2
Tried reading Batman: Year One after The Dark Knight Returns and honestly one holds up way better
I finally got around to comparing Frank Miller's two big Batman stories back to back this weekend. Dark Knight Returns has this messy, over-the-top feel now that I didn't notice when I first read it in high school. Year One on the other hand feels tight and grounded, like every panel actually matters. The art by David Mazzucchelli is just cleaner and easier to follow too. Maybe it's just me getting older but I think Year One is the better read for someone new to Batman. Anyone else think Dark Knight Returns gets more credit than it deserves just for being edgy?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
the_daniel24d agoMost Upvoted
My buddy lent me The Dark Knight Returns in high school and I remember passing it around the lunch table like it was some kind of forbidden text. We'd all act like we understood every deep panel and monologue. But I picked it up again last year and it just felt like Miller was screaming at me for 200 pages. Year One has this scene where Batman hides in the shadows and watches Gordon's kid play with a toy gun and it says so much without any of that shouting. Mazzucchelli's art in that rain scene where Gordon's walking the alley is just perfect, every drop of water tells a story. Did you notice how the coloring in Year One makes everything feel like a 1940s crime film compared to the neon mess of DKR?
7
Read Mazzucchelli's interview where he said Year One was designed like a film storyboard and it totally shows in every panel.
2