Dark Knight Returns

The Dark Knight Returns was an epic comic. It had all the big guys; Batman, Superman, Robin, Green Arrow, and a whole army that Batman trains! I had no idea that this book was like this. It starts out normal enough with Bruce Wayne becoming Batman again after coming across a Mutant gang in the alley where his parents were killed. Carrie Kelly helps him as his new Robin (I did not like this character very much. I think her role as the 'side-kick' was boring and expected, although it was cool that she was a girl). Commissioner Gordan is replaced by Ellen Yindel and Batman sees that even though Two Face looks normal again, he is still bad. When Batman finds out that an army general was giving guns and weapons to the Mutant gangs, he confronts him and finds out the general was only doing it for the money to save his sick wife. He kills himself in front of Batman. Then Batman fights the Mutant gangs, but the leader of the gang kills the Mayor. Batman gets him out of jail so that he can kill him. Then the Joker gets out of jail and gets Batman to come to a talk show, where he sprays him with Joker venom and runs away. The Joker takes Selina Kyle and ties her to a bomb in the middle of a field after killing a group of Cub scouts. Luckily, Robin (Carrie) defuses the bomb. Batman finally fight the Joker and breaks his neck, but does not kill him. However, like the army general, the Joker kills himself in front of Batman by twisting his neck to break the rest of his spine. The old Mutant gang members who became the Sons of Batman after he killed their leader become the local law force, a source of vigilante justice. The government gets Superman to come and fight Batman and during the battle Oliver Queen shoots Superman with a Kryptonite arrow and Batman wins. BUT! Batman soon after has a heart attack and Alfred blows up Wayne Manner (then Alfred dies of a stroke). However, when at the funeral of Batman, Superman hears a heart beating in the coffin and realizes that Batman is still alive. Overall I thought the book was cool, but I didn't like it as much as the Killing Joke. I enjoyed each of the stories, but not on as deep a level as I enjoyed The Killing Joke. I thought the art work was good, but not my favorite of the books we have read. I think this might have been too superhero-y of a comic for me. I prefer the ones that take it to the next level and give it more depth.