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Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #3
What ever happened to Batman's greatest ally and his most dangerous foe? Find out here as The Man of Steel and the Joker both make explosive returns to the life of The Dark Knight. And you won't believe the vicious final confrontation between the Clown Prince of Crime and the Caped Crusader! This series contains material suggested for mature readers.
52 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1987
18 people are currently reading
254 people want to read
About the author
Frank Miller
1,358 books5,388 followersFrank Miller is an American writer, artist and film director best known for his film noir-style comic book stories. He is one of the most widely-recognized and popular creators in comics, and is one of the most influential comics creators of his generation. His most notable works include Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Year One and 300.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 1, 2023
The scene where Joker kills everyone in the TV studio...does that sound familiar? My point is that this is how important BTDKR is; writers are still 'mining' ideas from this series decades after it was published! So many unanswered questions that center on crime and society; So many 'Jokers' in the real world. You have to read this if you are a comic fan - I have NEVER met anyone who likes Batman that has not read this series!
February 15, 2018
Wasn't overly as impressesed with this one. Some parts of the story just felt a little too long and irrelevant. Still a solid contribution to the overall Batman universe. Slightly different style used with this one.
October 26, 2025
What an issue! This was so good and intense! We have so much going on and it cuts between it all so quickly, it’s slightly overwhelming. Superman in all his glory following the President’s orders (what a nerd), Robin being scolded like a kid by Batman (as someone who hasn’t seen much Batman media where there is a Robin, this dynamic is very new to me), the Joker finally making a proper appearance! Loved that scene!
Selina Kyle in a Wonder Woman costume too ok!
The final showdown at the fair between Batman and Joker was brilliant, absolutely fantastic story, art, and prose!
That Nazi woman at the beginning of the issue with swastikas on her boobs and ass is certainly … a choice.
Selina Kyle in a Wonder Woman costume too ok!
The final showdown at the fair between Batman and Joker was brilliant, absolutely fantastic story, art, and prose!
That Nazi woman at the beginning of the issue with swastikas on her boobs and ass is certainly … a choice.
April 2, 2019
What a rollercoaster!
This issue was packed with so much action and tension, alternated by the passages with the public opinion of Batman. Poor thing, he's always seen as the enemy.
I'm only perplexed by the appearance of Superman, it was quite unnecessary and unjustified. The Joker however... chills as usual.
This issue was packed with so much action and tension, alternated by the passages with the public opinion of Batman. Poor thing, he's always seen as the enemy.
I'm only perplexed by the appearance of Superman, it was quite unnecessary and unjustified. The Joker however... chills as usual.
July 10, 2017
Well, this is just near perfection!!
At every page turned, I was getting closer and closer to the edge of my seat and nearly fell off it!!
My gods!!.. The tension building up in this one.. Extraordinary!!
So nothing left to say then: majestic piece.. Point final!
At every page turned, I was getting closer and closer to the edge of my seat and nearly fell off it!!
My gods!!.. The tension building up in this one.. Extraordinary!!
So nothing left to say then: majestic piece.. Point final!
December 3, 2021
Best in the dark knight returns series!
October 5, 2017
Holy Moly– YES.
As someone who thoroughly disliked Man of Steel and didn't finish the Dark Knight movie, I have to say that this graphic novel series was surprisingly fantastic and showed me something about DC that the movies just didn't communicate to me.
First of all, this was my first graphic novel, so I may just be reeling from this new style I've been exposed to. But I cannot deny how much the style, art, and story absorbed me from the very beginning.
For people like me who have never read a graphic novel or superhero comic before, I'll lay out the main things about this read that surprised me that I liked:
1) The style was like watching a really old cartoon– in each panel, you can tell that there is almost a shocking amount of thought going into the components and layout of each panel. It's more poignant than a movie because every single panel/frame tells a miniature story of it's own. I didn't know that the position and dialogue of the characters mattered so much– I'm used to funny comics, so I didn't consider the careful design of the story through the panels in Dark Knight Returns. It was super cool because it was like a game where the goal is to find all the information/symbolism in a picture (speech bubbles, posters in the background, color, lighting, etc). It was like a powerful storyboard to a movie– I could almost hear a soundtrack!
2) Satisfying characters. Although the backstories of the characters are not fleshed out as much as in a book or movie, the character art, dialogue, and storyline is so masterfully designed/plotted out that it makes up for the lack of words (as in a book) or screentime (as in a movie). I particularly thought the speech choices for Clark Kent and Commissioner Gordon said a lot about their characters in a way that was to the point and almost better than reading a book or watching a movie. I hate every DC movie I've seen (with the exception of Wonder Woman :)), and this book does a much better job of handling the characters than the movies, in my opinion. I've always been uncomfortable with Batman because I didn't understand his motivation or how we were supposed to think of him– but, reading this, I get now that he's troubled and you're supposed to go-"heyyy...maybe, wait....are you...?" etc, every once in a while. From the movies, I got that he had issues, but I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to forgive them or not. This Batman made a lot more sense to me. I also really liked...Yindel? Is that her name? The art style made each character sharp and unique, which I loved. I loved the art for Yindel and Robin!
3) Variety. It wasn't just one type of panel. I really liked how some panels had rounded edges to show that we were watching TV, and how other panels were huge for cityscapes or falling-off-building shots... the art wasn't just good and perfect for the story– it was also creative and varied in its design, and that went for the speech bubbles as well– I was surprised that I could easily figure out if a character was thinking, talking, on TV, in a recording, etc. Certain styles were used when people were talking in different ways, which I suspect is common in graphic novels, but I had never considered it before, and I liked that that was an aspect of this type of book. The fact that the panel styles changed strategically, modeling quick movie scenes and with interested transitions/cut-off points between each– that was neat. Also, the repetition of different styles of panels (like with the TV broadcasts) made the story more impactful and exciting.
4) For people who don't like dark or intense stuff– hey, there's violence but it isn't that bad! I'm not even kidding! There's bright red blood and punching and people planning how to destroy each other and these creepy mutant guys that maybe want to eat people? I didn't really understand them besides the fact they were mean and had crazy teeth... point is, I was expected huge, distasteful amounts of blood and gore and guns and explosions– but, like the panels, the conflicts were varied, and it wasn't a giant punch-fest! There was more psychological stuff going on, really. And there was hardly any swearing (which I wasn't worried about but was expecting). A huge part of the reason I hate most DC movies I've seen is how dark they are– not scary, but just the whole hopeless ambience really gets me down, and the knowledge that people are making the Joker as awful as possible just to freak you out and make you doubt yourself– that gets under my skin. But the Joker here was actually a really interesting character who didn't make me uncomfortable– you got a sense of...if not his depth, than of the depth and uniqueness of his evil.
I thought Batman v. Superman was just "pretty good" until the end– but I really, really liked Dark Knight Returns 4. I may even call it epic– iconic, of course! And I'm saying this as someone who knows of comic superheroes only what I've heard from A) my nerd friends B) pop culture and C) Big Bang Theory.
Complaints? Couldn't stand the bold/italicizing of every third word. Made for some interesting dialogue, but it was mainly distracting.
In general, a surprisingly good read in a style I found awesome– with less violence and more variation in design than I expected! I recommend it to teens– I don't think tweens would understand some political themes and darker ideas presented in the book... and you want the readers to understand. It makes a bigger impact that way.
As someone who thoroughly disliked Man of Steel and didn't finish the Dark Knight movie, I have to say that this graphic novel series was surprisingly fantastic and showed me something about DC that the movies just didn't communicate to me.
First of all, this was my first graphic novel, so I may just be reeling from this new style I've been exposed to. But I cannot deny how much the style, art, and story absorbed me from the very beginning.
For people like me who have never read a graphic novel or superhero comic before, I'll lay out the main things about this read that surprised me that I liked:
1) The style was like watching a really old cartoon– in each panel, you can tell that there is almost a shocking amount of thought going into the components and layout of each panel. It's more poignant than a movie because every single panel/frame tells a miniature story of it's own. I didn't know that the position and dialogue of the characters mattered so much– I'm used to funny comics, so I didn't consider the careful design of the story through the panels in Dark Knight Returns. It was super cool because it was like a game where the goal is to find all the information/symbolism in a picture (speech bubbles, posters in the background, color, lighting, etc). It was like a powerful storyboard to a movie– I could almost hear a soundtrack!
2) Satisfying characters. Although the backstories of the characters are not fleshed out as much as in a book or movie, the character art, dialogue, and storyline is so masterfully designed/plotted out that it makes up for the lack of words (as in a book) or screentime (as in a movie). I particularly thought the speech choices for Clark Kent and Commissioner Gordon said a lot about their characters in a way that was to the point and almost better than reading a book or watching a movie. I hate every DC movie I've seen (with the exception of Wonder Woman :)), and this book does a much better job of handling the characters than the movies, in my opinion. I've always been uncomfortable with Batman because I didn't understand his motivation or how we were supposed to think of him– but, reading this, I get now that he's troubled and you're supposed to go-"heyyy...maybe, wait....are you...?" etc, every once in a while. From the movies, I got that he had issues, but I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to forgive them or not. This Batman made a lot more sense to me. I also really liked...Yindel? Is that her name? The art style made each character sharp and unique, which I loved. I loved the art for Yindel and Robin!
3) Variety. It wasn't just one type of panel. I really liked how some panels had rounded edges to show that we were watching TV, and how other panels were huge for cityscapes or falling-off-building shots... the art wasn't just good and perfect for the story– it was also creative and varied in its design, and that went for the speech bubbles as well– I was surprised that I could easily figure out if a character was thinking, talking, on TV, in a recording, etc. Certain styles were used when people were talking in different ways, which I suspect is common in graphic novels, but I had never considered it before, and I liked that that was an aspect of this type of book. The fact that the panel styles changed strategically, modeling quick movie scenes and with interested transitions/cut-off points between each– that was neat. Also, the repetition of different styles of panels (like with the TV broadcasts) made the story more impactful and exciting.
4) For people who don't like dark or intense stuff– hey, there's violence but it isn't that bad! I'm not even kidding! There's bright red blood and punching and people planning how to destroy each other and these creepy mutant guys that maybe want to eat people? I didn't really understand them besides the fact they were mean and had crazy teeth... point is, I was expected huge, distasteful amounts of blood and gore and guns and explosions– but, like the panels, the conflicts were varied, and it wasn't a giant punch-fest! There was more psychological stuff going on, really. And there was hardly any swearing (which I wasn't worried about but was expecting). A huge part of the reason I hate most DC movies I've seen is how dark they are– not scary, but just the whole hopeless ambience really gets me down, and the knowledge that people are making the Joker as awful as possible just to freak you out and make you doubt yourself– that gets under my skin. But the Joker here was actually a really interesting character who didn't make me uncomfortable– you got a sense of...if not his depth, than of the depth and uniqueness of his evil.
I thought Batman v. Superman was just "pretty good" until the end– but I really, really liked Dark Knight Returns 4. I may even call it epic– iconic, of course! And I'm saying this as someone who knows of comic superheroes only what I've heard from A) my nerd friends B) pop culture and C) Big Bang Theory.
Complaints? Couldn't stand the bold/italicizing of every third word. Made for some interesting dialogue, but it was mainly distracting.
In general, a surprisingly good read in a style I found awesome– with less violence and more variation in design than I expected! I recommend it to teens– I don't think tweens would understand some political themes and darker ideas presented in the book... and you want the readers to understand. It makes a bigger impact that way.
December 27, 2024
I feel like the only thing worse than writing a bad Batman comic is dragging Superman into it.
Because the kind of idiots who write bad Batman also write AWFUL Superman.
Because the kind of idiots who write bad Batman also write AWFUL Superman.
July 23, 2025
This issue pulls no punches. From the very start, the tension is suffocating. The Joker is back, and he’s no longer the chaotic clown of old, but he’s a cold, methodical killer with one goal: go out in a blaze of horror, and drag Batman’s legacy into the grave with him. Miller’s writing turns Joker into a symbol of pure nihilism, a chilling force that thrives on the idea that if he can’t win, no one will.
Dr. Wolper, the fame-hungry psychiatrist who tries to "rehabilitate" the Joker, is a sharp critique of media and psychology gone wrong (more interested in sensationalism than truth). The Joker's rampage at the TV studio is brutal and unforgettable, and it sets off a chain of events that spirals Gotham even further into chaos.
Carrie Kelley continues to shine as Robin, proving she’s not just a gimmick or a sidekick, but a hero in her own right. Her bravery at the amusement park and her role in stopping the rollercoaster bombing add urgency and emotional weight to the story. But it’s Batman’s showdown with the Joker that steals the issue.
Their final confrontation is raw, violent, tragic. This is not the flashy, acrobatic fighting of traditional Batman comics. This is a grudge match decades in the making—personal, psychological, and utterly devastating. And yet, even here, Batman proves that he still has lines he won’t cross. That moral code is both his strength and his curse. The Joker knows it, and uses it to twist the knife one last time. His final act of suicide is the ultimate manipulation (a way to leave Batman with the stain of murder, regardless of the truth).
Meanwhile, the political storm brews. Superman's brief appearance as a government tool introduces an entirely new conflict and a powerful contrast: Batman the outlaw, Superman the symbol of compliance. It’s subtle for now, but the seeds are clearly being planted for the inevitable clash.
Miller doesn’t shy away from difficult questions: What happens when symbols become distorted? When justice becomes vengeance? When heroes outlive their welcome? And the rise of the Sons of Batman (violent zealots misinterpreting the message) only adds to the moral ambiguity.
“The Dark Knight Returns #3” is terrifying, thought-provoking, and unforgettable. It’s not a story of triumph. It’s a story of reckoning. And it’s Batman at his most human, most broken, and most defiant.
Highly recommended for fans who can handle the emotional weight and philosophical complexity of watching Batman wrestle with his past, his enemies, and the world that no longer understands him.
Dr. Wolper, the fame-hungry psychiatrist who tries to "rehabilitate" the Joker, is a sharp critique of media and psychology gone wrong (more interested in sensationalism than truth). The Joker's rampage at the TV studio is brutal and unforgettable, and it sets off a chain of events that spirals Gotham even further into chaos.
Carrie Kelley continues to shine as Robin, proving she’s not just a gimmick or a sidekick, but a hero in her own right. Her bravery at the amusement park and her role in stopping the rollercoaster bombing add urgency and emotional weight to the story. But it’s Batman’s showdown with the Joker that steals the issue.
Their final confrontation is raw, violent, tragic. This is not the flashy, acrobatic fighting of traditional Batman comics. This is a grudge match decades in the making—personal, psychological, and utterly devastating. And yet, even here, Batman proves that he still has lines he won’t cross. That moral code is both his strength and his curse. The Joker knows it, and uses it to twist the knife one last time. His final act of suicide is the ultimate manipulation (a way to leave Batman with the stain of murder, regardless of the truth).
Meanwhile, the political storm brews. Superman's brief appearance as a government tool introduces an entirely new conflict and a powerful contrast: Batman the outlaw, Superman the symbol of compliance. It’s subtle for now, but the seeds are clearly being planted for the inevitable clash.
Miller doesn’t shy away from difficult questions: What happens when symbols become distorted? When justice becomes vengeance? When heroes outlive their welcome? And the rise of the Sons of Batman (violent zealots misinterpreting the message) only adds to the moral ambiguity.
“The Dark Knight Returns #3” is terrifying, thought-provoking, and unforgettable. It’s not a story of triumph. It’s a story of reckoning. And it’s Batman at his most human, most broken, and most defiant.
Highly recommended for fans who can handle the emotional weight and philosophical complexity of watching Batman wrestle with his past, his enemies, and the world that no longer understands him.
Read
April 10, 2022Reading this one gave me literal goosebumps. The story of Batman isn't only about the dark knight himself, it's also about his foes who give meaning and purpose to his character. Batman’s oldest and most important adversary, the joker ( one of my personal favorite villains) is introduced back into this one. The Joker represents the utter chaos and evil of mankind and Batman represents the Usurper that can bring such evil to justice. This book is good because it puts a conclusion to the joker. It was really ironic how the joker died smiling. This book is good to see Batman and Joker one more time in action.
March 22, 2022
Compelling continuation of the storyline. Enjoying the older, more mortal Batman and loving the real-life references - a Reaganesque president, David Letterman etc. I did find the final confrontation with the Joker a bit confusing, especially the dolls he was using, but other than that this was a good volume.
Based on the glimpses so far, I expect the next volume will do a much, much better version of Batman vs Superman than the movie!
Based on the glimpses so far, I expect the next volume will do a much, much better version of Batman vs Superman than the movie!
July 12, 2017
Awesome
Absolute perfection, this is the perfect comic story, the crux of this story is all right here...Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern are mentioned and then an acknowledgement of the difference between them and Batman...perfect.
Absolute perfection, this is the perfect comic story, the crux of this story is all right here...Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern are mentioned and then an acknowledgement of the difference between them and Batman...perfect.
April 17, 2018
Really enjoyed last 15 pages or so, but the story seemed to drag a bit throught the start and middle of it feeling like there was absolutely unecessary parts to the whole story.
July 21, 2018
Lo mejor de batman de todos los tiempos.
December 13, 2020
The joker appears in this episode. As usual, he plans a mass killing. There is a showdown with Batman. Love the grittiness of the drawing, it’s bloody dark.
June 19, 2022
This is one ugly comic
January 4, 2024
This doesn't really fit in with the rest of the cannon. I don't think we see this female Robin again. Also, we don't talk about Bruno. It is certainly different.
April 13, 2015
On one side, The Joker comes back again. On the other side, Superman makes an appearance.
The Joker is motivated to reappear after years of pretending to be psychologically drained or something. He reappears more fierce than ever. But this time, when Batman confronted him, he didn't have any considerations to the Joker as being a human being. He wanted this confrontation to be the end of him, putting a finale to the long trail of death the Joker left whether years ago or now.
I guess it was a very good reunion between the Batman and his arch enemy, the Joker.
The Joker is motivated to reappear after years of pretending to be psychologically drained or something. He reappears more fierce than ever. But this time, when Batman confronted him, he didn't have any considerations to the Joker as being a human being. He wanted this confrontation to be the end of him, putting a finale to the long trail of death the Joker left whether years ago or now.
I guess it was a very good reunion between the Batman and his arch enemy, the Joker.
March 28, 2014
Simply putk, you should read this. To me it is one of the bst novels ever written and it also happens to have drawings.
August 9, 2014
How do we treat the criminally insane? A viewpoint on some subjects of this, as well as police vs noble vigilante.
September 23, 2017
Not the best of the four parts but still great.
November 22, 2022
Update 11.2022: from 4 to 4.5 stars. Intense!
June 6, 2014
Simply put, the best issue of any comic book ever released. It's that good.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews