Lighting doesn't strike twice...

The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller is a classic, truly one of the finest graphic novels in the last thirty or more years.

This is a sequel to that classic, and while The Dark Knight Strikes Again, the lightning of inspiration and cultural relevance doesn't.

The tone is oddly darker than the original series by Frank Miller inspite of the much more colorful language used in the telling. We find a world that is three or so years moved on from the original book with very few changes in it.

(warning: spoilers)

The president is a hologram, and the world is truly controlled by Lex Luthor and Brainiac 5 (or some number, who can remember). Superman, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel are toadies allowed to operate under very close supervision from the controlers who hold something dear over each of the three. Again, Batman is freeing superheroes (this time The Atom, Plastic Man, Hawkman, and The Flash) who are government controlled, and he's kicking Superman's backside in a pretty short fight - much less satisfying than the original's version - and taking on the government.

The cover of the first issue pretty much says it all. Down with the man! Sort of...

in the end, we find a world in which Batman has liberated us from the opression of the goverment, but where we instead see Superman speaking to his daughter (by way of Wonder Woman, um, hasn't that been done, and much better?) asking "What shall we do with our world?" The king is dead, long live the king.

Overall, the sequel doesn't live up to the original. Not that it's awful, it's not. It's just nothing really special, which truly is what the original was - something special. Get it, leave this one behind.

In case you're curious, a more detailed review from another source lies here.