Batman question

it felt fresh, it was compelling and it was brutal. the art was a little annoying - Miller is not the best artist in the game - but the story was superb

the follow up, The Dark Knight Returns, dropped the ball completely and was a waste of paper

The Dark Knight Returns is one of those books that upped the game for mainstream comic books/graphic novels. There's ambition on every page.

It was while reading the final book of DK2 that I first felt Miller had slipped into self parody. The ambition I mentioned before was gone. Replacing it was ham-fisted satire and a worldview that doesn't match up with the characters he was using. It's been downhill since then.

I try to rate writers/artists on their best work so Miller will always be one of my greats. I just have no interest in what he's done since the mid-90s.

I loved the stark political comment "The Dark Knight Returns" had, although I do find most of Miller's vastly overrated.

DKR was ok as far as further exploring the Bat mythos goes. The concept of Bruce Wayne coming out of retirement was well done for the most part. I particulary enjoyed how the denizens of Gotham remembered the Dark Knight as an urban legend and his impact on the city itself. Too bad Miller had to push the envelope and force a follow-up (ie. DKR2) to an otherwise worthy encore to the excellent Batman: Year One

Do you mean Strikes again?

The Dark Knight Returns is a masterpiece.

I get the feeling that movie isn't going to be quite as far into the future as Dark Knight Returns. Batman is older, and absent for some time, but he's not going to be an old man.

However, it sounds like he'll hang up the tights after this one since the director keeps calling it an "ending." That would leave Dark Knight Returns as the only viable sequel story...if Warners can get Nolan back!

The upcoming movie follows, to a small extent, The Knightfall story arc. The Dark Knight Returns, updated of course, would be an AMAZING flick. Imagine a Bruce Wayne addicted to pain killers, he's got arthritis in his joints, Alfred is gone, maybe Dick Grayson has taken over Wayne Enterprises, his gear is outdated and breaking down. How could a man continue a quest for that long before it broke him entirely? How many crimes would it take before he snapped and finally killed?

i cant wait for the animated movie based off of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns its going to be 2 parts and every bit as awesome as the book

Check out the 13 minute preview on You Tube. Nolan provides a great deal of insight, and even though most trailers have been hinting at Bruce Wayne/Batman's death, Alfred contradicts this when he tells Bruce (and I'm paraphrasing here) that Batman's journey doesn't have to necessarily end in tragedy. That some journeys end with the hero rising up again.
Interesting.
Also, in another recent interview, Nolan discussed how The Dark Knight Rises is actually based on A Tale of Two Cities: http://mattthomastown.wordpress.com/2...

The movie seemed to be a very interesting synthesis of both the arc from DKR and Knightend. Much closer to the comic arcs than in the previous Nolan movies, no doubt.

I think now that film has come out, we can say that the film is a synthesis of Dark Knight Returns, Knightfall and No Man's Land. All big stories in their own right, but combined to suit Nolan's themes and interests.