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davidsimpier777's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism and Suicide
bexxon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence
meganpbennett's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and Blood
steveatwaywords's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The "future" history of an America troubled by superhero vigilantism, with Superman being something of a sellout to the American gov't, is contemporaneous with Moore's Watchmen. Those 1980s were a time when we grew tired of clean moral tales, it seems. Graphic superhero novels were catching up with what literature had been doing for some decades.
So the question is, does this work still stand out as Time magazine suggests, one of the greatest graphic novels of all time? To be sure, the artwork--while at times occluded or bewildering--is still extraordinary, with plenty of iconic poster-worthy moments. The design, too, offers a layered look at the whole social satire, heavy on ironic media coverage and political maneuverings--all examples of denialism that we would come to embrace in real life.
Even so, while the historic moment of this work for the Batman canon is significant, the storyline remains weaker. For one, the characters are fairly static from start to end: villains are universally psychotic, heroes are pointedly suffering for their causes, and they run into each other to inevitably larger climaxes with none ever coming to "realize" anything at all. In other words, once the premises of the story are established, we all--author and reader--can sit back and watch the demolition derby begin. The re-emergence of an aging Batman into a world which has fallen to political and capitalist ideologies is interesting, but pre-determined.
The thing is, Miller has lots of room for storytelling, and adding yet another villain into the mix doesn't explore the space very much. It's true I have recently completed <i>Watchmen</i> which has similar moves in more creative and complicated ways, and it's also true that I have seen graphic novelists outside the superhero genre do literarily far more with the medium in fewer pages, so <i>Time's</i> grandiose claim must be limited in terms of The Dark Knight's history, not against the broader and more contemporary comparisons out there. It's tough to break a superhero comic out of its trope-ic rut, and Miller almost did it.
Nevertheless, this is an entertaining read, fulfilling a number of fan wishes along the way for a Robin, for a Superman, for a prodding at mental health science . . . made all the more so by looking back now at what enormous changes it helped create in the industry.
Graphic: Violence
parenthesis_enjoyer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Police brutality, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and War
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Trafficking, Mass/school shootings, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Classism
pelledorso's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Cursing, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, and Murder
Minor: Misogyny, Rape, and Suicide
beecourts's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Racism
ginameix's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Alcohol
kreadsthings's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, Police brutality, and Murder
Minor: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Police brutality
This is a Batman comic from the 1980s, so keep that in mind as reading. Politics and political ineptness is a running trope. Bruce's parents and his first (terrifying) encounter with the batcave comes up several times. There is other genre-typical violence throughout.