In the introduction, Miller makes reference to some psychologist who wrote a book which would go on to move Congress to creating the Comics Code Authority (I know enough about this already to not need to do any research on who that person was or what his book was titled, and Miller refuses to name it in the book, so I don't know that information, otherwise I would include it here). However, in the actual story, Miller represents the media to be on the side of people who claim that the Batman, who has recently come out of retirement, is having a negative impact on society, and that while he may be driving down crime levels, which have reached an all-time high, he is only continuing the cycle of crime and that his actions will only spawn more criminals (essentially). In this introduction, he is hyper-critical of the media, which I think is something we all should be doing. So in the introduction of this bind-up, Miller talks a lot about what I would call the inspiration for both titles in this book. I didn't even look at the Dark Knight Strikes Back, and aside from a quick flip-through of the last two parts of TDKR, I didn't read the rest of it either. Also, I only read the first two 'books' or issues in this, which would be the first two issues of The Dark Knight Returns. So, by saying this, I want to bring to the attention of anybody reading this review that I may well be biased or ignorant in the areas of which I touch on.

I also am a very leftist person, which I think we all know Frank Miller is not. I did not grow up in the 80's, hell, I was barely alive for the 90's and don't remember most of the 2000's, so I don't have any personal experience with the time period in which this was written and influenced by. I want to start this review by saying the following. This edition is also filled with bonus material featuring an excerpt from Miller's original plot for DARK KNIGHT RETURNS #4, sketchbook material and much more. Frank Miller has provided a new introduction, a new cover and new art for the slipcase. Now, both of these comics masterpieces are collected in one giant-sized slipcase edition for the first time ever. 15 years later, Miller's sequel, THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN, further redefined the boundaries of the superhero genre. With its dark vision of Batman's future and its stunning artwork, THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS set the world on fire. On its publication in 1986, Frank Miller's THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS changed the landscape of the graphic novel irrevocably. Each oversized volume is presented in a slipcase and includes unique additional material making each Absolute Edition a cornerstone of any serious comic collection. DC Comics Absolute Editions set the standard for the highest quality, most in-depth presentation of classic graphic novels.

Absolute the dark knight