Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
This is #2 on IGN's list of The 25 Greatest Batman Graphic Novels and I have to admit, I can see why. This is a different Batman from most of the other Batman comics I've read. This Batman isn't afraid to kill, to do damage. In general, this Batman gave no f**ks at all. Perhaps this Batman reminded me of one of my favourite tennis player, Kim Clijsters, who retired from tennis to peruse her other goals in life. But like the Batman in this comics, her desire to rejoin tennis was reignited at an exhibition event at Wimbledon and came back fiercer and stronger. She might even give Bats some trouble, if she joins the Kent family as Supermom.
Okay, enough gushing about Kim Clijsters, back to Bats. In this new story, a new Robin is introduced (even if there is still some scars left from what happened to Jason) and she is so badass, Carrie wasn't only fast on her feet but she was also quick with her mind. She's the near-perfect companion to Batman - she knew when to follow rules and when to break them. I wish there are more stories featuring her so maybe she can get a better back story like the rest of the Robins.
The only reason the rating is missing a star is because I felt there was almost too much squeezed into those 200 pages. It's almost like how I build my sandwich, with lots of filling and you're almost unsure how to take a bite. And when you do take a bite, half of the filling falls out and you get this incomplete taste in your mouth. That was Batman: TDKR for me. With Two Face, the Joker, the Gotham Police Department and the U.S. government all playing the antagonist role, at times I felt overwhelmed and at times, underwhelmed. By overwhelming, I mean the things on Batman's To-Do list; there was simply too much. By underwhelming, I mean the battle but put by these antagonists. Because there were so much going on, each problem Batman faced was resolved with less flare, or originality. But with that said, I still enjoyed this new spin on Batman and wish there are more Batman-Carrie partnership in the Batman universe.
(Side note: HOW IS ALFRED STILL ALIVE? Either way, I still love him.)
