DC has taken the Caped Crusader to some pretty dark places and its safe to say that many of his plotlines are strictly for mature audiences. Frank Millers The Dark Knight Returns is no exception, with the same to be said of its 2012 animated adaptation. Bruce Wayne hasnt put on the cowl to terrify Gothams criminal elements in the years, at 55 hes no spring chicken and following the death of Jason Todd who could blame him? Because retirement age isn't written into a superhero's contract its not long before a crime epidemic requires his return to battle against mutant street gangs, the Clown Prince of Crime and even Superman. In his mission to restore his beloved city to a more manageable rate of violent law-breaking (its Gotham after all) Batman is forced outside of his usually black and white code of ethics and faces some of the greatest challenges of his career in vigilantism. The animation doesnt stray far from what was on the pages of its source material and benefits greatly from this approach. Miller and Klaus Jansons art looks awesome in motion and is supported by a great voice cast including the original Robocop, Peter Weller, voicing Batman as well as other notables such as Michael Emerson (Lost) and Michael McKean (Better Call Saul). For those that love superhero stories that are dark, gritty and challenging, this is a must see.
A pop culture mad writer from the North East who loves films, television and debating them with whoever will listen.
Follow me on Twitter @Johno_Patterson
