Controversy over DK Strikes Again

[Mr. Sinister05]

I've read the Dark Knight Returns but haven't read the Dark Knight Strikes Again. I've read online that there's alot of controversy over it and some think Frank Miller has fallen off his rocker and has maybe fallen down a notch or two in terms of telling a story. I also read that some criticize it for using modern art techniques (what gives?) while some say it's too much of a parody (DKR was a parody too and this is what made it effective). So what gives...? Why are so many people divisive over this? Is it because some may value DKR too much giving it icon status or what?

 

[Joker]

I love DKSA, and think it's a great parody, but I see why alot of people dont like it. The tone is kicked up to be a thousand times more extreme than DKR was, and alot of people were shocked by that. It's the same thing that's happening with All Star Batman right now.

 

[MaskedManJRK]

I love DKSA, and think it's a great parody, but I see why alot of people dont like it. The tone is kicked up to be a thousand times more extreme than DKR was, and alot of people were shocked by that. It's the same thing that's happening with All Star Batman right now.

I agree--if the Robin twist wasn't there, it would have been a perfect sequel for DKR.

 

[Mr. Sinister05]

What's the Robin twist?

 

[Superwoman Prime]

Robin is the new Joker. He went insane from Batman wanting nothing more to do with him.

 

[Punch]

I hated this book at first but I've grown to love it in most ways. That being said, the end, and whole Robin thing, is horrible and doesn't mesh at all with DKR.

 

[Agentsands77]

My biggest problem with this book is how much the artwork sucks.

 

[Yurka]

My biggest problem with this book is how much the artwork sucks.

I agree, it makes it (like all others with shytty artwork) so hard to read.
I've never been a fan of DKSA, never liked it.

 

[Nepenthes]

DKSA is one of my favourite bat-tpbs ever. It's a good mix comic history&industry comment, exploration of how superheroes should act and just really good, quirky fun. But people either love it or hate it. Depends it you accept the parody and/or self-conscious nature of it. And yeah, the art. Can be hard to swallow at first but eventually it just becomes part of the fun.


There's a SHTLOAD of essays and critiques about DKSA floating around the net. Do a bit a of searching and see if you like what you read. Hearing other peoples opinions about it (good and bad) is what finally pushed me to buy it, i held of for ages after hearing so much shallow bunk being said about it.

 

[MaskedManJRK]

I hated this book at first but I've grown to love it in most ways. That being said, the end, and whole Robin thing, is horrible and doesn't mesh at all with DKR.

I know, that was the thing that pissed me off about it the most--in DKR, while they apparently left on bad terms, it sounded as though Bruce still thought of Dick in nice ways. Completely different to him coldly slicing off Dick's shapeshifting head while saying that Dick couldn't "cut the mustard."

 

[The Shredder]

Yeah, I generally like DKSA. Although it's definately not a sequel that was expected by the comic audience. Especially in tone. But I found it enjoyable for what it was. And agreed on the whole Robin angle. That left much to be desired ...

 

[TwilightPro101]

There are points of the DKSA that I absolutely love and then there are parts that I absolutely hate.

The artwork was a downer. Almost didn't buy the book because of it.

But I've come to like the story in general due to its commentary on society at the time, just like the situations pretaining to TDKR.

 

[Joker]

I know, that was the thing that pissed me off about it the most--in DKR, while they apparently left on bad terms, it sounded as though Bruce still thought of Dick in nice ways. Completely different to him coldly slicing off Dick's shapeshifting head while saying that Dick couldn't "cut the mustard."

I think he was mainly saying that casue of what Dick had become in DKSA...a mass murdering freak lunatic

 

[Kakihara]

My biggest problem with this book is how much the artwork sucks.

That's how I feel about all of the Loeb/Sale books-I only got em for the story. Frank's art is ever changing. He's going back to his original DKR style again it seems in his next Batman book. I can't wait for the third installment. Frank's a legend.

 

[War Party]

The artwork takes me out of it. It isn't very good. But I still enjoyed the story, except for that Robin crap.

 

[Mr. Socko]

I wish Frank would stop it with the damn chicken scribble drawings and do the great traditional style drawings like he use to in the early 80s.

 

[Bluestreak]

Does anyone have pics of the Flash's black costume from DK2 or pics of Hawkboy..I really want to see them before I go hunting for back issues trying to find copies of Dark Knight Strikes.

 

[Kakihara]

I wish Frank would stop it with the damn chicken scribble drawings and do the great traditional style drawings like he use to in the early 80s.

Frank's change in style is most prevalent in his Sin City series. When you compare the amazing style in The Hard Goodbye to the wild offbeat one in Hell and Back it's like you're looking at two different artists. I enjoy his looser stuff, but I would like him to return to his 300 era style.

 

[Ibn]

I agree--if the Robin twist wasn't there, it would have been a perfect sequel for DKR.

Dead On. The first half of the book is AMAZING. Then robin comes in, and it's like "WTF HAPPENED"?

 

[-The Rider-]

SPOILER warning...

Hi guys, I have a question. This thread's the closest to my query so I decided to post it here.

I'm about halfway through DKR already, and there's a particular point by the end of the first book which kinda lessened my enthusiasm for its realism and depth.... Two Face finally reveals on public television that he's the mastermind of a plan to blow up Gotham. Batman foils his plans and even gets one of the choppers to explode in mid air (surely the people of Gotham would've noticed that). But still, after all that, the public still bashes Batman?? I would've thought that two face would've totally lost his credibilty and people would've changed their minds especially since there was a big debate earlier in the book about Two Face and Batman. After Batman's efforts, I thought that the public would've been proven wrong. Did I miss something here?

 

[bestever23]

I think the biggest failure of the book Is the ending

Spoiler

Dick Grayson snaps and kills people and acts like joker? whines how batman never loved him

] It just felt that Frank really hates robin
and it Is really weird to see him do all star batman and ROBIN
I mean I could stand the girl robin he put In the dark knight returns
I mean you can't have batman without robin
and that's another debate
but what happen to the ending was like pissing on the character
DK strikes again has alot of heros out of character
but that last one really sealed it for me

 

[Rockbottom]

I mean you can't have batman without robin

I strongly disagree.

 

[spiderfan970]

You definitely can have batman by himself, but you can't take a dump on the dick grayson character and not expect to upset people, which I'm pretty sure is the effect he wanted in the first place.

 

[Mladen]

SPOILER warning...

Hi guys, I have a question. This thread's the closest to my query so I decided to post it here.

I'm about halfway through DKR already, and there's a particular point by the end of the first book which kinda lessened my enthusiasm for its realism and depth.... Two Face finally reveals on public television that he's the mastermind of a plan to blow up Gotham. Batman foils his plans and even gets one of the choppers to explode in mid air (surely the people of Gotham would've noticed that). But still, after all that, the public still bashes Batman?? I would've thought that two face would've totally lost his credibilty and people would've changed their minds especially since there was a big debate earlier in the book about Two Face and Batman. After Batman's efforts, I thought that the public would've been proven wrong. Did I miss something here?

I'll have to re-read it, but I seem to remember its the media which hates him, and the public which likes him but is pretty much 100% influenced by the media. Only in a few short pieces of dialogue is it clear that the public kinda/sorta support Batman, its the government controlled media which is trying to sell the image that he's a bad guy...

 

[Mladen]

All I can say is try reading it first before coming to its defense (or to criticise it). The reasons for its unpopularity should be startingly obvious, especially when compared to a book like DKR.