making a movie
fans will fall in love with. The adaptation nails the tone and atmosphere of
the book. Bruce Wayne at age 55 sitting on the sideline while watching his
beloved Gotham City falling apart and riddled with crime, trying to cope with
the fact that he may be to old to do anything about it.
The action sequences are
great, with Batman popping in and out of Shadows taking criminals down and
instilling the fear in those who dare break the law. I also love the way they show
Batman can still kick ass, but age has definitely caught up with him. There are few
times in the movie he struggles to do some of the things that would have been no
problem in his youth.
Peter Weller is pretty good
as the voice of an aging Bruce Wayne and Batman, but I will always prefer Kevin
Conroy above all. Ariel Winter is great as the voice of Carrie Kelly (yes there
was a female Robin). David Selby was good as Commissioner Jim Gordon, but Gary
Anthony Williams as the Mutant Leader was kinda Blah.
Overall The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 is a must see and definitely something every comic and anime fan should have in their collection. If you loved the comic you will love this movie. My final grade: A
By Sean Tucker
