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First Reading – The Dark Knight Returns – Nathan Wallingford (Group 1)

The Multiple Personality Theme in The Dark Knight Returns

To be completely honest, I am really not that familiar with the world of comic books / graphic novels, so the nuances of the art and design of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns are essentially over my head at this point. What I can comment on, however, is the story of The Dark Knight Returns. And by far the most compelling part of the story for me was the multiple personality theme.
Bruce Wayne and Batman are far more than merely the tried and true template of the mild-mannered everyman and his superhero alter-ego. For Bruce, Batman is another character in and of himself, with his own thoughts and desires and even what seems to be a distinct personality. Bruce and Batman share the same body, but they don’t seem to really be the same person. For instance, beginning on page 13 when Bruce is mugged and relives his tragic origin story, Miller uses gray text-boxes to set aside an internal monologue that the reader can easily recognize as the thoughts of Batman, not the thoughts of Bruce Wayne.
Later on pages 25 and 26, as the temptation to return to crime-fighting has become too powerful, the internal voice returns, although now it isn’t merely a monologue but a conversation. The voice says, “ . . . I am your soul. You cannot escape me . . . You tried to drown me out . . . But your voice is weak . . .” Who is the “I” and who is the “you” in this conversation? The “I” is Batman, speaking to Bruce Wayne. Two minds inhabiting the same body. That seems like a cut and dry case of multiple personalities. And, of course, Bruce Wayne / Batman’s case of multiple personality disorder is made all the more interesting because his primary foe, at least in the first part of the novel, is Harvey Dent / Two Face. Batman and Two Face are essentially mirror images of each other. Each man has one foot in real life, existing as a normal person, while the other foot lies in Gotham’s criminal underworld where each man exists as some sort of spirit or caricature. Both Harvey and Bruce possess other selves obsessed with crime. It’s just that Two Face is obsessed with committing it and Batman is obsessed with stopping it.
The multiple personality theme is just one reason why The Dark Knight Returns is so much more compelling than the average comic book of previous eras. The primary conflict is essentially psychological. Miller does an excellent job of detailing Batman’s primary motivation, which is his deep-seated, irrepressible need to fight evil, for lack of a better term. Such a need rarely expresses itself in a neat and tidy way, and instead often leads Batman to engage in acts of violence that are barely distinguishable from those of his enemies. Perhaps this is why Bruce Wayne / Batman possess multiple personalities in the first place, as it is too difficult to remain a part of both worlds and act as the same person. Either way, the theme gives The Dark Knight Returns a depth and appeal that the average person would not expect from a Batman comic book.

First Reader-The Dark Knight Returns, Ben Fleser (Group 1)

Personally, what I’ve found so far to be most intriguing about Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is the fact that Bruce Wayne is now an old man, subjected to the obstacles and barriers of old age; stiff joints, a little more winded, etc. However, the art in the comic might suggest that Batman is going about his usual business untouched by the pangs of old age, as he seems just as agile and swift as usual. This is where dialogue is contrasted nicely with art, as it gives the reader the notion of a character’s physical ailments when it’s harder to be represented through art. An example is on page 49 where we see Batman climbing up one of Gotham’s towers, “Pain that’s three days old crawls across my back. I kick the dust from my joints and climb. It used to be easier” (Miller, 49). I imagine that Miller had to be very conscious of the fact that he is trying to present Bruce Wayne/Batman in his elder years, so the dialogue as well as the art must reflect this so that readers have a good idea of the concept. Forgive me for my Batman history arrogance, but was The Dark Knight Returns the first comic about Batman where he’s portrayed as an old man? Because I know this idea was used later in things such as Batman Beyond, the cartoon. If so, I appreciate Miller’s adaptation of Batman because it seems a little more realistic for me, if only slightly. People don’t stay young and agile forever, so presenting notions of the passage of time, aging, and eventual death, subjects super heroes and other comic book characters to the same things normal humans are subjected to. At least I think this is what Miller wanted to get at, after reading his introduction. We see Commissioner Gordon wrestling with this reality on page 58 when he says, “A young boy dashes past me, healthy, dirty, and beautiful. You don’t want to know what he makes me think of.” And later, “Dying never seemed real to me when I was young” (Miller, 58).  For me, these realities make the characters’ struggle that much more complex, as they fight not only against evil, but against themselves (See page 55). Overall, I think the notion of time is important concept to bring up when dealing with comics, as we will see this idea explored immensely in Watchmen.

Finally, (and I swear I’m done talking after this), I like the great debate that is being brought up over Batman in The Dark Knight Returns, as psychologists in the story keep trying to deconstruct him on sociological and psychological terms. I appreciate the debate being raised as it tries not to allow us to side immediately with Batman despite our strong inclinations. However, given the scenario of the story thus far, it might be pretty easy to side with him. But I don’t know, it’s up to you, and I haven’t finished yet so don’t give anything away for me. Just a few questions, does Batman shoot that guy on pages 64 and 65? I assume that’s what happened but I just needed some clarification. And how the hell did Bruce Wayne lose his mustache? I was confused at that.

First Readers, The Dark Knight Returns – Colin Kitler

My experiences and knowledge of Batman extends only to the media produced for a wider audience, and I am shocked at how much inspiration may have come from this comic book. Since this book predates any of the Batman films (with exception to 1966’s “Batman” starring Adam West) it is safe to say that the darker tone of most of the films can be attributed to Miller’s take on Batman. In “Batman Begins,” the same explanation of why bats were chosen as Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego is used (pg 18-19). The dark tone can be seen as far as the most recent Batman video game. The line on page 39, “The last ones usually lose it. So I let him. And let him come to me,” can be used to describe how most of the enemies are programmed in the game. If the last enemy in the room realizes that he is trapped alone, with Batman nowhere to be seen he will become terrified and start shooting at anything that startles him, such as a radiator in the room. But the most direct adaptation of Miller’s version of Batman can be seen in an episode of the 90’s animated series (episode “Legends of the Dark Knight”), in which some kids talk about how they think Batman is, including a direct remake of events in the comic which have direct quotes, shots taken straight from the panels, and even the fight choreography from Batman’s first fight with the mutant leader (pg. 72-81).

The episode can be found in two parts on YouTube, starting here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26ZVuMsRx3c. You can skip to part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-eZdMN4Udo) if you want to go straight to homage to this comic book.