Category: Books

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Book Review

I just finished reading the Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. It’s a comic book mini-series written and drawn by Frank Miller and published by DC Comics in 1986.

Bruce Wayne has retired from the Batman mantle after the death of the second Robin, Jason Todd, and becoming an alcoholic. Ten years pass, during which Gotham City is overwhelmed with crime and plagued by a violent gang called “The Mutants”. Bruce retakes the mantle of Batman after he encountered Mutant gangs in the alley where his parents were murdered. Batman is aided in fighting this menace by a new Robin, a young girl named Carrie Kelly.

This was a really hard book for me to put down. The art and the writing is very impressive and keeps you wanting to turn the page and look ahead at what is going to happen next. I flet that this book contains a lot of the things Batman fans want and like to see in a Batman story. Epic battles with friends and foes alike. How being batman affects Bruce Waynes life.

There is so much about this book I really want to write about. I could talk at leanth about several of the battles that occure in the comic because of how monumental they are. But i really don’t want to spoil it for anyone who has not read the book. Even if it is over 20 years old.

Just know the the comic is dark. The writing is dark. And the Batman is a dark character. Since he is much older in this story the Batman has only gotten darker with age.

Watchmen Book Review

I recently finished reading the “Watchmen” graphic novel. It was written by Alan More, with artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins and came out between 1986 and 1987 as a 12 issue comic book by DC Comics.

I wanted to read the Watchmen because of the movie coming out based on the graphic novel. I found most of the book very difficult to read. It’s a very wordy book with less action then your average Batman comic book would have.

Along the way of reading Watchmen, I found through out the book supplemental fictional documents about characters, or just random back story elements that really did help me tie the whole Watchmen story together. Things like this in a graphic novel really do separate it from all the others on the book shelf.

The whole thing for me really didn’t pull it’s self together till the very, very end. It truly was a mind fuck that you don’t see coming. I found myself suddenly pulled into the story and mentally putting all the mixed up pieces together. The closest thing I can compare this book to is the movie “Unbreakable“.

Watchmen is set in an alternate reality which closely mirrors the contemporary world of the 1980s. The primary point of divergence is the presence of superheroes. Their existence in this iteration of America is shown to have dramatically affected and altered the outcomes of real-world events such as the Vietnam War and Richard Nixon. In keeping with the realism of the series, although the costumed crime fighters of and the presidency of Watchmen are commonly called “superheroes”, the only character in the principal cast who possesses obvious superhuman powers is Doctor Manhattan. The existence of Doctor Manhattan has given the U.S. a strategic advantage over the Soviet Union, which has increased tensions between the nations. Additionally, superheroes have become unpopular among the public, which has led to the passage of legislation in 1977 to outlaw them. While many of the heroes retired, Doctor Manhattan and the Comedian operate as government-sanctioned agents, and Rorschach continues to operate outside of the law.

Fight Club Book Review

I just finished reading the book ‘Fight Club’ by Chuck Palahniuk. I don’t know how I’m supposed to talk about this book when the first rule of Fight Club is that you don’t talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is YOU DON’T TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB!

Well, I guess I am a rebel because I am going to talk about it anyway. I am a big fan of the movie and thought the book would be a fun read. Truth is that I have found the book just as enjoyable as the movie. Not any better or any worse.

I have heard lots of people say “The book is much better” when comparing books to their movie counterparts, but in many ways the Fight Club book meshes pretty well with the movie. Reading Fight Club feels like the extras or behind the sense of what should have been on the DVD’s spacial features. I think the book gives the characters more depth. This is something I don’t think people even question or think about when they are watching the movie unless maybe they have seen it a several times.

The book also answers questions I had about Project Mayhem and what all was happening in the background that they don’t really show or talk about in the movie. I guess you could say loose ends are tied up if you felt there where any in the first place.

The book is not a necessary read by any means. But if your a fan of the Fight Club movie you will find this book just adds to the movie. It does not leave you as a read feeling cheated for not having read the book before seeing the movie. It’s kind of a nice feeling that way.