Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again

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Driving Question: No pun intended, but the New 52 version is cursed to have this constantly as his part in the Trinity of Sin, with various questions he will never be able to answer. Still, the world looks fine: a perfectly choreographed, pretty little world where everything that’s ugly, or even potentially disturbing, is all nicely wrapped up with neat little ribbons and swept under the carpet. Only Batman knows better. He’s watched it fester to near-breaking The Vic Sage incarnation of the Question made his post- Rebirth debut in Action Comics #1005, and has appeared several times since. And, as of Lois Lane #1, so has the Renee Montoya incarnation of the Question (though she made earlier appearances during this era). Much like Miller would cite being mugged in New York as the inspiration for his paranoid, ruthless approach to Daredevil and Batman in the ‘80s, 9/11 would break Miller in the 21st century. The author’s Libertarianism, often on display in his individualist Batman, would morph into the hard right wing Islamaphobic viewpoint of “Holy Terror,” originally planned to be a Batman comic but disavowed by DC in 2006. So “Strikes Again” sees Miller in the midst of a personal political crisis, one that’s pushed through a psychedelic lens of conspiracy, superheroism, and justice, all embodied in a gleefully violent Batman. Captain Marvel: an old man now with wispy white hair (similar to that of Uncle Marvel), he still stands by his equally powerful peers Superman and Wonder Woman. Like many of the other heroes he is limited in what he can do because Luthor holds his beloved sister Mary hostage.

Superman, aka Clark Kent, a military super-agent for the United States government. He has agreed to stay out of sight and do as he's told, and in exchange he is allowed to continue saving lives. His very existence seems to be a bit of a taboo subject: when incidents involving him are reported on the TV news, the main newscaster is constantly prevented from naming or making distinctive references to the Man of Steel. Unlike Batman, who is now middle-aged, Superman has remained (at least physically) in his early to mid-thirties. According to Miller, '"Superman has always been 30 and will always be 30."' [ citation needed] Invulnerability: Due to the interaction of his dense molecular structure and supercharged bio-electric aura, Superman is nigh-invulnerable to extreme energy forces. In addition, his extends this protection against toxins and diseases. Ice-Cream Koan: Averted, especially during the O'Neil run, as he was quite well schooled in philosophy and would often include a recommended reading list at the end of issues. James Gordon, Commissioner of the Gotham Police, 70 years old. He retires towards the end of the storyline.Despite generally positive critical reaction to Miller's art styles, fan commentary has been mixed; some have praised the works for their unique looks, while others have lamented the more stylized visuals.

In Miller’s 21st century eyes, the world is one big, ugly cesspool of corruption and it must, at all costs, being violently cleaned up. Is this righteous anger? Not really. More like decades of pent up rage given life in a medium meant to inspire. Yet Miller would later dismiss the effects of political ideology given life through art, saying “I don’t know many people who get their politics out of comic books. The notion of doing that scares me most of the time. I’m just throwing my stuff against a wall to see what happens. I don’t think anything I’m doing could affect things on such a broad basis. I don’t think anybody doing fiction could.” Cinescape - Home - Editorial". www1.cinescape.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2002 . Retrieved January 12, 2022. Ascended Meme: Starting with Issue 6, Frank started slipping in references to "the Goddamn Batman". Swallowed Whole: Carrie accidentally swallows Ray Palmer early on, leading to a Vomit Indiscretion Shot.

This comic provides examples of:

Manifesto-Making Malcontent: In The Dark Knight Strikes Again, he mentions a manifesto almost immediately after he is introduced. Later on, he is established as a hardcore anti-authoritarian technophobe.