Reading through the graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns I found myself taking notes on various points of interest. For the purposes of writing a cohesive blog I will be focusing mainly on one interest and briefly mention the others afterward.
One of the most interesting things I noticed about this version of Batman was his very Jekyll and Hyde-like characteristics. Bruce talks about Batman as if he were a separate entity living inside him, making comments about how "it's been forty years since he was born...born here. Once again he's brought me back- to show me how little has changed" (1.5) and how 'he' must not be allowed to surface again. The comparison between the two by Bruce leaves one going back to Stevenson's novel and how the two men, Jekyll and Hyde, constantly fought over dominance.
This duality can be seen when Bruce finally puts the Batman suit back on, 'freeing' Batman from his 'cage'. Bruce's inner thoughts appear to readers in blue, revealing how he feels younger and stronger. He has no aches from old age and can fight like a younger person, which Bruce attributed to the fact that Batman is 'younger' than himself. When he takes off the costume, however, he returns to that old man, with even Alfred making comments on how Bruce would be the new wheelchair hero.
Bruce/Batman also constantly compares himself to Harvey Dent, who is released with a clean bill of health. Bruce defends the release of Dent, saying "we must believe that our private demons can be defeated" (1.9). This Jekyll and Hyde mentality plays with Dent too, in more obvious ways since his face is literally two different representations of his self. Interestingly, even the news reports on Dent describe him as "believ[ing] his disfiguration revealed a hidden, evil side to his nature" (1.8). Bruce wants to believe in Dent to prove to himself that he can conquer 'Batman', who is a physical manifestation of his inner demons, literally. One of the last lines in Book One is Batman telling Dent "I see a reflection" when asked if he can see Dent's true nature (1.47).
The question of blame also comes up in regards to the two-person split in these men. Dr. Bartholomew Wolper blames Batman as being the problem for so many bad guys, saying "Batman's psychotic sublimative/ pscho erotic behavior pattern is like a net" (1.39), meaning that Batman creates the villains who break the law for him, thus making them his "narcissistic proxies" (1.39). He also claims that Dent is the "ideological doppleganger" to Batman. There is a connection between the darkness in the men, which plays off the "reflection" statement that Batman makes at the end of Book One. This was one of the more interesting parts of the graphic novel, as it plays on both the Jekyll/Hyde mentality and goes into the age old question: which came first, the hero or the villain?
Side interests:
- Carrie, the girl that Batman saved at the Arcade, becomes the first girl Robin and "adopts" Batman, as opposed to Batman taking her under his cape (get it? wing....cape...).
- The comic is told in three-fold: Bruce's internal thought, in blue bubbles, the news stations, which breaks out of the conventional boxes we have seen in comics, and through the voices of other characters.
- Batman uses rubber bullets to hit the Mutants in the dump, making sure to say (to the reader) that they are rubber, "honest" (2.20). He never actually kills any of them. Instead, he lets his re-enforced Batmobile deflect the missiles and bullets back to the Mutants, thus killing themselves. *Batman no kill. Kill bad. Comic Code*
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Miller, Frank. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. New York: DC Comics, 1986. Print.
One of the most interesting things I noticed about this version of Batman was his very Jekyll and Hyde-like characteristics. Bruce talks about Batman as if he were a separate entity living inside him, making comments about how "it's been forty years since he was born...born here. Once again he's brought me back- to show me how little has changed" (1.5) and how 'he' must not be allowed to surface again. The comparison between the two by Bruce leaves one going back to Stevenson's novel and how the two men, Jekyll and Hyde, constantly fought over dominance.
This duality can be seen when Bruce finally puts the Batman suit back on, 'freeing' Batman from his 'cage'. Bruce's inner thoughts appear to readers in blue, revealing how he feels younger and stronger. He has no aches from old age and can fight like a younger person, which Bruce attributed to the fact that Batman is 'younger' than himself. When he takes off the costume, however, he returns to that old man, with even Alfred making comments on how Bruce would be the new wheelchair hero.
Bruce/Batman also constantly compares himself to Harvey Dent, who is released with a clean bill of health. Bruce defends the release of Dent, saying "we must believe that our private demons can be defeated" (1.9). This Jekyll and Hyde mentality plays with Dent too, in more obvious ways since his face is literally two different representations of his self. Interestingly, even the news reports on Dent describe him as "believ[ing] his disfiguration revealed a hidden, evil side to his nature" (1.8). Bruce wants to believe in Dent to prove to himself that he can conquer 'Batman', who is a physical manifestation of his inner demons, literally. One of the last lines in Book One is Batman telling Dent "I see a reflection" when asked if he can see Dent's true nature (1.47).
The question of blame also comes up in regards to the two-person split in these men. Dr. Bartholomew Wolper blames Batman as being the problem for so many bad guys, saying "Batman's psychotic sublimative/ pscho erotic behavior pattern is like a net" (1.39), meaning that Batman creates the villains who break the law for him, thus making them his "narcissistic proxies" (1.39). He also claims that Dent is the "ideological doppleganger" to Batman. There is a connection between the darkness in the men, which plays off the "reflection" statement that Batman makes at the end of Book One. This was one of the more interesting parts of the graphic novel, as it plays on both the Jekyll/Hyde mentality and goes into the age old question: which came first, the hero or the villain?
Side interests:
- Carrie, the girl that Batman saved at the Arcade, becomes the first girl Robin and "adopts" Batman, as opposed to Batman taking her under his cape (get it? wing....cape...).
- The comic is told in three-fold: Bruce's internal thought, in blue bubbles, the news stations, which breaks out of the conventional boxes we have seen in comics, and through the voices of other characters.
- Batman uses rubber bullets to hit the Mutants in the dump, making sure to say (to the reader) that they are rubber, "honest" (2.20). He never actually kills any of them. Instead, he lets his re-enforced Batmobile deflect the missiles and bullets back to the Mutants, thus killing themselves. *Batman no kill. Kill bad. Comic Code*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miller, Frank. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. New York: DC Comics, 1986. Print.