No one is able to harm a person more than himself.
No one could have spoiled Frank Miller’s reputation as Frank Miller himself. In the eighties he was called the Savior Daredevil and Batman, in the nineties – the luminaries of independent comics, in two thousandths – a sexist, racist and graphomaniac.
And all this is quite reasonable. Nobody knows what actually happened to the gifted author, but you will see the consequences with your own eyes, as thousands of annoyed fans of the comixer once saw them.
The Dark Knight Strikes Again (2001)
To create a continuation of a cult work is risky. Do this many years after the release of the original is generally a bad idea. So far, last year, we have not brought us the “awakening of power” and the “road of rage”, there perhaps, success in this field, perhaps, was not. But in 2001, Frank Miller decided, like his hero, to return triumphantly – with a continuation that no one was waiting for at all.
► And such a riot of colors is waiting for you on each page.
► And here you can observe your favorite personnel distribution.
So, after the events The Dark Knight Returns has passed. The world managed to finally shave off during this time. News of the news are conducted by naked girls or characters of anime, instead of superheroes-Gerls-band “Superchi”, consisting of short-haired girls in costumes with symbols of the members of the Justice League, but the president does not exist, it is a hologram. The planet is ruled by the fat Lex Lutor and a Braine -like toad.
In all this, Transmetropolitan, only Batman and his militia, formed from re -educated street bandits, continue to fight. Carey Kelly helps them, a matured robbin girl from the Return of the Dark Knight. She is now a new female woman (or a woman-tigress, because in stripes), and for some reason she has either rollers or sneakers on a giant platform.
Batman's gang conducts underground subversive activities, destroying strategically important objects and freeing the hardened and aged members of the league. And Superman is again a puppet, because Luther holds hostage in hostage to the inhabitants of Condor – the last surviving Crypton city.
► You have to see these cute faces more often than Batman.
Put the aged superhero in an anti -utopian city under the control of the victorious villains is not the worst idea that the same popular “old Logan” proves. Frankly, any concept has the right to exist, everything rests only on the implementation.
And with the implementation in The Dark Knight Strikes AGain (hereinafter DK 2), just trouble. Perhaps the success and long work on the Sin City series influenced Miller as an artist and screenwriter that he was simply ascended or forgot how to write something except hypertrophied noir. Or maybe it was a risky experiment or a joke that no one understood. Be that as it may, DK 2 is physically difficult to read.
► Get to know the local action.
Miller's cartoon drawing repels, mockery of human anatomy and unnatural poses of characters make it difficult to perceive, and building personnel on the page simply prevents understanding what is happening. Lin Varley, the wife of Miller and his colorist, used digital painting, which in the beginning of the zero was still in a novelty.
It would be better if she didn't do it.
The comic book is similar to uncontrolled acid trip. You just have a head. Even if you still survive the drawing, you will repose in the absence of a coherent storyline. It seems to be, but it has to be assembled together independently from a set of wild scenes, each of which is dancing a tank on the bones of the “return of the dark knight”.
► Wonder Woman Frank Miller. It looks like her back is broken.
In The Dark Knight Returns, Batman's fight with Superman was filed as an important, fateful event. He was preceded by preparation and intense expectation. It was clear that for the middle -aged Bruce it was almost ritual suicide, a fight with a fate in which he will stand or die fighting.
And in DK 2, Batman simply beats Kent to the blood with cartoon cryptonite gloves, it is worth it to appear with claims. Then a beaten and whimpering soup receives comforting sex with a miracle-female on several pages, during which lovers-half-dies shake the earth so that they accidentally arrange a tsunami and eruption of a volcano.
There is nothing special to say about Batman himself, since he is incredibly few in the comic book. He is still a crazy militarist, obsessed with war, and it is not so important who to fight with. Each new mess Bruce rejoices almost to a happy laughter. And he no longer hides his sadistic inclinations: in one of the scenes he uses a new cloak with a sharp edge, which chop off his hand to one bandit, and the other taps his stomach. Very heroic.
► Calculate how much it has been ground under the wheels, and how many will not wake up the next day due to injuries.
In the year of the release of The Dark Knight Strikes AGain, the DC publishing house has become the best -selling comic book. Fans simply swept a book from the shelves, promising to continue one of the best stories about Batman, even though she did not need any continuation. And it is quite natural that many were shocked. “Mr. Miller, this is a joke?"
As in the case of any first failure of a great master, one of the devoted fans of the comic even liked. It saw the subtle author's self -irony and the rough, but the original deconstruction of the image of a dark knight.
The majority decided that Miller had a corny.
► this is Miller's Lex Lutor looks. Why in sneakers and underpants, science is not known.
All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder (2005-2008)
So we got to the lowest point in the career of Frank Miller (except for the anti-Islamic campaign “Holy Terror!»2007). A comic book that is called the worst work about Batman and put on one board with Joel Schumacher's film. Offensive, stupid, vulgar, protracted, meaningless – it's all about him. Meet, in the ALL Star Batman & arena Robin the Boy Wonder!
► Batman Taran spreads several police cars. Let the cops in them were sales, but still they were living people.
All the same universe The Dark Knight Returns. Events unfold between the period between the Year One and the actual “return”, although some technical details indicate the present. Even young Bruce Wayne, being together with the journalist Vicki Vale at a circus performance, witnesses the death of the parents of the young acrobat Dick Grayson. It seems to be a familiar script that fits into the canon.
But no, Miller sees everything and shows in his own way. His Bruce Wayne has long noticed a talented guy, so the death of the "flying Grassons" became for him only the reason for the action. Not allowing an orphaned child to recover, Batman grabs him by the scruff and puts him in a Batmobile, actually kidnapping. No hospital, no psychological assistance-in the BET Pecher, for training.
To the question of the confused boy – who is he, in fact, such? – Good and responsive Bruce replies: “What are you mentally retarded? I am the devil Batman! "(In the original" Goddamn Batman " – this phrase instantly became a meme among readers). Bringing the future Robin to his shelter, the sadist in a bathing costum orders Alfred in no case to feed him, and Dick states that his new life begins with hunting. That is, for the sake of food, this will have to be caught and eaten by cave rats, moreover, raw.
Well, after that, the knight of the night goes to fight crime, that is, to cripple, burn and dirty call people.
► And this policeman was not lucky even more. Batman, apparently, provided his neck fracture.
In parallel, we are shown a meeting of the Miller version of the justice league, consisting entirely of disgusting personalities: a caricature feminist of a miracle woman, a hysterical superman, a dull green lantern and is not known as a plastic person that has been clogged https://sister-site.org/scarab-wins/ there. Together they say that Batman spoils their superhero image and that it was time to deal with him.
And there is also a black canary who works as a waitress in a bar, but wants to become a superheroine. Remember the woman of the Year One, a prostitute and expert on martial arts? Meet her worthy heiress. She owns kun-fu, but how and why-a riddle. Apparently, according to Miller, each girl should be capable of becoming an avenger in a mask at the first call of her heart.
In fact, a black canary is needed only so that Batman has slept with her in the rain after a fight with bandits. Yes, yes, there is such an episode here. Does it affect the plot? Not at all. Here, in principle, nothing affects the plot, because there is no plot as such.
► Justice League, which should be renamed to the league of Kretinov.
► All Miller's heroes swear dirty about and without.
All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder consists of ten issues that have been released for three years with huge delays. For these ten issues there have been a lot and nothing. Remember the long -suffering last year's "fantastic four". The scheme is the same: the tie – the tie – the plot is still – confusion – credits.
Miller to the last introduced into the plot of the characters that are present on a pair of pages, do not affect anything and disappear without a trace. A parade of meaningless cameo for stretching a comic book and making even greater profit from sales. After all, in fact, All Star Batman & Robin exists with one purpose – to show the audience of the Miller Batman in the color of the years. And believe me, you don't want to see him.
► Black Canary arranges a fight in the bar for no reason, simply because the comic book needs another action -packed scene.
If the Dark Knight Returns could say that Wayne was fierce for years, and in the Year One he was desperate and inexperienced, then all excuses are exhausted by themselves. Batman Frank Miller of the 2005 model is a finished psycho, sadist, misanthrope and killer. He constantly growls, yells, laughs, insults everyone he will meet, and for a minute he does not doubt that he is smarter than all.
Sometimes it seems that a crazy and socially dangerous cave in a cloak is running around Gotam, which is not able to restrain his momentary impulses. He wanted to – beat people, wanted to – set fire, wanted – slept on the street with a stranger in a mask, wanted to – stole a boy who had just survived the death of his parents.
No, Miller does not deconstruct the image of Batman – he perverts him. Turns the hero into a true fascist and justifies – yes, justifies – his every action. Because he is a real fighter with crime for the author, and the justice league is pathos clowns, squelching, who do not understand how to dispose of his own. That is why they will then lose the battle for the Earth in DK 2, and Batman will remain the last stronghold of disobedience.
► Batman set fire to people. Batman set fire to people!
The first release of All Star Batman & Robin made a real splash. Critics were rampant, and readers laughed in a voice over the "damn Batman". Everyone converged in one thing: the drawing of Jim Lee, the main star of DC that time, is magnificent, but what Frank Miller wrote on paper on paper.
However, the first numbers were well sold, because everyone was interested in how far his unhealthy fantasy would lead the screenwriter. But pretty soon it is tired of even the most curious. The series barely reached the tenth output, she was hastily covered and hastened to forget as a terrible dream.
► The angle is certainly important for the plot.
From then to this day, the career of Frank Miller as a screenwriter seems to be frozen. Last year, DC for some reason again blew off the dust with the Universe of The Dark Knight Returns and began the series The Dark Knight 3: The Master Race, which so far demonstrates excellent sales. However, Miller himself acts only in the role of the co -author – the main work is performed by another Nuar lover, screenwriter Brian Azzarello.
► The scene famous for its enchanting stupidity: to weaken the green lantern, Batman painted the whole room and himself with yellow paint. What prevents the flashlight from just going out – a secret covered with dark.
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Batmeniana Frank Miller is an important phenomenon for the comic book world. This is a good example of how the style of some authors changes over time, and an example of a non -standard approach to a famous character and a familiar universe. In the end, these are just two excellent comics and two more funny (for someone). We hope that Ben Affleck will take the correct graphic novels as a source of inspiration for a new knight, and his Batman will not, the devilishly laugh, abduct little boys.