In a world where the President of the USA is a construct controlled by Luthor and Superman has been retired and the heroes are gone, we have Batman planning his return; executing each piece of a meticulous laid-out plan involving a cadre of new and old recruits that see a society in the verge of a precipice.
As Frank Miller returns to revisit his great recreation of the Dark Knight we are left wondering if this is a worthy conclusion to what was a masterpiece of unfetter creativity. When DC allowed Miller to play with major characters unbound to the established DC Universe we were thrown a great feast of ideas and content that expanded our perceptions of Batman, Superman and a series of other minor characters in a wild future world. This visit allows us to say that we like to visit this place but not live in it. There are just enough elements of our times in the text to confirm the fact that there is no escaping our politics and societal woes if we want to have a meaningful story. Miller is a satirist that brings quite a large hammer to his treatment of events.
I like the prominent role that the Atom plays in the execution of Batman’s plan. Palmer and the Green Lantern are key to the success of Batman’s strategy. Batman plays Lex Luthor to the end allowing Lara, Superman’s daughter, to do her thing. Lara is a surprising element that emerges from the union of Superman and Wonder Woman.
Overall there was never a chance for Miller to redo a classic so we are left with what can be described as a rich content of ideas executed in the traditional Miller fashion leaving a taste of greatness that is really average only when digested.