I used to HATE Frank Miller's Dark Knight Strikes Again, but 3 years later I totally get it

For years I trashed that book because the art looked messy and the story felt all over the place. Then I listened to a 45-minute podcast breakdown on how Miller was intentionally copying newspaper comic strips from the 1930s, and it clicked for me. Now I see it as a satire of superhero comics and politics, not a serious Batman sequel. Has anyone else gone back and changed their mind about a comic they hated at first?

3 comments

3 Comments

wood.zara21d ago

I bought DKSA the day it came out and skimmed it once before putting it on my shelf to collect dust. Two years later I pulled it out during a move and actually read the whole thing in one sitting. The art still looks like scribbles to me and the political jokes feel like they were written by a teenager who just discovered Fox News. I get that Miller was going for a specific style but that doesn't make it good reading.

jenniferwells21d ago

Agreed with @wood.zara that the political stuff feels really low effort. I had a similar experience with a Frank Miller book a few years back (the one he did with Lynn Varley). I kept trying to force myself to like it because people said it was a masterpiece, but eventually I just admitted it wasn't for me. The art style thing especially drives me crazy when people act like messy scribbles are somehow deep. I think some creators get so wrapped up in their own vibe they forget the reader has to actually enjoy it. Life's too short to pretend something's good when it just isn't working for you.

kai80721d ago

and honestly that idea of forcing yourself to like something because everyone says it's great, that happens everywhere not just in comics. @wood.zara i feel like your point about the art looking like scribbles is exactly what i mean, like we've all had that moment where we're looking at something and wondering if we're the crazy ones for not seeing the genius. it's like that thing with movies that get hyped to death and you finally watch them and you're just sitting there like wait this is it? i've started telling myself it's okay to just say nah this isn't for me and move on without having to write a whole essay about why. life's too short to stare at scribbles and pretend they're profound.