What happens when super-heroes grow old? Batman: The Dark Knight Returns asks just that question. Separated into four acts, this graphic novel introduces exactly what happens when Batman (a.k.a. Bruce Wayne) comes out of retirement at fifty five years old and begins fighting crime again. Since his retirement, Gotham City has run amuck with villains and criminals – even with The Joker and Harvey Dent (a.k.a. Two Face) behind bars. With the police chief retiring, Batman finally realizes that he must get over the death of Robin and that Gotham City needs a hero again. The only question to be asked is – did he wait too long? Is it too late to save Gotham City?
This graphic novel is written eloquently and the images are as riveting as they are terrifying. It really takes you into the dark depths of Gotham City while allowing your imagination to run free.
Excerpt from a triumphant return:
“This should be agony. I should be a mass of aching muscle – broken, spend, unable to move. And, were I an older man, I surely would. . .But I’m a man of thirty – of twenty again. The rain on my chest is a baptism - -I’m born again.”
Miller, F. (2002). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. New York: D.C. Comics.
