'The Dark Knight Strikes Again #1' Talkback

[James Harvey]

THE comic of 2001 has hit stands today, and are there any opinions on this bad boy? The Frank Miller sequel to the 1986 mini-series has been the center of a media hype campaign, so hopefully it is worth it...

[SMiLEY]

I got your hype, right here!

http://www.theonionavclub.com/avclub3744/avfeature_3744.html

[The Guard]

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Very entertaining. Captures the tone of DK very well. As for the story. The Atom, Green Arrow, Barry Allen have returned. Sweet. Although The Flash's new costume sucks. Have a feeling we'll be seeing Hal Jordan.

What's up with Wonder Woman and Superman? Do they have a telepathic link?

We finally see what keeps Superman in line. Sad.

Lex Luthor looked like a damn monkey.

The scene in the cave was great.

[MattL.]

*sigh* great more Superman as a government puppet, and grim n' gritty comics.

Just what we needed. :rolleyes:

[DerekPowers]

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I thought it was great. especially the superman fight in the cave, that was awesome!!

only thing is, from what miller was saying about it, he made it seem very different from the first, in terms of story and artistic style, but it was very similar imo. very similar, i was alittle dissapointed since i was expecting something radically different from the first. but it still kicks.

yeah, whats up w/ sups and ww's telethapy??

also, whats the whole deal with luthor and the miniture kryptonian city? is that from dc back in the day??

also, lex as the puppet master behind the whole operation of the world, hmmm, it got potential to be something explosive but boarder lines on being too obvious. i mean, w/ all these dcu characters, it seemed alittle overwhelming and trite.

hey, but dont get me wrong, im just playing devils advocate, i actually loved it, and think its evil of them to make us wait, what, a month and a half, for the next issue?? noooooo!!!

one more thing, all that batboy who killed those people got was latriene duty (and a beating)??? seems like he got off alittle easy.

peace.

[Clayface]

Originally posted by MattL.
*sigh* great more Superman as a government puppet, and grim n' gritty comics.

Just what we needed. :rolleyes:

Yep! Just the way I like 'em! :D

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Overall I liked it, though it sort of felt like a lot of set up for the rest of the story to come. The whole Illuminati-type thing is ok, but maybe has been done a few too many times already. Hopefully Miller will throw some spin on it. I liked that Supes got a good beating again - I can never get enough of that. I've got a feeling that Supes won't remain the government stooge through the whole thing though.

[The Guard]

I don't feel so angry as Superman now. Turns out he's being blackmailed...

[Heehaw]

So far, so good.

This is 3 issues, which lends itself well to three acts. This was obviously Act 1 since it introduces everybody and gets us into the universe. Act 2 should be the meat. Can't wait.

[ikari_ryou]

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hmmm... i dunno'... it's funny because it's all in "thought boxes," but i think maybe Clark and Diana could have been talking. i mean, they've got a really good sense of hearing, right? :p

[The Guard]

Not that good.

Something no one's complained enough about.

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO BARRY'S COSTUME???

That is hands down, the STUPIDEST design I've ever seen.

I like the black/yellow color scheme, but SHORTS? The man runs faster than...he'll FREEZE HIS LEGS OFF!!!

And what's with Miller giving everyone giant shoes?

[ikari_ryou]

i dunno... creative license?

guess he'll have to step on some of our toes to get the thing done. oh well, it's still a valiant effort. :D

[Kathy Kane]

WOW!!!
I was quite surprised at this comic!
I loved it! It gave new insight to what happened to all the superheros of the DCverse. I was shocked when the Question appeared, one I didn't except to see him, two I 've only heard about this guy. Good to see him and the others in action.
the one punch fight of Supes & Bats is worth the price.

the only bad thing about the book is ...well I want MORE!!!
Say does anyone know if this is a monthy book or a bimonthy???

call me kane.

[mgibson72]

I was very surprised on how fast the action got going. With DK1, it seemed that Miller took his time to set up the story and I really didn't get that sense with DK2. I think that maybe he could have taken his time to get us informed with what's going on in the world these days.

But some questions: Does anyone else think it's a bit goofy that Luthor would have the capacity to have Superman, Wonder Woman AND Captain Marvel by the throats? And where are the scenes of Gotham, Metropolis and its people? And what's up with all of the T&A on network television?!? Sheesh!

*sigh* I know that the underlying message is that the heroes with little or no powers are the real saviors of mankind, but I really hope that Superman is redeemed by the end of this one...!

[Karkull]

Great book.

One thing caught my attention, particularly:

The "pre-Crisis" Brainiac, Barry Allen, Hal Jordan, and the bottle city of Kandor.

After reading this (and the first one) do you ever get the feeling that this series picks up where the pre-Crisis DC Universe left off--if there was no Crisis on Infinite Earths? It's like it never happened and this is the end result.

Oh yeah:

Catgirl was awesome. I'm also glad to see Batman pick up where he left off with Superman.

[mgibson72]

Isn't this a DK2 talkback? Why would anyone who hasn't read the book be involved with a talkback forum? Come on, guys!

[Clayface]

Originally posted by The Guard
Not that good.

Something no one's complained enough about.

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO BARRY'S COSTUME???

That is hands down, the STUPIDEST design I've ever seen.

I like the black/yellow color scheme, but SHORTS? The man runs faster than...he'll FREEZE HIS LEGS OFF!!!



To be honest, it didn't bother me at all. Yeah, he runs fast, so he'd get cool from the air running across his skin, but at the same time, wouldn't he generate a ton of heat from the muscle contractions? I mean, I'm not a regular reader of Flash comics, but it seemed to make sense to me.




And what's with Miller giving everyone giant shoes?


In recent years Miller's art has taken a bit or an odd turn - he has this habit of giving everyone really big feet and hands. Not sure if its intentional by him, or if his sense of proportion is getting skewed.

[Tracer]

OK, I just read it and it is AWESOME!!

SPOILERS!!!!!

I loved that they incuded more people from DCU but I get the feeling he brought back Barry Allen to distance himself from the "Possible Future" cries of the public. Unfortunately for me that takes a lot of the magic out of it for me.

I also find it hard to believe that 3 of the most powerful people in DCU can be held at bay like this. I REALLY NEED a DK0 to explain what happened to the heroes (and the world before DK1). I was willing to accept it in DK1 but knowing that some of the heros are being manipulated like this is too much without knowing HOW!!!!!

My top questions are:

Why can't Mary M. change and save her self. Billy still has his power.

Why has the Captain Marvel version of billy Aged?? I know it is Frank's universe but everything seems to say he would age even slower than Superman.

How do you catch, much less trap the flash for years?? Yes the costume sucks, I do like the darker color thought :p

Did anyone notice that one of the female reporters had the last name of LANE??? She looks kind of familiar too!!

[Tracer]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Karkull
[B]Great book.

After reading this (and the first one) do you ever get the feeling that this series picks up where the pre-Crisis DC Universe left off--if there was no Crisis on Infinite Earths? It's like it never happened and this is the end result.



I noticed that too. That is an interesting theory.

[doctorcrime]

ok, obviously there are going to be spoilers...

first of all, i can't remember the last time i was this excited for a movie or any other debut. i am glad that miller needed the money- er, i mean i am glad that he "had another story to tell." i really love his new style which is not really new but has evolved since DKR. i found his character designs to be great. however, his dialogue and plot to be predictable and lame. in the first overpriced issue, he has not done anything groundbreaking or impressive. it would be ok if it was simple and trying to be that, but it is just trying to be grand and coming up short. i love it anyway. i am sure i am going through what many star wars fans went through when they released episode 1. i know there will be people who say "you just have to wait until they are all out until it all comes together." i hope that this is the case for DKSA as well as the star wars franchise, but i won;t hold my breath for the latter.

[doctorcrime]

the dark knight returns is a tough act to follow. so far the sequel (yes, frank, it is a sequel.) isn't nearly as revlutionary and creative but it does promise too be one hell of a story which is fine by me. however, i will do some more complaining. this of course brings me to his wife's coloring. lynn varley has graced the comic page time and time again with her understanding of color and her domination over her pallette of unique washes. so what the hell happened? i like the bright and flashy colors and understand their purpose to establish a phony "perfect" world that is the stage for this tale, but she attacks the page like a kid just introduced to photoshop. is this why frank went black and white for sin city? the computer generated pixel effect completely distracts the flow of the story and looks very amateur. i am sure she is trying to do something different, but it simply looks like crap. her coloring style just doesn't complement miller's art at all in this issue.

[doctorcrime]

furthermore, i would like to congratulate miller on not really giving a damn about continuity getting in the way of telling his story. this is a fictional batman tale, but aren;t they all? there is no reality to hold to when writing a piece of fiction. continuity is just something a writer chooses to use to give readers a sense of being thrown into the world and revisiting it to see what will happen. i don't think continuity adds to a story as much as it drags it down. why is it that whenever we comic nerds sit down and talk about comics, it always turns into a discussion on continuity? i prefer independent stories instead of illustrated soap operasdragged out forever.

[Nass]

You do realize its an ELSEWORLDS tale right? Continuity doesn't mean diddly here. Like Kingdom Come (which SHOULD be the future) and Batman Beyond.

[Karkull]

I looked at the art again and I noticed something: do you think that Frank incorporated a bit of Erik Larsen for this series? I see a bit of Erik's style (semi-cartoony bodies, etc) in there.

[Heehaw]

WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO BARRY'S COSTUME???

Catgirl redesigned it. It makes sense in this universe and looks like something a 16-year old would come up with.



And what's with Miller giving everyone giant shoes?

It's his style.



the computer generated pixel effect completely distracts the flow of the story and looks very amateur

The 2 panels that are really pixelated make sense since the Prez is a computer generated image. That is exactly how it would look on a TV monitor if the picture broke up like that. I have digital cable and it bugs me when that happens.


Did anyone notice that one of the female reporters had the last name of LANE??? She looks kind of familiar too!!

It's Lana from Smallville.


And what's up with all of the T&A on network television?!? Sheesh!

T&A on the boob tube(heh) is the new trend these days. New in the nude is a realworld thing. I think Miller is injecting some social commentary. In fact, I'm sure of it. There are tons of "gripes" and comments in regards to modern day stuff in the book. This nude news thing is one of them and I think you can put a :rolleyes: next to those panels when reading it.

[X-human]

I think Miller handled Superman very well, in that Superman wasn't really crazy or anything, but that Superman was being very minimalist with his actions for turning the world towards peace, and Batman was taking it head on. Which was ironic since it flips when they actually go into a fight. In a fight, Batman takes a step back and calculates while Superman just rushes in.

I don't like Miller's giant feet on people, but I really enjoy the gaint hands. Big feet look goofy or silly, but big hands give the sense of power. It's hard to even believe that Lex Luthor's look, since he looks like any thug from Sin City, but maybe it's just trying to show how Lex has degrated has the years have gone by. Or we're looking for too deep. :D

I think Frank Miller should stick with B&W, it just suits his art far better.

[Tracer]

Originally posted by Heehaw


It's Lana from Smallville


It can't be.

1) she's too young
2) Lois' last name is Lane, Lana's is Lang

[Bird Boy]

Originally posted by Tracer


It can't be.

1) she's too young
2) Lois' last name is Lane, Lana's is Lang

Maybe it's a typo....


And I hate interrupting your convo's guys, but, do you know when more of ish #1 will ship? my comic book stores are sold out I'm afraid.. :(

-BB

[Tracer]

Originally posted by Bird_Boy


Maybe it's a typo....


And I hate interrupting your convo's guys, but, do you know when more of ish #1 will ship? my comic book stores are sold out I'm afraid.. :(

-BB

I know my comic store was getting more the following week. I asked about it the Monday before, just in case they sold out before I could get mine.

[Salvor]

Originally posted by Tracer
It can't be.

1) she's too young
2) Lois' last name is Lane, Lana's is Lang
Well I thought it was obvious she was Lois Lane's daughter but now I'm not so sure anymore...

[Salvor]

I really loved this first ish by the way. I was only irked by a few minor things. Those giant shoes/hands sorta bothered me at first but I got used to it. Yet I was extremely put out by the completely disproportionned Dark Knight in the very last pannel.

As for the story, the cave scene was great but looked like FM just copied and pasted the final showdown of 'DK Returns'. Still I was thrilled to watch one of Batman's greatest entrances!

[Tracer]

Originally posted by Salvor

Well I thought it was obvious she was Lois Lane's daughter but now I'm not so sure anymore...

That was my first thought too (Clark and Lois' daughter) but after Wonder Woman's comment, I am not so sure either.

[DerekPowers]

Originally posted by Tracer


That was my first thought too (Clark and Lois' daughter) but after Wonder Woman's comment, I am not so sure either.

the thing i was confussed about was, if it was clark and lois's daughter, wouldnt lois be against naming her lana?? also, in the first dkr, wasnt lana lang a reporter? so i was like, lana LANE??? hmm, maybe it will be explained later on. or maybe it was a typo and they just got their L's mixed up. lex luthor, lois lane, lana lang, yeesh, superman sure has alot of Ls.

[James Harvey]

What does everyone think about Catgirl? It's weird to see Carrie promoted from Robin...to Catgirl. Yet in a way - it is appropriate. I don't think we'd see another another Batgirl.

[The Guard]

I don't know. Why didn't she just stay Robin? Unless she'd ben operating while Bruce was in retirement after the events of Dark Knight Returns. Makes sense that having a Robin out there would make people suspicious.

[Samhaine]

Did you notice that it was Lana Harper-Lane, was in she married into the Lane family?

I don't know about anyone else, but I was laughing throughout the cave sequence. Everything Bats said just had me cracking up. I guess the past three years with Carrie lightened him up a bit.

[Tracer]

Originally posted by Dick Grayson
What does everyone think about Catgirl? It's weird to see Carrie promoted from Robin...to Catgirl. Yet in a way - it is appropriate. I don't think we'd see another another Batgirl.

I agree, everytime I think of batgirl it is in a light hearted batman on tv kind of way. Catowman (girl) fits the dark, grimy atmosphere of DK2. The one think that is wierd about that is the costume change from job to job. first is was a grayish catgirl kinda thing, then she was cheetah... i wonder if that pissed WW off :D

[James Harvey]

Yeah - I can't see WW being too fond of Catgirl's new costume. I agree, the whole Batgirl thing comes off as sorta campy and PC. The current BATGIRL has avoided that, somehow, but I'm still not very fond of that character. Having Carrie as Catgirl just works nicely.

[The Shadow]

Question: Did the backmailing of Superman begin before or after the events in The Dark Knight Returns?

[James Harvey]

I think in TDKR, it was mentioned that Superman has been a government patsy for quite sometime. I'll re-read TDKR and find out.

Anyone else stoked to see Ron & Don back in there?

[mgibson72]

Getting back to Lana Harper-Lane...

I know that one of the Titans, Arsenal (aka Speedy), had a street name of Roy Harper.

And Clark Kent had a Smallville friend named Pete something that got into politics and had a relationship with Lana Lang. Was his last name Harper?

Isn't it interesting that Lois' name is last? ;)

[James Harvey]

Did it ever mention of Lana was mentione din the first DK? I don't remmebe rit being mentioned in there. It's possible that it's Lana's daughter.

[mgibson72]

Lana Lang was in DKR as a loudmouthed TV reporter much like Jimmy Olsen is in DK2. And since Lana Harper-Lane doesn't have Lang as one of her last names, I don't think it could be Lana Lang's daughter...

My brain hurts now.

[Bird Boy]

Ahh..my comic shop got more in..I went..I bought..I came home..I read...I enjoyed.. :)

It was great..I know I hated TDKR....but this one....WOAH..I loved it! Dunno why..I just loved it. What's the date for issue #2? and is the cover out yet?

I could go on and on about this..but I think I'll stop..ah..I think I need to read it again..

-BB

[MatchesMalone]

My copy of DK2 must be misprinted or something. All my backgrounds are missing except for maybe three or four panels...I can never tell where the characters are. Most of the backgrounds are just garish, brightly colored swirls of of computerized color.

A background! A background...my kingdom for a background!

AAAAAGH!!!


Did like the story tho'

[James Harvey]

I read in an article that the bright colors are supposed to represent the optomistic feel of the time in DK2. I think it does a good job. It does sorta provides an iffy concept of background, but I was enjoying the series too much to really notice. I think the coloring is very good and very unique, just like DK1.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Originally posted by Dick Grayson
I read in an article that the bright colors are supposed to represent the optomistic feel of the time in DK2. I think it does a good job. It does sorta provides an iffy concept of background, but I was enjoying the series too much to really notice. I think the coloring is very good and very unique, just like DK1.

It's also a good way for the artist to cheat on drawing backgrounds.

[Domino]

I enjoy Frank Miller's work, and I enjoyed Dark Knight Returns as an Elseworlds story, but the thing that scares me every time an event like this happens is that it will affect the mainstream titles. When the Dark Knight came out in 1986, Jason Todd was rewritten, then doomed in the main books; The Waynes going to see Zorro became part of the continuity; Sarah Essen was written in, first in Year One, then later in the series, only to be killed in NML. Green Arrow nearly lost his arm to Superman in the mainstream titles, and I'm sure I've overlooked several influences from that point on.

My objection to this is that I think Elseworlds titles should be driven by the mainstream titles, not the other way around.

I think DK2 is a worthy successor, at least from what I've seen, but I fear for what it might mean for the mainstream DC universe.

[pencilsharp]

DK2 is a worthy successor. Of course, when something is overanalyzed, overhyped, and overread as DK1, people will be disappointed in one way or another with 2. Hey, things change.
Onward...
Mgibson72 ( :bosko: ), Smallville Pete's last name was Ross.
Next, Frank has probably tossed in that reporter's name just to get us fanboys and fangirls all tossed up. Pay no heed.
Next, Domino, have you read "The Killing Joke"? That the graphic novel where Babs Gordon gets shot in the spine by the Joker. It could have been tossed aside as an Elseworlds tale, but it wasn't. Why not? Because the writers liked it. They wanted to make it a part of the continuity because it made for a more interesting backstory. That should be the ultimate decision for whether a non-mainstream book should be in the canon.
Okay, I'll get off the soapbox now. Next!

[Samhaine]

Also, I have to mention that Year One was not an Elseworlds story, but indeed a rewrite of continuity, so putting Essen in there and then having her appear in the present day books was totally natural, if not neccesary.

I really like DK2. I loved that they had Barry and Hal, I loved the Atom, and Miller's GA rules.

This book isn't as good as the original. The original series totally redefined the way we looked at Batman. But this is still a really good story.

[Domino]

I have most definitely read The Killing Joke, but I wasn't aware that it was an Elseworlds title. I don't think it ever was, but I may be wrong.

I never said that Year One was an Elseworlds title either; my point was that Sarah was introduced in DK although offscreen ("I think of Sarah...the rest is easy.") and then written into continuity in Year One. Sorry I wasn't clear about that.

Regardless, it is an unfortunate trend that Elseworlds books drive continuity in the mainstream books at times, and I wish that DC would get as creative and be as willing to take risks with their mainstream books as they seem to be with the Elseworlds titles. That way, longtime readers would be rewarded for their loyalty, instead of the great stories only going to those who may take a chance on a one-shot or mini-series.

And now to avoid the risk of going totally off-topic, I can say that I like the "pre-crisis" feel of Dark Knight 2. Some of us older fans like to think that there is still a parallel universe, or hypertime, or whatever else you want to call it where Barry Allen, Hal Jordan, and Oliver Queen are alive and well and still the decent people , even heroes, that we remember them to be. Now that would be an Elseworlds story worth reading!

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,


Originally posted by Domino
I have most definitely read The Killing Joke, but I wasn't aware that it was an Elseworlds title. I don't think it ever was, but I may be wrong.

<< S N I P >>

Regardless, it is an unfortunate trend that Elseworlds books drive continuity in the mainstream books at times, and I wish that DC would get as creative and be as willing to take risks with their mainstream books as they seem to be with the Elseworlds titles.


I don't think The Killing Joke is an Elseworlds story. I'm not exactly positive of my dates and such, but I think it was published in 1986 or so, more or less concurrent with The Dark Knight Returns, before the Elseworlds "brand" was even established.

I think you indirectly answer your own question in your second paragraph. Inherent to experimentation and risk-taking is the possibility of failure. In serialized storytelling with no distinct ending, as happens in most superhero comic books, throwing out an idea that's a complete flop can essentially kill the book. The accumulated history of someone like Batman can also make experimentation difficult, if not impossible. Elseworlds is the place where folks can toss out new ideas without risking as much. I also think that a lot of the Elseworlds titles are just pretty lousy.

As for DK2, I've browsed through it twice in the store and still can't bring myself to pay the $7 to read the whole thing. DK1 was groundbreaking and original in providing a harsh, cynical world for a comic-book superhero to live in, rather than the earlier bright 4-color silliness that the Comics Code Authority had imposed on it. In so doing, though, I think he pointed out a lot of stuff that really kind of undermined the genre, which is why lots of people view it (and Alan Moore's The Watchmen) as a kind of "burial" of the traditional superhero comic.

To my eyes, Miller is adopting the same tone and style, which nearly killed the superhero genre in the first place, for what seems to be, essentially, just another traditional superhero "puncheminnaface" comic book. The central conceitthus undermines the entire enterprise. I seem to be rather in the minority of people singing Miller's praises on it, but I wanted to throw this out there and see if I'm just missing something here.

-- Ed/Ace

[Domino]

Originally posted by Ace the Bathound
I think you indirectly answer your own question in your second paragraph. Inherent to experimentation and risk-taking is the possibility of failure. In serialized storytelling with no distinct ending, as happens in most superhero comic books, throwing out an idea that's a complete flop can essentially kill the book. The accumulated history of someone like Batman can also make experimentation difficult, if not impossible. Elseworlds is the place where folks can toss out new ideas without risking as much. I also think that a lot of the Elseworlds titles are just pretty lousy.

As for DK2, I've browsed through it twice in the store and still can't bring myself to pay the $7 to read the whole thing. DK1 was groundbreaking and original in providing a harsh, cynical world for a comic-book superhero to live in, rather than the earlier bright 4-color silliness that the Comics Code Authority had imposed on it. In so doing, though, I think he pointed out a lot of stuff that really kind of undermined the genre, which is why lots of people view it (and Alan Moore's The Watchmen) as a kind of "burial" of the traditional superhero comic.

To my eyes, Miller is adopting the same tone and style, which nearly killed the superhero genre in the first place, for what seems to be, essentially, just another traditional superhero "puncheminnaface" comic book. The central conceitthus undermines the entire enterprise. I seem to be rather in the minority of people singing Miller's praises on it, but I wanted to throw this out there and see if I'm just missing something here.

-- Ed/Ace

You raise a couple of very good points. First, I concur that DC is using the Elseworlds format as a sort of "poll" to see if an idea will work or not, and in the meantime sell books for the short term. If the story hook or detail works, they incorporate it into their continuity. But the thing is, it's short sighted. It does nothing to build a long-term relationship with readers, and that's where the money is. As long as they continue to sell short, the heart and soul of their publishing. the mainstream titles, will continue to slide.

I agree with you also that the first Dark Knight books nearly killed superheroes. We saw armor and pouches for way too long in the late 80s and early 90s. Who knows what we'll see this time? The Flash in shorts, perhaps. God forbid.

And finally, while Alan Moore buried the superhero with Watchmen, he has done a fine job resurrecting it with his recent work, both in Supreme and in the ABC titles. It's too bad Frank Miller hasn't made similar amends to the genre that has allowed him to work more freely than most comic book creators.

But still, the work as a whole is at least equal to its predecessor as a self-contained entertaining story so far. I hope it continues to be so.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Originally posted by Ace the Bathound
Howdy,



I don't think The Killing Joke is an Elseworlds story. I'm not exactly positive of my dates and such, but I think it was published in 1986 or so, more or less concurrent with The Dark Knight Returns, before the Elseworlds "brand" was even established.



It isn't an Elseworlds title. "The Killing Joke" chronicles events that were eventually put into "real" continuity. Like how Batgirl wound up in a wheelchair.

"Year One" was a reworking of Batman's origin, and is now considered part of "real" continuity.

[pencilsharp]

Hold it, kids. I never meant to insinuate that "The Killing Joke" was an Elseworlds book. I suppose I should have written my post better. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

The point I was trying to make is that continuity is not the most important part of comics. It's the writing that matters. Elseworlds would not even exist if not for continuity slaves. There are certain readers out there who have to have every single story be a piece of a puzzle, when the very format itself works against that. Granted, DC may be using Elseworlds as a testing area for new ideas for its traditional characters for fear of offending some of the slaves. If so, that's a shame because it shows a lack of derring-do, which is not to say a lack of courage because any company that would give the world the Vertigo line is certainly not guilty of that.

Back to the issue of writing, especially Frank Miller's writing, I think that Frank's got his back against the wall no matter what he does. DK has become the comics fan's Old Testament, and they desperately want a New Testament. Problem is, Frank can't do it. No matter how hard he tries, anything that he puts into DK2 will be dissected under a high-powered microscope. Fanboy wants his message , and he is determined to find it, even if it doesn't exist.

BTW, a nice parallel forms here to "The Silence of the Lambs." Remember when the movie came out, and everybody wanted more? More Hannibal. More Clarice. More fun, right? Well, Mr. Harris delivers the sequel to his editor's inbox out of the clear blue. The editor tell the publisher, and the publisher puts it out virtually untouched. The result? More fun? Need ye ask? Even Jodie Foster didn't want anywhere near that one. How do you follow up a classic?

The whole point of this is that Frank finally realized what Fanboy never will. Anything that he writes will never live up to the hype. So? Funk the hype and the horse it rode in on. Frank is writing a story that he feels motivated to tell. More power to him.

[The Joker]

I think that the best part of DK2 and TDKR was when Batman kicks Superman around Gotham. I never really liked Superman, and it brings a smile to my face to see the boy scout being beaten senseless by a man without his powers and twice his age. :D
I can't wait until the second comic is out! Does anyone have any idea what'll happen in the next two issues? I'm desperate to find out how it all ends. Thanks for your help!

[Karkull]

Originally posted by pencilsharp
BTW, a nice parallel forms here to "The Silence of the Lambs." Remember when the movie came out, and everybody wanted more? More Hannibal. More Clarice. More fun, right? Well, Mr. Harris delivers the sequel to his editor's inbox out of the clear blue. The editor tell the publisher, and the publisher puts it out virtually untouched. The result? More fun? Need ye ask? Even Jodie Foster didn't want anywhere near that one. How do you follow up a classic?

I thought that Hannibal worked very well--I actually [gasp!] like it better than Silence of the Lambs.

Back to topic: good point. The best stories tend to be written by creative teams that ignore the hype and follow their instincts.