THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: A Rookie's Perspective

Though Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is a compelling graphic novel, the artistic styles used seem to be much more dramatic than the actual story itself. I admit, I'm a rookie comic book reader. Therefore, I have a limited understanding and recognition of the subtle messages, the character names, or how they all came to this point in time. All in all, I was much more impressed by the art than by the story. Now, I did admit I'm a rookie comic book reader, so before anyone gets too upset with my view of this graphic novel, please allow me to illustrate :) Once again, I'm an art student so I think it's only natural for me to find the one thing within this graphic novel I can relate to and fully understand. Many artistic styles, exuberant colors, and dynamic portrayals of characters are used in Batman. Some are more stylized and simple, others are very dramatic and bold, and still others are more life-like and realistic. I think it's interesting that each of these styles was used very appropriately to portray different characters, times, moods, and memories. I love this array of color and style and feel these artistic elements kept me interested in the story. The artwork I provided in this blog are just a few of the most striking examples I noticed. Some of th images are small, so if you really want to get a better look at them (which you should!) just click on them and check it out!