Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Whenever you hear people talking about Batman these days, the majority will know him as a sour, determined man with an industrial-grade scowl - that image was popularised by Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns.

An animated adaptation of the 1986 comic book story arc was released in two parts, the first late in 2012 and the second at the start of 2013.

Being only vaguely familiar with the source material, The Dark Knight Returns was a shockingly grim look at the Batman world, but nevertheless an enjoyable one. 

The year is 20Unspecified and Batman hasn't been seen for 10 years. Things have gone straight to hell in Gotham City without the Caped Crusader to keep crime under control.

Bruce Wayne (SPOILER, BRUCE WAYNE IS BATMAN) is now 55 and attempting to live his life without being Batman, ostensibly by finding a "good death." Not a particularly bright outlook from the get-go, really.

Gotham has been overrun by a vicious gang calling themselves The Mutants. One night, when a couple of thugs try to tangle with Wayne, he decides he's had enough and dons the cape and cowl once more.

The second part of the story deals with the aftermath of the reemergence of The Batman, namely the subsequent appearance of the Joker.

Always a great sign when this guy turns up

The Dark Knight Returns is unimaginably bitter. Almost everything that could go wrong has gone wrong in this depiction. Wayne is a sour old man. Gordon is older, crushed by the weight of crime and unsupported by the local government. Two Face is declared "sane" and immediately goes on a rampage. Worst of all, this film is all set in the 80s.

I can see why this is one of the most influential pieces of work in the Batman mythology - the narrative is strong, the characters are interesting and there's a constant sense of danger and tension throughout.

Despite being set in "the future" it's very strange to see The Dark Knight Returns as being set so firmly in the 80s. Everything from the "punk" look of the mutants, to the soundtrack scream "80s". It's done well though, and  the film pulls the effect off - it just doesn't stop the effect being weird.

Each film each run at slightly more than an hour, which is good, because the tone can get quite emotionally exhausting. Everything in the story is just so ruined and corrupt. I had to go play with my dog and make dinner in between watching parts one and two, just to remind me there is still good in the world.

The inclusion of a teenage girl as Robin was the one beacon of hope - with Carrie Kelley (Robin's identity) acting as audience surrogate and a source of levity. She also didn't have any of the trademark "annoying kid sidekick" traits found in a lot of other animations. I would suggest the animators stole her hair design from UK singer La Roux, but as the character was created roughly 25 years prior, that is probably not the case.

Going in for the kill, doing it for the thrill. I'm hoping you'll understand...Batman.

In my last review, I said the characters in Batman: Year One were designed like they spent every available hour at the gym. The Dark Knight Returns takes that concept and runs with it - I'm not talking about a cool jog either, it's a flat-out crazy person sprint of a run. 

I'm renaming Batman to Brickman because, in this, Bruce literally looks like he's carved from a rock. Superman makes an appearance in the second part as MillsAndBoonMan, because goddamn if he doesn't look like the cover of a romance novel.

Beware the chin

The action is visceral - I'd never thought about the effect a Batarang would have on a person's hand until watching The Dark Knight Returns. Those things are goddamn sharp. Batman also looks like he punches with the force of a cement truck.

The animation is beautiful, with a subdued colour palate. It seems all the life has been leached from the rest of the world and poured into the neon lights of the 80s - and occasionally revealed in the red splashes of blood, which become more frequent as time goes on.

The Dark Knight Returns is a seminal piece. You can see the effect it has had on pop culture just by watching Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, which was released last year and borrows several narrative and thematic elements.

Before this, Batman never ran anywhere.

It's a brutal watch, but one every Batman fan should both endure and enjoy. Just don't let kids see it, lest they be scarred for life by watching Batman fight a topless Nazi woman with swastika  pasties.

Four and a half stars.

The 80s really was a strange time.