Book Review #29: Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again (2001)

Words by Frank Miller

Art by Frank Miller

Colors by Lynn Varley

I can't even begin to list all the things that went wrong with this. If there was ever a case to be made against making sequels, Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again would be the poster child. It just boggles the mind that the same creative team of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns did this one.

Where DKR1 was tight and on the money, DKR2 is nothing short of a chaotic mess. There are so many other Superheroes populating DKR2 that it really doesn't feel anything at all like a Batman story. He comes off as a minor character prone to showing up occasionally.

The art that made DKR1 such a joy to look at is nowhere to be found within the pages of DKR2. I lost count of how many times Frank's interpretation of characters from panel to panel looked goofy or just downright atrocious. His style was constantly changing and really became a thorn in my side while reading. The story itself was pretty lame and a complete waste of time. I should have known this was going to suck the minute I saw that Robin (Carrie) was now Catgirl. Her wearing the classic "Boy-Wonder" costume went a long way to adding to the charm of DKR1.

So, if this book is so bad then how did it even get a 1 Star rating? The only thing that saves this from having 0 Stars is the twist at the end, where the "Joker" is revealed to be that of Dick Grayson, the original Robin. The fight that ensues between him and Batman was pretty cool. But even with this twist at the end, I still have a problem. Visually the story would have worked and played so much better if Carrie was still Robin herself when she is getting her ass kicked by Grayson. And overall, I really believe the story itself would have been much better to know that "Joker" and Grayson were one and the same from the beginning. It would have made for a far better read, especially during the rest of the story that was taking place which was a chore to get through.

I can not and will not recommend this one to anyone. There is a reason why this sequel was not included in The Complete Frank Miller Batman - Leather bound Hardcover Edition. It's that bad.

Rating: 1 Star out of 5

Review by Chiprocks1