Batman The Dark Knight Strikes Again

Batman The Dark Knight Strikes Again was Frank Miller & Lynn Varley return to Batman, following their success with Batman The Dark Knight Returns. The much anticipated sequel however, fails to deliver on all fronts. Firstly, it isn't a Batman story, in fact, Gotham's dark knight features very little considering the length on the comic. Miller creates something more of a Justice League concept in which all the ageing heroes re-unite for one last time.

Secondly, the plots is scattered all over the place as Miller tries to tie in everything in the DC Universe within his narrative, along with a whole host of characters who pop up to deliver social commentary and one liners through television interviews. Finally and most notable, the artwork is atrocious... a failed attempt at stylisation which actually impedes the storytelling. The use of blurry coloured patterns instead of background makes it seem that the whole story is happening in some sort of psychedelic wormhole.

All in all, I was very disappointed, especially after having read The Dark Knight Returns and seeing what an amazing job Frank Miller had done to darken Batman and give a brutal realism to the DC Universe. It is impossible to enjoy such a messy and almost immature take on Batman. I see this comic very much as a Frank Miller story with DC characters in it, regardless of how inappropriate. Rather than a Batman story by Frank Miller.