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In Darkest Knight…

// November 14th, 2009 // Comics, Review, Scifi

There are a certain number of comics that are considered required reading for the comic elite.   Alan Moore’s Watchmen is among them, as is anything from the Lee/ Kirby era and Neil Gaiman’s Sandman.   But one of the most often mentioned among these titans has to be Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns.

I admit, it’s been so long since I’ve read it that it should be considered a crime.  Of course, the archetype of the aging, unrelenting Dark Knight is still vibrant.  But the depth of character, the nuances of the story were long since erased.

The Dark Knight Returns tells the story of an aged Bruce Wayne who has retired the Batman ten years previous.  Unlike other iterations, Batman is not portrayed as the true face of Bruce Wayne, but more like a split personality; ironically making him a more visually appealing flipside of Harvey Dent. Before long, Bruce’s addiction to this alter-ego becomes too tempting, his will too weak.   And soon the Batman re-emerges with a renewed hunger for both justice and violence.

It is important to note that the Dark Knight represents more of an aspect of the Batman mythos than a pure representation.   In creating his vision, Frank Miller embraced the idea that Bruce Wayne is completely removed from any sense of reality; a disturbed man who believes himself a General in a War as real as any fought by the military.   And in this world soldiers deaths may be tragic, but acceptable in the name of justice.

DKR is in many ways a war of  ideologies.  Batman represents an old, unwanted school of thought.  He believes in Justice, and more importantly, he believes in taking action.  Yet he represents an anachronism.  The world has moved past him.  Frank Miller’s Dark Knight universe feels almost prophetic in it’s representation of a Politically Correct, ultra-sensitive, media-coddled society.  As Batman ramps up his war on crime, the rest of society (represented by ordinary, ultra-liberal citizens, government stooges and media) blames him for creating an endless cycle of violence where he creates or inspires the criminals he faces.  To society, Batman is the villain, while the criminals he apprehends are victims of his blood-thirsty ego.  The contemporary relevance of these themes are almost painful.

In fact the more I read, the more I became convinced that Frank Miller has some kind of psychic clairvoyance.   The book is littered with events and themes that have imitated it’s art line for line.  A porn actress becomes accepted into the mainstream. (Jenna Jameson, Traci Lords, Stormy Daniels.) The president of a television network proclaims that a television writers strike won’t affect the continued production of shows.  (Perhaps he increased production of “Reality shows”?)   The same network President (Jimmy Olsen) is given an award for spinning the Economic Crisis in the US Government’s favor.  Even the unseen President of the United States could easily be mocking the public persona of George W Bush! (Though he is actually meant to be a mockery of Reagan.) But perhaps the most chillingly– nearly obscenely– prescient moments occurs when the mayor of Gotham attempts to negotiate with the leader of the terrorist gang The Mutants who have over-run the city, bathing it in crime.   As I watch the news and see Nidal Hasan and the September 11th planners being shown leniency and sympathy they would never reciprocate… as our Commander in Chief calls to negotiate with men like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong-Il… the chill that runs up my spine lingers in my mind.   The Mayor of Gotham displays the admirable desire to find redemption in the most contemptible of men.   He appeals to the humanity in the Mutant leader.  The problem is that sometimes when you look deeper in such men, all you find is the beast within.   Miller makes his feelings known as a news anchor gleefully announces that the Mutant leader ripped the Mayor’s throat out.  Later, they promise to air the exciting footage of the man’s gruesome death. Of course our own news media aren’t as literally blood-thirsty as Miller’s, but the metaphor doesn’t feel that far off.

The children who make up the mutant gang are essentially lost souls influenced by the strongest personality.  When the Mutant leader is defeated, some form the Sons of Batman, still engaging in violent behavior, though this time in the service of “Justice”.   When the Joker goes on a killing spree, a few other Mutants model themselves after the his visage.   Of course, this prediction is far less amazing.  When the Dark Knight Returns was written, gangs were on the rise.  But the subtext, the idea that as the old school and the new battle, the children are the ones left behind-  that never changes.

The climax of these ongoing battles is the famous fight between Batman and Superman.  To the casual viewer (and pop culture fanatic) Superman has always represented the American dream, and its no coincidence that his color scheme so closely resembles the Flag. In the Dark Knight Universe however, Superman is merely a puppet of government, a whipped cur.   If Superman represents the strength of the United States, Batman represents the spirit of it’s people.    The Man of Steel obediently follows the directives of the President, in fear of the consequences. He even gets involved in wars.   (Some would even argue the similarities to our police action in Iraq.)   The Dark Knight is a stark contrast. He separates the concepts of Justice and Government; finding them to be occasional allies (such as Jim Gordon), but never one and the same.   Batman never entrusts the machine to act on its own.

The difficulty is in judging the ending.  Does the allegory end with Superman triumphant?  With Batman being forced to change tactics to deal with the demands of this new world order?   Or does Bruce’s survival suggest that the the ideals he represents will endure no matter the circumstances?

That is, of course, the fun of great fiction.   Interpret it as you will.  The characters, the motivations… it is all in the eyes of the beholder.   But whether reading deeply or enjoying it as a great, old comic, there’s no denying the brilliance of The Dark Knight Returns.