I don't think the president was a caricature of Ronald Reagan. I'm pretty sure it's straight up Ronald Reagan

Grant morrison mocking Miller and telling him to enlist is still funny to me.

As I have always described the Dark Knight Returns, it's all about Batman representing humanity's ability to overcome and master the various challenges that face us in life. In the first two acts, he must face and overcome his alcoholism, his depression, and the power of youth - so Batman is the master of mind, spirit and body. In the later parts, he is confronted by the police and the government, as well as the insanity of the Joker and the anarchy of the citizens of Gotham in the power outage - so Batman is the master of both order and of chaos. Finally, he must face Superman and the limits of his role as Batman - showing that he is the master over power itself and of destiny. It's odd, the way that Miller simultaneously created this idealized ubermensch, but in a world where isolationist libertarians are just as reviled as the over-reactive progressives. Miller's work is often cited as being 'Randian,' but I don't think that is accurate: I think that people are recognizing the influence of Nietzsche and nihilism in this work which was profoundly influential for Any Rand, but still distinct. The consummate demonstration of this comes in the fan-favorite quote "...the world only makes sense when you force it to." That is what Miller's Batman is all about, and why it's so important that the last panel of TDKR is of Bruce Wayne in civilian clothes and surrounded by all the Sons of Batman and Carrie: after the trials of this book, he has transcended his former limits and no longer needs to wear a costume to be who he is. It's also why TDKSB was so perplexing to me, beyond the issues of tone and questionable digital coloring. I don't think there would have been much interest in a Batman graphic novel where Batman was never dressed up and simply played General, but that seems to be where the story was leading. I would love to see you take on the Batman comics anthologies for the first appearances of Batman, like you did with Spider-Man. Specifically, I would say beginning with Batman: The Golden Age Volume 1, I prefer this version over the Batman Archives series which only collects the printings of Detective comics, at least in the first few volumes. I would also like to encourage you to check out Batman and the Monster Men (Matt Wagner), Batman and the Mad Monk (Matt Wagner again), Batman: the Man who Laughs (Ed Brubaker), and Batman: Strange Apparitions (Steve Englehart) for modern retellings of the

Funny, Matt Draper did a video on DK2 this same day

Haven't watched this yet, but I will make *one* defense for TDKR2. Frank Miller was there on 9/11. He saw it happen. I see TDKR2 as Frank's form of therapy. Is it good? No, it's pretty awful. But I find it difficult to bash it too much because of why I think it is, the way it is.

I just yesterday Read Spider Man:Life Story...Is the Best thing Marvel has done with the character in Modern times...It's like this comic But with much more Focus on the Lifetime issue

I'm really very torn about how I feel about Frank Miller's Batman writing. On the one hand he gave us Year One and TDKR which are two of the best Batman stories ever written, but he's also given us TDKSA and Dark Knight III which are both terrible. I think that Frank's problem is that he doesn't really understand Batman as a character, but he understands Gotham City perfectly. When you read one of his books it's clear that he based it on New York in the 70s and 80s, and when you want a Crime Ridden Hellscape that's actually imaginable to the average person, that's the perfect example. When Frank writes Gotham it's like Time Square in the 70s was stretched out to a whole city. Frank's writing popularized the sentiment that you see nowadays of "Batman is just as unhinged as the villains he fights" and that's never really been true. Frank views Gotham as a meat grinder that crushes and drags down everyone in it, including Bats, but that's not really the point of Batman as a character. He is both within and without. The city is his home and he cares about changing it and making it better, but He's above the corruption that Gotham causes and that's why he stands as the defender, because he can't be broken down. On the other side while I'm iffy on Mark Miller's writing, I LOVED the writing of this video. Keep up the good work Leo!

Can I recommend diving into Batman: White Knight series? So many good moments and amazing story I think it would be fun to give that series some love since the new and supposedly final chapter is coming out this year

Probably my favorite video yet. Keep up the awesome work!

Drinking game. Whenever he says trauma.

Dude your content is AMAZING, keep up the good work man.

So(...) Batman the dark knight returns take place in the 1980s but all-star Batman and Robin takes place in 2008 How does that make sense ?

Great video!

Having some context for DKSA was very helpful, i was so confused when i read it I might need another run through

Yo, the beginning. It be like that a lot recently and stressed like storm damage, academics and the potential of losing friends and world events impacting my friends’ lives really doing that at the moment. -A ‘boy’ doing work at 2am. Stressed, tired and probably several months burnt out

6:06 those panels are incredible, Robin's face, just hysterical

I wish you would have coverd Master Race too, I feel like that's one of the most under rated Batman graphic novels

You should change the name of the channel to tempur-petic mattress the way everyone be sleeping on it. Great content man cant wait for the 1 million sub special.

Man, how do you keep publishing such high quality videos at such a high clip!

Coincidentally, Matt Draper just did a video on the same topic

I've always disliked how violent and borderline sociopathic DKR Batman is honestly.

A character analysis on all live action Batmen? 👁️👁️

I remember when DK2 came out, I was in the majority as HATING it unreservedly (a trenchant fan criticism that still sticks with me was "inked with a baseball bat"). It was clearly the pre-social-media equivalent of a shitpost. It didn't help that Frank Miller's devolution into a full-on right-wing crank had already begun, and coincided perfectly with both this comic and 9/11. As the years go by and I revisit it from time to time, I find a comic I initially dismissed as just ugly and hateful and meaningless bizarrely compelling as both a time capsule and legitimate work of art. I mean, I still don't LIKE it exactly, but there's a lot more going on there than I was able to acknowledge at the time. For a really insightful and evenhanded breakdown of the paradoxical shittiness/greatness of DK2 from the perspective of brutally honest comic book professionals, I highly recommend the excellent KZfaq channel Cartoonist Kayfabe.

I have seen people argue Dark Knight Returns is fascist (which is a legit argument that I totally get based on Frank Miller's later works both in the DKR universe and outside it) but based on what I have seen from the movie, I'd argue that Bats in DKR is a counter to the real fascists in the story (the mutants, the police, and US government).

woo

Another great video but can you turn down the music a bit? It's like twice as loud as your voice and it's super stressful to have to constantly adjust the volume. Love what you're doing tho, keep up the good work!

I forgot about the giant SWASTIKA Mommy Milkers.

Interesting seeing two of my favorite comic book content creators make videos about Dark Knight Strikes Again on the same day. Nothing wrong, just an observation.

Aw sweet I love Donkey Kong Returns.

TDKR2 is a masterpiece

Im a fan of comics so i eat different points of view to see if i can form a different opinion... So yeah keep then coming if you want do then

Joker a shapeshifter 😂

I hope one of the videos coming is for batman beyond return of the Joker.

Yes. Please do “Master Race” and “Golden Child”. Please. PLEASE.

Three Jokers, plz

Hey. If you happen to come across this comment, here's something you might want to come back to. In the past, you've made two videos which put the journey of Peter Parker in three respective incarnations back to back and compared them. "Comparing Spider-Men" and "Comparing Spider-Man sequels". I wonder if you could do a final essay, maybe called "Comparing Spider-Man endings" when you put Peter-2's ending from SM 3 as well as Peter-1 and Peter-3's finale in No Way Home. Just a thought.

I like TDKSA more than TDKR.

I love Dark Knight Returns and Dark Knight Strikes Again

How do you upload so frequently

I LOVE TDKSA! Frank literally wants you to hate the story and hate the characters and hate the art, because the world they live in is ugly, and the decisions the “heroes” make are ugly. Don’t forget that villains were running the world. If he drew it all nice and pretty, the book would be looked at as just “okay”. Also Joker has always “shape shifted”. There have been multiple times in both comics and animation that both Joker’s face and the people he gases’ faces become stretched and warped. It’s like some sort of a virus.

Best ending speech ever. If it were to be interpreted, I'd say it was a commentary for "go and draw your own conclusions". I'm tired of the whole "you will be made to care" BS I'm always fed. So, even if that wasn't your intention, thanks for it nonetheless.

Frank Miller did DKR, he did Year One, he did Daredevil. Some of the best comic work. Then he did that incredibly islamophobic comic, DKSA, All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder. Somehow he went dead against his work in DKR and turned into a mad raving fascist

dude your angry voice is now what i imagince everytime i see spiderman.

Fouth

Maybe I'm minority, but I do enjoy DKSA

Wow I just reread these yesterday Edit: what the fuck is dk2

I honestly think Frank Miller is a genius. He may be a crazy fucking weird one, but if he wasn't crazy, his books would be disregarded.

Between this and Ivan krolo’s video, kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mq6Rm5OT3t7ZlWQ.html understands the book more than most people I’ve seen.

This video is good, very good. Dark knight strikes again is a sad disappointment. Almost like dkr but without the sincerity, like frank forgot superheroes can do real, heroic things. Batman becoming a political figure guarantees his controversial status and ascension into the status quo rather than a rejection of it. He also becomes a psycho who performs acts of violence without purpose

second

This is a pretty big sale you're trying to make.

Your assertion that DK2 is an Absurdist piece doesn't seem to coincide with Albert Camus' Absurdism, granted I'll concede that Batman is an Absurdist Hero forging meaning in a meaningless world and that it is those same existentialist features which the Nihilist Joker leans into thereby believing that Batman could, through enough suffering and pressure, share the Joker's Nihilist outlook; did you perhaps misspeak and mean to say that DK2 revels in absurdity because imo it's plot and themes just don't seem very Absurdist at all let alone exemplify pure Absurdism.

I disagree with your perspective on Dark Knight Strikes Again. That book predicted our current lawless vanity filled times. And Frank Miller's Batman is absolutely correct about the superheroes fought the wrong kinds of bad guys. The real bad guys have taken power unopposed. But continue living in that bubble of yours.

Frank Miller’s fascism is my kind of fascism.

That was just annoying.

I haven't read number 2...but it sounds shit. And what people would call woke.

DKR has gotten pushback lately for being "right wing" and I just shake my head. What makes it such a brilliant work is how malleable its various themes are. I'm so sick of how utterly reactionary art criticism has become. If somebody's worldview gets challenged in any way now, they cry about about "bad art." People look to art now to feel validated in their beliefs, and when they don't immediately get that validation they attack it. If you're so fragile (and yes I'm talking to both the right and the left) in your political identity that fiction makes you fly off the handle, get a better brain. It seems more and more people are looking for art to offend their beliefs instead of giving art a chance in good faith. This goes for the left finding everything problematic to the right thinking everything is some woke attempt at ruining pop culture. Shut up. All of you. And PAY ATTENTION.

You should ruin the Batman fandom too you’ve done a great job ruining the Spider-Man fandom with your bad takes 👍

I feel like I'm the only one who really enjoyed DK2. It was a fun a superhero adventure with some fascinating ideas and lore. I enjoyed it for what it was and it still scratched that "Miller Batman" itch for me. Upon first seeing the artwork, i hated it. But my perspective changed after reflecting on the dark, ugly tone of this specific universe. Miller's dc universe is dark, ugly, and fucked up and i believe that's the point. Bad things happen here and the visual style reflects that perfectly. Even DKIII seems to translate this well. Thanks Frank for giving me my favorite version of the Dark Knight and making me love the DC comics universe.

Do DK3: Master Race please and maybe DK4: Golden child as well since it's super short? Maybe? Pretty please?