Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again
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The Dark Knight Strikes Again (also referred to as DK2) is a Batman graphic novel by Frank Miller with Lynn Varley. It is a sequel to Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and the ending of the "Dark Knight Universe".
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[edit] Overview
It was originally published as a three-issue limited series (November 2001 - July 2002) by DC Comics, and has since been collected into hardcover and paperback one-volume editions, as well as the giant-sized Absolute Dark Knight (which also features The Dark Knight Returns). Like its predecessor, this story takes place in a timeline that is not considered canonical in the current continuity of DC Comics. The story also doesn't seem to follow any of DC's continuity after Crisis on Infinite Earths as Barry Allen (the Silver Age Flash who died in Crisis) is still alive.
DK2 was considered controversial upon its release by some comics fans, as it was considered to be a repudiation of the effects that the original Dark Knight Returns had on American superhero comics (the creation of the so-called "grim n' gritty" movement), and a celebration of the surrealist and high-energy eccentricity of the superhero tradition. Colorist Lynn Varley used DK2 as a platform to experiment with computerized coloring, partially influenced by the art deco movement, and generally used a much bolder palette than in the darker Dark Knight Returns, a departure that was seriously criticised as well.
[edit] Synopsis
After going underground, Batman (Bruce Wayne) and his young sidekick, Catgirl (Carrie Kelly, Robin from Batman: The Dark Knight Returns), train an army of "batboys" to save the world from a "police-state" dictatorship. In a series of raids on government facilities, Batman's soldiers release from captivity aging superheroes including The Atom, The Flash and Plastic Man. Elongated Man is recruited from his job as a commercials spokesman, and Green Arrow was already working with Batman (as seen in the end of TDKR). Superman, working for the government, is ordered by the "President" (a front for Lex Luthor and Brainiac) to stop Batman. He confronts Wayne at the Batcave, but is defeated by Batman and the other superheroes.
Meanwhile, Batman's raids have not gone unnoticed by the media. After being banned for years, the freed superheroes have recaptured the public imagination, becoming a fad among youth. At a concert for the pop group "The Superchix", Batman and the other heroes make a public appearance, urging their fans to rebel against the oppressive government.
During this time, rogue vigilante The Question spies on Luthor's plans, scribbling out a journal to record the misdeeds of those in power. He attempts to convince the Martian Manhunter, now an aged, bitter, near-powerless figure with his mind filled with Luthor's nanotechnology, to stand up against Superman and the powers that be. The two are soon attacked by a figure who physically resembles the Joker but is seemingly invulnerable to injury, and the Martian Manhunter sacrifices his life as The Question is rescued by Green Arrow. The villain escapes, and is depicted throughout the three issue series killing The Guardian, The Creeper and likely other heroes who came out of retirement.
An alien monster lands in Metropolis and begins to destroy the city, but Batman, convinced it is a trap, does not respond. Superman and Captain Marvel come out of hiding to fight the threat, but the monster is revealed to be Brainiac, who coerces Superman (using the bottle city of Kandor) into losing the battle in order to crush the people's faith in superheroes. Captain Marvel is killed defending citizens from the carnage, but Superman is saved by his and Wonder Woman's daughter, who has been carefully hidden by the pair until now. She destroys Brainiac's monster body, but now that the government knows she exists they demand she be handed over.
Realizing Batman was right after all, Superman, Wonder Woman, and their daughter join him and assist in his plan, destroying the power source of the dictatorship and inciting revolution. Batman allows himself to be captured and tortured by Luthor, who plans to use satellites to destroy Metropolis but is thwarted by the now god-like Green Lantern; Luthor is subsequently killed by the son of Hawkman. Returning to the Batcave, Batman receives a communication from Carrie: she is being attacked by the same psychopath who dispatched the Martian Manhunter and other heroes. Batman recognizes the assailant as Dick Grayson, the first Robin, who has been genetically manipulated and is criminally insane. Unable to kill Grayson by any other means, Batman hurls himself and Grayson into a miles-deep crevasse and blows up the entire cave, igniting an underground volcano and destroying everything -- only to be saved by Superman at the last minute and brought to Carrie in the Batmobile.
[edit] Characters
- Batman: Bruce Wayne faked his death three years ago to operate underground as Batman.
- Catgirl: Carrie Kelly, formerly Robin, became Catgirl three years later and was almost the final victim of the "Joker".
- Superman: He is now a puppet of an America run by Lex Luthor, until he is nearly beaten to death by every one of his friends to knock some sense into him.
- Wonder Woman: The Queen of the Amazons hasn't aged a day and gave birth to a daughter with Superman.
- Lara: Lara is the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman, with the strengths of both a Kryptonian and an Amazon, she helped save Kandor from Brainiac.
- Captain Marvel: An old man now with wispy white hair, he works with Superman and Wonder Woman to protect the Earth.
- Lex Luthor: Lex now runs America, and uses a holograph of what the people think is the real president as a figurehead.
- Brainiac: He led an alien invasion against Earth and held the bottle city of Kandor hostage.
- The Joker: Actually Dick Grayson, now criminally insane after years of radical gene therapy, started killing off old superheroes disguised as the Joker, while wearing recognisable suits of former heroes & villains - including Mr.Mxyzptlk and Cosmic Boy. Martian Manhunter, Creeper, and the Guardian were killed by him.
- The Atom: Ray Palmer was trapped inside one of his own petri dishes for over two years when Carrie Kelly rescued him.
- The Flash: Barry Allen was forced to run in a giant engine before found by Catgirl.
- Elongated Man: Ralph Dibny commercialized Gingold as a sex drug for men.
- Plastic Man: Was rescued from Arkham Asylum.
- The Superchix: An all-girl pop group/superhero group consisting of Black Canary, Bat Chick, and Wonder Chick.
- Green Arrow: Becomes an activist with a new mechanical arm.
- The Question: Vic Sage was recruited into Batman's cause.
- Green Lantern: Hal Jordan saved Earth from Brainiac after becoming a God-like figure.
- Hawk Boy: Hawkman's son slaughtered Lex Luthor as an act of retribution for killing his parents.
- Saturn Girl: A young girl who could see the future foretold Carrie's brutal attack by the Joker.
- Hawk and Dove: Hank and Don Hall, in a humorous sidenote, tried to take up the tights again in their old age. Were hinted at being gay/incestous lovers.
- Bat-Mite: Batman's old foe briefly returns as co-founder of the lunatic fringe movement dedicated to worshipping Superman, The First Church of The Last Son of Krypton.
[edit] Analysis
[edit] Political Themes
The graphic novel contains caricatures of several prominent members of the first administration of President George W. Bush, including John Ashcroft, Ari Fleischer, and Donald Rumsfeld. The president is revealed to actually be a hologram controlled by Lex Luthor, a satirical commentary on the controlled media image of modern politicians, as well as the common perception that Bush is somehow subservient to either Vice-President Dick Cheney or to the "corporate elites".[citation needed]
The general public is depicted as ignorant and childish, varying between condemning the superheroes, and demanding that they save them from evil. Many of the characters have strong political views, such as Green Arrow, a Marxist revolutionary, and The Question, a radical libertarian. Superman quotes Batman as saying that the superheroes "have to be criminals", and comes to agree with him at the end of the novel. Batman also says that he has been ignoring the real problem, going after petty criminals while the real monsters rose to government power.
In sum, the novel contains themes of individualism, personal freedom and advocates a strong ethical viewpoint, rather than modern, relativist views of right and wrong.
The graphic novel's conclusion can be interpreted as anti-democratic. Superman asks his daughter, "What shall we do with our world?" In other words, Luthor's dictatorship is replaced by a non-democratic oligarchy of heroes from the Silver Age of DC Comics.
[edit] As a Satire of the Super Hero Genre
The Dark Knight Strikes Again can also be viewed as Miller's satire of the very 'grim & gritty' movement which he helped set into motion with Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. He parodies various trends that were abundant in making post-1980s comics more 'realistic' and 'adult' such as costume changes, cybernetic limbs, and extreme violence. Miller himself, on the recent re-release of the 1989 Batman movie, refers to the direction comics have taken since DKR as "stupid."
The book can also be seen as Miller's direct rebuttal to another graphic novel which satirized similar trends in the superhero genre, Kingdom Come. Where Kingdom Come has a more optimistic perspective on DC's heroes and superhero comics generally, Miller is far more cynical.[citation needed]
A key theme is Superman's transition from his foster parent's morality to a more Neitzscheian sensibility. This is because of Lara, who convinces him that he is above man's rules and ethics (a direct reference to the Neitzscheian theory of the uber-mensch and to Superman's origins). Much like Superman, Batman has also made a transition in terms of ethics (cheering on the Hawk's murder of Luthor).
One of the themes is the older generation (Batman, Superman and the Flash) "giving the torch" to the younger generation (Carrie Kelly, Hawkboy and Lara). For example, it is Kelly who comes up with the idea of utilizing the Superchicks concert to create a revolution, and Lara who destroys Braniac. However, it is also implied that this generation has a different morality and code of ethics, as many younger heroes kill or are willing to, such as the son of Hawkman killing Luthor (to Barry Allen's horror) and Lara's destroying Braniac. Notably, it is Lara who suggests that it would be better to rule the humans, as they are incapable of ruling themselves (a suggestion similar to Nietzsche and also to Watchmen).
Another view is that Miller has spent so long on his creator-owned series Sin City, it has caused him to use that style of writing as his default mode of storytelling. One of the major criticisms of his latest Batman project, All Star Batman and Robin, is that it reads more like a Sin City story than a Batman book.[citation needed]
[edit] Controversy
DK2 concerned some comic fans due to Miller's take on Batman, seeing the character as being "unheroic" rather than the traditionally selflessly heroic superhero. Some also felt that Miller's work on Sin City had influenced DK2 too much and had turned the story into something which was not the direct sequel to DKR that some fans were expecting. Moreover, the book has been attacked by some as homophobic in its representations of Hawk and Dove. While Miller makes no direct reference to the homosexuality of any character, it is implied that Hawk and Dove live as gay lovers.[citation needed] Furthermore, when Batman brutally beats the now-psychotic Robin, he taunts him with homophobic jibes.
[edit] Trivia
The holographic puppet-President, "Rick Rickard," is a throwback to Prez Rickard, the teenage President who was elected via a constitutional amendment. Ironically, the original Prez was essentially a super-President, loved by all during his term and then (in the later 'The Sandman' story "The Golden Boy") suddenly vanishing from the face of the Earth, becoming immortalized in the process; a stark contrast to Miller's stereotypical suave but non-existent puppet.
At one point during the chaos at the end of the book an "orphanage" is blown open and hundreds of misshapen children escape who are very similar in visual and dialogue description to the "wireheads" from Miller's "Martha Washington" series of comic books.
During the last part of the story, one of Miller's characters uses several throwing stars shaped like swastikas. The same weapon was used by his character Miho in the Sin City novella, The Big Fat Kill. The weapon is also used in the film version of Sin City.
The idea of a Robin becoming a new Joker had previously been explored in the animated film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. Another former Robin, Jason Todd, took up an identity which the Joker had previously held; the Red Hood.
