REVIEW: Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade, #1

[SicariiDC]

That`s the one. Honestly I didn`t even know there was another.

Coincidentilly, in some parts, `O Barr and MacFarlane`s original Year Two (not exactly the follow up because Dick is pretty much written as early Jason) also kind of got that DKR vibe and The Cult is also something that could fit since it`s also bleakly drawing inspiration from Miller`s take, but those two are just a fantasy booking thing. Paul Pope`s Batman too.

I feel like the cult took pretty heavy inspiration from DKR...like blatant. I had to check and see what one was first it was so heavy

[Aioros22]

It is heavily inspired, as much as Spawn also was with the talking heads. But without that you still have in The Cult one of the most awesomely bleak Batman tales and Gotham`s survival. The way they are written kind of makes it fit because of the dialogue and pacing, as well as the "batmobile", both using rifles, the atmosphere, cover style and so on.

Jason is interesting because despite the fact you didn`t have a Miller Jay up until now, the way Starlin wrote him back in The Cult kind of makes it similar. Sympathetic and brave as balls but also flashs of that chip on the shoulder in sequences.

Hell, I`ll just add Y2, The Cult and 100 in my fantasy Bat Millerverse. Should be a nice bookshelf side

[Aahz]

Coincidentilly, in some parts, `O Barr and MacFarlane`s original Year Two (not exactly the follow up because Dick is pretty much written as early Jason) also kind of got that DKR vibe and The Cult is also something that could fit since it`s also bleakly drawing inspiration from Miller`s take, but those two are just a fantasy booking thing.

Are you speaking about "Batman: Years Two"? Dick doesn't appear in this story, his origin story is Year Three. Are you confusing it with Batman: Full Circle, which builds up on Year Two? In this case Retroactive Batman from the 80s (where a new Reaper appears and Jason is Robin) might also fit in.

Btw. I really like Millers characterisation of Jason. He seems to be a seems to be a good pupil and seems to be relatively quite ans serious (which is a nice contrast to Dick) and seems to follow Bruce orders for the most par, and while he is aggressive and Brutal he is not a foolish hot head or completely out of control.

And the description by Bruce in the end seems also quite fitting: wild, headstrong, good at combat but still has work on his detective skills.

I wish the other writers would write him more like this.

[Aioros22]

Are you speaking about "Batman: Years Two"? Dick doesn't appear in this story, his origin story is Year Three. Are you confusing it with Batman: Full Circle, which builds up on Year Two? In this case Retroactive Batman from the 80s (where a new Reaper appears and Jason is Robin) might also fit in.

I`m talking about Full Circle as the follow up for Year Two.

If I recall, the Robin named in that story isn`t Jason but Richard, even throught O`Barr and Davis pretty much depict him exactly like their Jason in their Detective run. Nonetheless, that Jason version wouldn`t really fit Miller`s world, I think. I`ll try to explain saying that Jason and even the early Collins or Wolfman Jay weren`t really written as having that agressive aspect to him. That came up later. O`Barr/Davis`s Jason while amazing is a bit, perhaps, too mainstream to fit in this verse. Not to say Miller can`t write nice characters but he adores to play and push failability of characters, Batman included and O`Barr`s Jason is just too damn well adjusted a person! His main exception in this seems to be Carrie Kelly...exception confirming the rule end all.

Overall the reason I`d pick Year two over Full Circle is because (likely due to publication hiatus between the stories) there is a shift in atmosphere. Y2 is very likely O`Barr`s darkest or heavy Batman tale, both in tone and visuals (can anyone really forget that beatdown and the shocking last page of the first issue?) but some of that is washed up to a more (again that word) mainstrean tone in the follow up.

Btw. I really like Millers characterisation of Jason. He seems to be a seems to be a good pupil and seems to be relatively quite ans serious (which is a nice contrast to Dick) and seems to follow Bruce orders for the most par, and while he is aggressive and Brutal he is not a foolish hot head or completely out of control.

And the description by Bruce in the end seems also quite fitting: wild, headstrong, good at combat but still has work on his detective skills. I wish the other writers would write him more like this.

Yeah, I`m quite glad and amazed at the reception this story has gotten, to be honest.

[Aioros22]

This is merely preference, I guess one can say Jason was quite well adjusted in his early days on Millerverse and then starting to show the cracks you see in Last Crusade and you wouldn`t be out of place either, mind you. Both Bruce and Alfred do make a point of the enormous potential he had.

But that one well adjusted character who thrives in this world, got a name and is Carrie.

[Aahz]

If I recall, the Robin named in that story isn`t Jason but Richard, even throught O`Barr and Davis pretty much depict him exactly like their Jason in their Detective run.

Personally I only consider Jasons appearances in Batman and the Cult as real post-crisis Jason stories. Many of the other stories were written before Jasons origin was changed, and they wrote him as kind of a generic Robin, and many of these stories feel very golden age like.
Almost everything between before Year One (in Batman) and Year Two (in 'Tec) are kind of filler issues, while they were still working on how to reboot Batman. Year One and Two is imo where the modern Batman continuity really started.

I`ll try to explain saying that Jason and even the early Collins or Wolfman Jay weren`t really written as having that agressive aspect to him.

I think it was mentioned somewhere but I think that Collins saw it that way that Jason over came his rage when he rescued Two Face live in Batman #411.

Btw. most of Wolfmans issues with Jason (in Titans) were actually written at a time were pre-crisis Jason was still active in the Batman comics (Batman comics were still set on Earth one for quite some time after crisis was over), so it is very likely that Wolfman was writing pre-crisis Jason in that issues, since post crisis Jason wasn't even created at this point.

[REAL]

I`m talking about Full Circle as the follow up for Year Two.

If I recall, the Robin named in that story isn`t Jason but Richard, even throught O`Barr and Davis pretty much depict him exactly like their Jason in their Detective run.

It was actually Jason.

"Someone using the name, appearance and methodology of The Reaper is killing off the mobsters of Gotham City...but both of the men who previously masqueraded as The Reaper are dead! Meanwhile, Batman must shepherd an untried Robin – Jason Todd. A reprinted Reaper tale from the 1980s rounds out this special edition."

[Aahz]

It was actually Jason.

"Someone using the name, appearance and methodology of The Reaper is killing off the mobsters of Gotham City...but both of the men who previously masqueraded as The Reaper are dead! Meanwhile, Batman must shepherd an untried Robin – Jason Todd. A reprinted Reaper tale from the 1980s rounds out this special edition."

No that's Retroactive Batman from the 80s not Full Circle.

Barr wrote 3 stories where Batman fights a Reaper, in "Year Two" Batman is alone, in "Full Circle" it is Batman and a young Dick Grayson and in "Retroactive Batman from the 80s" it is Batman and Jason.

[REAL]

No that's Retroactive Batman from the 80s not Full Circle.

Barr wrote 3 stories where Batman fights a Reaper, in "Year Two" Batman is alone, in "Full Circle" it is Batman and a young Dick Grayson and in "Retroactive Batman from the 80s" it is Batman and Jason.

My mistake, I thought he was referring to Retroactive.

[EcoBatman]

Like other posters here, I also always felt The Cult fits in really well with Millerverse Batman. If Miller ever canonized it in his Millerverse... oh boy.

On topic however, I think The Last Crusade sort of... revitalized the Millerverse. Now, I'm actually one of those weird people who liked ASBAR and TDKSA, and that they fit really well into the Millerverse, but they really weren't quite on par with TDKR, not does DKIII (it's good, but the jury is still out on that one). I however consider The Last Crusade to be just as good as TDKR, something I never thought I'd say.

[Aahz]

About the abrupt ending, I actually expected that The Last Crusade would have a similar plot structure than Killing Joke just more over the top, with Jason being killed within the first few pages and than having a super drak Bruce going to brutally hunting down the Joker. The Last Crusade is kind of the opposite of what I expected.

[Aioros22]

No that's Retroactive Batman from the 80s not Full Circle.

Barr wrote 3 stories where Batman fights a Reaper, in "Year Two" Batman is alone, in "Full Circle" it is Batman and a young Dick Grayson and in "Retroactive Batman from the 80s" it is Batman and Jason.

Until this tread I wasn`t even aware of any other story by Barr/Davis featuring Batman/Robin/Reaper after "Full Circle".

Now I`ll have to check it out.

[blackbolt396]

Finally had a chance to read this ,it blows DK3 Master race out the water , Alfred and Jason were great.

[Oracle]

I'm not a fan of the art.

[Aufbach]

Just finished reading this. In short, this book is all about context. If you are a reader who is familiar with the Miller-Verse Batman, then this book works exceptionally well as a lead-in to DKR. However, if you just picked this book up as a standalone Batman story, and possess little to no Miller-Verse familiarity, I think you'd be lost and disappointed. Because as others here have stated, it kinda just ends, with little build-up and rushed logic (Jason is too headstrong - oops, now he's dead). This works if you already know the DKR storyline. Otherwise, not so much.

Having personally read all things Batman and Miller, I loved the characterization of the older-but-not-quite-done Batman realizing he's about to be physically in over his head. It felt like a true DKR prequel, unlike ASBAR.

Speaking of which, I was a little surprised to read comments here taking ASBAR seriously as a part of the DRK timeline. When those books were first published, most people basically thought Miller had lost his mind. Or if not, that he was deliberately jerking everyone around because those books were so ridiculously over-the-top. But now it seems like these books are perceived as simply a younger Batman and that's that -- his dramatically different personality and verbal cadence notwithstanding.