10 DC Graphic Novels You Must Read Before You Die

4. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

The Dark Knight Returns
DC Comics

Frank Miller might've lost his way over the millennium, what with all his texts possessing the unique - shall we say - tendency to sport misogynistic, homophobic, ableist and indeed xenophobic attitudes, there was a time when the writer could do no wrong.

The Dark Knight Returns is a testament to that, and while the writer's legacy today isn't what it once was, Miller's tale of a retired Batman coming out of the shadows to prowl the streets once more is a staple of the superhero genre. You can't go without it.

Not only did it fundamentally redefine the character, in that Miller elected to depict the Caped Crusader more as a force of nature than as a simple superhero, it marked a tonal shift in superhero comics too. Along with Alan Moore's Watchmen, TDKR plotted a new course for the medium we now know today, and while the merits of such a shift are still being debated, there's no denying that the day the Dark Knight returned, was one comics fans everywhere had to savour.

You know, as long as you can forgive it for inspiring Batman V Superman.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.