Batman year one VS the dark knight returns!

[It's Superman]

Year one for me.

[CrazyOldHermit]

Impossible question for me. The one I prefer is the one I most recently read.

I really wish Absolute Dark Knight had Year One instead of that awful Strikes Again rubbish. It would likely be the first and only Absolute I'd buy.

[Maestro]

I'll always have a soft spot for Dark Knight Returns because it got me into comics. There's so many iconic moments in the story. The ones that stuck with me were the Superman ones: Superman trying to hold the nuclear missile, and then his epic staredown with Batman before the final fight. Joker snapping her own neck. "If it’s war they want—-I’ve got just the thing."

I borrowed it off a kid during a long school assembly. best assembly ever! I didn't start collecting comics until a few years after, when the Spider-Man movies got my interest. but I always remembered those scenes.

Year One is probably a better overall comic. but DKR is my personal favorite

[manfromspace]

Year One for me... It's the best origin of the character and the starting point for modern age Batman stories...

I simply don't like the story in DKR... I guess when it comes down to it I find it hard to identify with that version of Batman.

[Superman_The_Man_Of_Steel]

Year One by far, story and artwork are top notch. DKR's artwork weakens it as a whole substantially. Plus there's that Batman and Superman fight scene...

[Vidocq]

Year One by far, story and artwork are top notch. DKR's artwork weakens it as a whole substantially.

I like the artwork, it kinda adds to the story in a way that a Slicker, more aesthetic artist couldn't. Also it had some beautiful splashs.

Plus there's that Batman and Superman fight scene...

.... That's fking awesome, yes.

[jgiannantoni05]

While DKR is a large epic about the return and fall of Batman, with loads of political undertones, and more of a cinematic style. DKR is more about the idea of Batman and what he represents. YO is just a pretty damn good origin story.

Yea. And this is basically why I slightly prefer Dark Knight Returns over Year One.

Two unbelievable classics though, making it rather silly to pit the differently-lengthed and differently-goaled stories against each other.

[Goose of Zur-En-Arrh]

Funny I stumbled upon this thread because, recently I just finished DKR again. Although I love Year One, DKR hits several beats that resonate a little more loudly with me than Year One does, especially after watching TDKR, Bruce is a complete and total badass and all his life truly encompasses is being The Batman.

[Talisman]

If you ever have the chance, give "The Untold Legend of the Batman" by Len Wein a chance. It's an earlier origin story by a few years, less known, and (in my opinion) the most intelligent and moving origin of Batman to date that truly captures and reconciles his multiple depictions across the years. And, it may not be Miller, but it's pretty dark.

Incidentally, the crappy cover is not a reliable indication of the plot nor tone of the story.

??? That's a glorious bronze age cover, philistine.

[jesse_custer]

Dark Knight Strikes Again > Dark Knight Returns AND Year One

[Jim Thompson]

It's a tie for me; they're bookends of the same story.

[Gabe De Los Muertos]

It's difficult for me to choose. I love Miller's and Mazzuchelli's art, and both have great story-telling. Year One seems more timeless to me, I don't think it's art or story can ever feel dated. DKR, on the other hand, doesn't age quite as gracefully.

[Bo-Man]

Both are great stories, but I love Batman Year One the best!

[jgiannantoni05]

It's difficult for me to choose. I love Miller's and Mazzuchelli's art, and both have great story-telling. Year One seems more timeless to me, I don't think it's art or story can ever feel dated. DKR, on the other hand, doesn't age quite as gracefully.

DKR has aged fine by me with plenty of timeless aspects as well in its epic story, and now stands as a great US story/perspective about the 80s (for those who never lived it or know nothing about it). Grant Morrison: "For me, it's up there with American Psycho as a US text of the 80s."


I posted this in a thread long ago on "dated" comics, and it still reflects my position on the value of "timelessness":

And I think all writing and art are destined to be seen as "dated" (a concept I'm not fond of). Yes, someday some poster will label Hush, Morrison's run, etc as dated in writing and art...and who will we be to argue but sorta subconsciously biased because it was from our time (and everything was better in our time, right?). The cycle repeats itself and will repeat on us too, the shoe will be on the other foot.

So, I don't like saying things are "dated." I try to see and respect things for the times they were written in. To me, Knightfall is no more "dated" than Hush or Morrison's run [or insert modern story you absolutely love] will eventually be if we could all step outside of our space-time constraints and our personal perspectives.

[dishpan]

the year one animated film is excellent, and looks a lot better than the preview for the dkr adaptation