Lenni Reviews: "Batman The Dark Knight: Master Race" by Frank Miller, Brian Azzarello, Andy Kubert, Klaus Jansen, and Brad Anderson

*This comic was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated mature for violence

This collection continues Frank Miller's Dark Knight saga with Batman dead after the defeat of Lex Luthor. Superman is on ice and Wonder Woman has returned to Themyscira. But when a cult of insane Kryptonians lead by Quar attack the Earth and demand humanity worship them as gods, who will rise up and stop them?

This is set in a not far future where our heroes have children. Frank Miller's signature gritty, dark, and scratchy style is in full glory and perfectly sets the tone for what is a rather dismal look at the future of the heroes we know and love.

The writing and art are expertly done and I love the nostalgic feeling the art gives me I get since I read Dark Knight years ago. There are mini-comics, which are interesting supplements to the main story but aren't necessary and I found myself skipping them on my first read through so I could get back to the main plot.

There are a few confusing character motivations, I'm not really happy with the Wonder Woman here and if you have to SAY a costume is too colorful for crime fighting, perhaps it should have been designed better in the first place but, I digress...

Compelling, entertaining, but depressing, I give this a 4 out of 5 since it was a downer. A great way to end this series, though. The release date for this book is September 19th, 2017.

The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 Review

                           The Dark Knight Returns Part 1
 
Hey Otakus and Geeks fans, Sean (The True Comic Fan) here. Today I have a question? What happens to Batman when he gets to old to don the Cape and cowl?   No the answers not hire a young Athletic boy named Terry McGinnis. The answer is calling Frank Miller to write one of the greatest Batman stories ever written. For those who aren’t familiar with the story of The Dark Knight Returns, here is a synopsis:
 











Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is a four-issue comic book limited series comprising The Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight Triumphant, Hunt The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Falls, written and drawn by Frank Miller, originally published by DC Comics under the title Batman: The Dark Knight in 1986. When the issues were released in a collected edition later that year, the story title for the first issue was applied to the series as a whole. The Dark Knight Returns tells the story of a 55-year-old Bruce Wayne who comes out of retirement to fight crime, only to face opposition from the Gotham City police force and the United States government.
The Dark Knight Returns is set in a dystopian near-future version of Gotham City. A year is never specified, though it has been a full decade since the last reported sighting of Batman. The author also alludes to the deaths of Bruce Wayne's parents as being on the night of a movie theater showing of Tyrone Power in The Mark of Zorro, a movie with a release date of November 8th, 1940, a time when Bruce was a youth. Virtually all superheroes, with the exception of Superman, have been forced into retirement or otherwise driven away by a populace that no longer trusts them. Bruce Wayne, now 55, has voluntarily retired from crime fighting following the death (under unspecified circumstances) of Jason Todd, the second Robin. In the absence of superheroes, criminals run amok, and a gang called the Mutants terrorizes Gotham City.
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              Synopsis from wikipedia


REVIEW
The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 is Fucking AWSOME! DC animation has done it once again making a movie fans will fall in love with. The adaptation nails the tone and atmosphere of the book. Bruce Wayne at age 55 sitting on the sideline while watching his beloved Gotham City falling apart and riddled with crime, trying to cope with the fact that he may be to old to do anything about it.
The action sequences are great, with Batman popping in and out of Shadows taking criminals down and instilling the fear in those who dare break the law. I also love the way they show Batman can still kick ass, but age has definitely caught up with him. There are few times in the movie he struggles to do some of the things that would have been no problem in his youth. 


 

 





Peter Weller is pretty good as the voice of an aging Bruce Wayne and Batman, but I will always prefer Kevin Conroy above all. Ariel Winter is great as the voice of Carrie Kelly (yes there was a female Robin). David Selby was good as Commissioner Jim Gordon, but Gary Anthony Williams as the Mutant Leader was kinda Blah. 







 







Overall The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 is a must see and definitely something every comic and anime fan should have in their collection. If you loved the comic you will love this movie. My final grade: A



By Sean Tucker