Batman The Dark Knight Returns # 1 CGC 9.8 (DC, 1986) Frank Miller KEY
Major Key: 1st appearance of Carrie Kelley. Lauded for his Daredevil, Frank Miller's succeeding project Ronin had received a lukewarm reception. It took a confident editor (Denny O'Neil) to say "Okay" when given a proposal for a wholesale and uncharacteristic reworking of the company's most popular character in a pricey and untested format. Miller repaid the faith by turning in what remains a career peak. It's set ten years after Batman has last been sighted in public.
Commissioner Gordon is due to retire and Gotham is plagued by marauding gangs pillaging at will. Batman's old enemy Two-Face has been released, seemingly a reformed man, and certainly a repaired one thanks to plastic surgery, and resumes his former legal career. Events reach a point where Batman can no longer remain a bystander, but this is a different Batman.
He's in tune with the times, realizing that to deal with society's ills at his age extreme measures are required. That alone is interesting, but Miller counterpoints the re-emergence of Batman and his actions with incessant flashes of public opinion and commentary through TV (a narrative technique pioneered by Howard Chaykin in American Flagg), making for an extremely dense read. The use of numerous small panels on each page jumping to a full-page illustration emphasizes the iconic effect of the character, and when fellow icons Superman and The Joker turn up for the second half of the series they receive similar resonant treatment. Miller explores all kinds of opinions pertaining to the concept of the vigilante without reaching a conclusion, but still providing food for thought fifteen years on. Plot, dialogue and art are all well considered, effective and top notch.
It's astonishingly rare that a legitimate claim can be made that anyone has changed the face of their art form, but consider what followed in the wake of. There was a plethora of "'radical"' reworkings of established characters, some more successful than others.
The miniseries had been popularized and TDKR had proved there was a market for a high-priced package. Designers became key personnel at leading publishers, more talented creators were given greater freedom with regard to individual interpretations of characters and concepts, and the collected edition seeped into wider public consciousness.Most important was the return of respect for the creator. Tangentially it also wiped away the final vestiges of the 1960s Batman TV show, re-establishing the property as a desirable licensing option.
That all of these can be attributed to a single series is remarkable, and that there was a serious and rapid dilution of its strengths and influence shouldn't detract from the achievement. None of the above could ever have been foreseen by Miller, though, who set out to produce a thought-provoking superhero story and succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. The Slings & Arrows Comic Guide. CGC CONDITION: Near Mint/Mint (NM/M 9.8), White Pages, Universal Grade.PACKING: Alley Cat Comics takes pride in our packaging! Packed with extra special care to protect your comic on its way to you.