DKR 35th anniversary. What did you think of it?

[superduperman]

I didn't see a thread for this so I thought I'd make one. This year is the 35th anniversary of DKR. The book that changed comics, and Batman, forever. What do you think of it?

Anyone who knows me knows I'm more of a Superman fan so I didn't like the whole "Superman and Batman must be antagonists" angle. And, to be fair, I don't think that was Miller's intention in the main books. I also don't think it's aged very well. A lot of the references are rather dated. It's very much an eighties book. That having been said, it is a great book in it's own right. When I read it, I visualize it in the eighties. I first encountered it about 30 years ago at a book store in the mall. Because I was a kid, I couldn't get it. So I only thumbed through it. I thought it was actually his origin so I thought Carrie Kelly was the first Robin, not the last. The image that stands out the most from then was the scene where he pulls the thug through the floor saying "Welcome to Hell". And the scene where Superman flies into the air and Robin sees him for the first time in awe. My 12 year old self thought that was the coolest thing ever (to be fair, I didn't read a lot of comics back then).

I finally got a copy for myself back in 1999. All those memories as a kid came flooding back. Even now when I read it today, it still feels like it did when I was a kid. I recently re-read it a few days ago. It felt more nostalgic now then it ever did. I don't like the fact that it more or less destroyed the relationship between Batman and Superman. But I also think that they are finally moving away from that model. And it lead to Miller writing my favorite Batman story: Year One.

[Batman Begins 2005]

One of the best Batman books ever as an elderly Bruce Wayne comes back as Batman.

Am I the only person preferring the first half of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns?

I'm with you in saying our favourite Batman story is Batman: Year One.

[batnbreakfast]

As a done in 4 issues Elseworlds its awesome but I also prefer and love year one much more

The legacy of DKR has tainted it quite a bit and the animated movie is one of the strongest if not the best

[Bad Witch]

It's flawless. Everyone loves it.

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[bat39]

Its probably what redefined Batman and his place in the pop-cultural landscape more so than any other single work.

Aside from the story itself and its direct influences - DKR is when Batman took the first step towards surpassing Superman as the biggest superhero brand, and the most popular and iconic superhero.

Its thanks to DKR that Burton's Batman was greenlit, which in turn spawned BTAS. There's no telling what the Batman brand today would have been without these.

Its thanks to DKR that Batman was able to truly move on from the legacy of Adam West (though the comics had moved in a darker more noir-ish direction for the last 15 years already, Batman's pop-cultural image was still largely influenced by that show).

Its thanks to DKR that we got Year One, the story which really reinvented the Batman mythos as we know it today.

Granted, I feel DKR and its iconography, as well as some of its plot, has been way too overused. Apart from the animated films, we've had Nolan taking inspiration from it for TDKR, Snyder taking inspiration for BvS, Kevin Conroy playing a DKR-inspired Bruce Wayne in CW's COIE...and these are just off the top of my head. There's this perception that DKR is the ultimate logical endpoint of Batman, that ultimately that's the direction in which every Batman story needs to point. And while I agree it is a possible ending for Batman, its not the only one.

Which is not to say that DKR shouldn't continue to be celebrated for the defining moment it was in comic book and pop-cultural history. I just feel its time to stop remixing and letting it rest in its glory for a while.