Any Batman fan should have at least the most iconic and epic stories of the vigilante on their shelf, whether in the form of comics, movies or series. I’m talking about works like Batman: The Mask of the Phantasm, The Killing Joke, Year 1, Silence, Long Halloween, Dark Victory, Batman and Son and the Court of Owls. Some of these comics have their own animated films.
Beyond the comics, the classic films of Tim Burton and Joel Shumacher, the Nolan trilogy, Batman V Superman by Zack Snyder and obviously The Batman by Matt Reeves. Without forgetting the turbo-epic Batman: The Animated Series. There are many titles to choose from, but there is one left to mention that should be required reading/viewing: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 & 2 by Frank Miller.
An authentic, brutal and experience-hardened Batman
The comics of The Dark Knight Returns They present two stories connected to each other. Directors Matt Reeves and Zack Snyder were inspired by these to create iconic scenes in The Batman
Frank Miller presents a universe in which the United States government has banned superhero activity, causing Gotham to become overrun with crime. This version of Batman is different from the ones we are used to: Bruce Wayne is 55 years old, with a lot of experience as a vigilante behind him, an old and scarred body. He’s not up to nonsense. His appearance is also very different: big and strong, the complete opposite of Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson. In fact, he is one of the suits available in Batman Arkham Knight.
The Mutants are Batman’s main enemies in the first part. And although the Dark Knight confronts his leader (with the help of Robin), the politicians do not take kindly to the fact that Batman has returned. This premise was one of Nolan’s inspirations for making the film The Dark Knight Rises. These events have two consequences: they reactivate the Joker’s madness and the news reaches the White House, so the president sends Superman to return Batman to his retirement.
The second part of The Dark Knight Returns
The rest of the story is made up of Batman’s encounters with Joker and Superman separately. They are two epic and iconic moments in superhero history, so much so that Zack Snyder created Batman V Superman from the confrontation of these comics. Additionally, Ben Affleck’s Batman is inspired by this version. And it is not a mere assumption: he even included the armor. Although there is no worthy Martha here…
I am not exaggerating when I say that The Dark Knight Returns It is one of the best Batman stories. The two parts of it have at least three of the most iconic moments: the fights with the Mutant leader, Joker and Superman, not to mention other vignettes that you have surely seen in paintings, posters and more.
If you are not a fan of comics and/or you don’t like reading, don’t worry because DC released two movies (one for each part) in 2013. They were directed by Jay Oliva, who did an excellent job of bringing the events from vignette to animation. They have physical versions on Blu-Ray and are available in Spanish. The bad thing is that they are not available on HBO Max Europe. A crime.
As for comics, you can find editions in both physical and digital versions. No matter which version you choose or the format, believe me when I tell you that this story is worth every penny of what they ask for it.
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