Batman The Dark Knight Returns Essay

When it comes to reading comics, it takes patience and understanding. Since this was my first time reading a true comic book, I have a new appreciation for comic books. With the reading of Scott McCloud’s, Understanding Comics, there are many elements that go into making a comic book a true comic. Applying the teaching of color that McCloud taught in his book to the comic, Batman: Year One, the color scheme that is used in certain panels help bring the story off the page and is another form of emotions being expressed.

In the 1930s two characters appeared in comic literature that became icons of pop culture. Batman and Superman are the golden boys of DC comics and are considered the most popular of all superheroes. Being around for over seventy years these two have acquired a near endless fan base of all ages. The two kings of comics have often been portrayed as allies, though they have different views on situations. The argument of who is truly the better hero has been around since their creation. To compare these two juggernauts we must look at their defining traits; origin of the hero, their alter egos, and of course their strengths and weaknesses.

More than 70 years ago, the very first superheroes debuted in the dire times of the Great Depression and the early years of World War II. Their names became legend Superman and Batman or as he was then known, the Bat-Man), Wonder Woman, Captain America and they 're still with us today. A new exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles celebrates these icons from the Golden Age of Comic Books. Through a collection of rare original artwork and comics, the exhibit explores how a group of mostly Jewish artists created the costumed heroes who came to symbolize the hopes of a beleaguered nation."ln the 1930s, the American Dream had become a nightmare, and I think comic books and superheroes in particular provided an escapist form of entertainment that allowed the American public to go into a fantasy world where all the ills of the world were righted by these larger­ than-life heroes," says Erin Clancy, a curator at the Skirball. Guest curator Jerry Robinson not only organized the exhibit, he 's a part of it. The comic book pioneer created Batman 's arch-enemy, The Joker, and named the caped crusader 's sidekick Robin.

Heroic heroes, Batman and Gilgamesh, perform numerous brave deeds. Before Bruce becomes Batman, he receives expert training from the League of Shadows high in the mountains where he learns how to disappear, face his fears, and become more than a man. In the Iliad, Achilles has the same concept of a special weapon, his armor. In both of Batman and Gilgamesh’s’ lives, they experience a tremendously traumatic event that changes their outlook on the world and life. Batman, Bruce Wayne, watches his parents be murdered in front of his own eyes as a young child and then blames himself for their death for his entire life, until he is taught to forget the past and make the future. Gilgamesh also had someone close to him die, his best friend.

The main conflicts in the world of The Dark Knight Returns revolve around escalating crime in Gotham city and forces of the authority attempting to control it. The authority should be a moral force and represent justice. The figures that represent the authority should be selfless and work only to promote the integrity of law and order. Authority proves to be contradictory in Miller’s novel as the authoritative figures express qualities of vigilantism and overall moral ambiguity.

The Joker was once seen as a comical criminal who committed ridiculously silly crimes, such as spreading laughing gas throughout Gotham City. However, after the reinvention of Batman, The Joker was transformed into a grave and terrorizing character. Continuing the course of the new personality given to The Joker, writer Alan Moore and artist Brian Bolland created a graphic novel called The Killing Joke, “a much more complex, darker, and ultimately, frightening story” (Wooldridge) which tells one of the origins of The Joker since The Joker himself is unsure of his true inception. However, this particular graphic novel “isn’t about how the Joker came to be, it’s an examination of

The Dark Knight (2008), directed by Christopher Nolan, demonstrates the idea of good versus evil. Batman is known as the protagonist, and Joker is known as the ultimate villain. The representation of crime in the film is seen from the actions of both characters. The film essentially depicts the act of deviance meaning, “behaviour that violates social norms, including laws”. In normality the government would have the greatest amount of power, but in the Gotham city, power is complex. There is minimal structure of law and order in Gotham city due to powerful people like Batman and the Joker. Citizens of Gotham city can no longer fight for themselves in a world filled with supernatural powers. Therefore, the only hope that citizens have rest in the hands of Batman. Although Batman attempts to save Gotham city from Joker’s criminal intentions. Batman, however, also plays a role in deviant activity while attempting to catch the Joker. Realistically, Batman violates the moral code due to destructive behaviour, and putting the lives of citizens at harm. He does not care for social norms, nor whether his acts are of legality. He is devoted to combat organized crime with Harvey Dent, a district attorney in Gotham city. Batman is in fact, the definition of crime, he understands but does not abide to individual rights and social contracts which make up the rule of law. In addition, the man behind Batman, Bruce Wayne also portrays a form of deviance by disguising himself as Batman.

In the world of superheroes, there are numerous that believe they are heroes, while in actuality, they are merely vigilantes. This is demonstrated throughout the world of superheroes, but it is not as prominently demonstrated as in Batman. Batman presents himself as a hero, while he is only an over imaginative vigilante. He is more a vigilante than a hero since he has the ability to stop crime, but doesn’t, he only does deeds for his own benefit, and he helps the law but isn’t part of it. These are only a few ways Batman is a vigilante, rather than a hero. These are mainly based upon the idea of him trying to right his own past.

Batman is a depiction of hope. Batman was the answer to a lot of people’s problems in a place where nobody felt safe like they should in their home. He was like the rain after a long, dry spell for

Throughout “The Dark Knight” by Christopher Nolan crime and deviance is seen throughout the film. Crime and deviance in The Dark Knight has two faces as society accepts crime for those whose are helping them and at the same time punishes those who are punished. Society in Gotham accepts crime when the Batman commits it to help for the betterment of society; however, crime is not accepted when it is committed by mob bosses, gangs, criminal cops, and most importantly through the joker. The forms of deviancy/crime which are seen throughout the film is the Labeling Approach, Human Rights Approach, and Human Diversity Approach.

In a movie where good and evil are divided by a very thin line, the Dark Knight rises up to fight against injustice and corruption in Gotham City. An action sequel to the original Batman Begins, this installment is a lot darker filled with more explosion, twists, and suspense. For the first time, a comic has been integrated into the issues of the real world. With the help of District Attorney Harvey Dent and Lieutenant Gordon, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining mob members and clean the streets of Gotham for good. Their success is only short-lived when they encounter the Joker, a mysterious mastermind who is out to prove that nobility cannot hold in a world of anarchy.

The story of Batman is that of a man named Bruce Wayne with somewhat of a troubled past. He witnessed both of his parents’ death on the same eerie night. He was deeply affected by that night, as any child would be. On that specific night Bruce Wayne had his innocence ripped away from him and in the words of child psychiatrist Michael Brody, “A sense of trust in the world was lost” (173). That night triggered something deep inside of him, vengeance.

The artistic representation of the Batman myth is an important cultural artifact of our time because it represents modern society's thirst for heroic ideals in popular entertainment. Since his creation, readers and viewers have admired Batman's unique ability to battle villainy, transcend the law and administer justice. As cultivators of the noir genre in film as well as in literature, Americans have always identified with this enigmatic hero, who exists on the margins of society and yet represents one of the largest corporations in the world. The evolution of Batman in particular and the superhero genre in general (from comic book to television to film and back again) has seen in the latest adaptation from Christopher Nolan's Batman revamp a veritable tilting point for the character once known as the World's Greatest Detective. This paper will analyze why Batman is an important cultural artifact of our day, how he came into being, what he means for society, and how he will be treated in the future.

In this dissertation I will discuss how DC Comics have developed and improved the design of their comic books since their establishment in 1937. I will compare comics from past and present and talk about the different styles of comic books that have been released from the company. I will also talk about how the artwork from the comic books have influenced character and costume design in recent DC Comic films. I will do this by studying the history of the company and researching the designers behind the comic books. I will thoroughly research in detail the characters and the designs of their costume and equipment and compare them to the different films that have been released over the years. The main character I will look into is Batman. I will study the origins of the character, the man behind the character, the reason behind Batman’s creation, how he has changed over the years, the development of other characters in the series, the famous villains that Batman has had to face, the different costumes he has had over the years and I will also be researching and studying how Batman has become a national icon in American society, and the effects the character has had on people living in the country. Batman

Christian Bale plays Bruce Wayne also known as Batman, the protagonist who protects the citizens of Gotham City, but at the same time throughout the movie he is forced to be in difficult situations and has to make difficult decisions. At the same time the police department considers him a vigilante, because Batman acts outside of the law fighting crime differently. The Dark Knight is a plot of a classical paradigm film, but it has some aspect of formalism. In Understanding Movies -13th Edition, “Formalist movies are stylistically flamboyant. Their directors are concerned with expressing their subjective