Written by Frank Miller, illustrated by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson. Frank Miller beat everyone to the punch in a span of two years: he wrote the first Batman story and he wrote the last Batman story. "Year One" was actually written after "The Dark Knight Returns", and one could guess that the superb writing in the latter played a large role in making the former so memorable. "Returns" features an aging Bruce Wayne who has been retired from crimefighting for ten years. Dark forces conspire in Gotham and prompt his resurrection, and the legend of the Batman enters a new era. This one has it all. A new threat in Gotham that seems too large to overcome? Check. New characters and gadgets? Check. Awesome appearances by regular baddies like Two-Face and Joker? Check and check. All of these instances are mainstays of any classic Batman tale, but Miller just seems to do them more justice here. "The Dark Knight Returns" earns its place, though, by straying from the traditional Batman formulas. Some elements have even led the book to be classed as an Elseworlds tale, and while it's not technically true it easily could be, as "Returns" is very definitely out-of-continuity. Who does Batman battle in the climax of the story? Not Joker, not Two-Face or any other rogue, not the leader of the Mutant Gang that provided the catalyst for Batman's return - no, he battles Superman, the Man of Steel himself, and if you think you know who wins you should think again. That scene alone makes "The Dark Knight Returns" worth reading, and it will likely provide Zack Snyder source material for the upcoming, as-of-yet-untitled Batman vs. Superman film. But the rest of the book is just as brilliantly crafted. In terms of standalone, graphic novel-length comics "The Dark Knight Returns" is one of the greatest ever written, Batman or otherwise.
