Have we been looking at The Dark Knight Returns wrong all this time?
Nov. 29, 2023The iconic cover art comes under scrutiny
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
It’s one of the most famous pieces of comics art ever, but have we been looking at it wrong for all these years? YesterdayFrank Millerand Lynn Varley’s iconic cover for 1986’s The Dark Knight Returns came under renewed scrutiny when Twitter (yes, it’s still called that, at least in our world) userKraken Kaptain (@KrakenKaptain)raised the question of if Batman is front or back facing on the cover.
Now, on the surface, that’s an easy question. The Dark Knight is clearly leaping into action with his back turned to the ‘camera’. Er… isn’t he? Actually now that I look at it again, I’m not quite so sure…
Kick-Ass and Kingsman writerMark Millarweighed inwith his viewin response to the original tweet, writing, “This blows my mind. I always, always thought it was a bold shot from behind.”
The fan response to the original tweet has seemed to fall mostly on the side of back-facing, but a few dissenting voices insist that it’s been front-facing all along. The discussion has also inspired a few amusing follow up posts, including one that depicts Batman and Superman enjoying a smooch in front of the famous lightning bolt.
The cover to The Dark Knight Returns was created by Frank Miller and colorist Lynn Varley. The original artwork sold for an astonishing $2.4 million last year, according tofinancial website Barron’s.
Meanwhile,Zack Snyderhasrevealedthat The Dark Knight Returns is the one project that could tempt him back to DC.
Comic deals, prizes and latest news
Get the best comic news, insights, opinions, analysis and more!
Where does The Dark Knight Returns sit on our list ofthe best Batman comicsof all time?
Will Salmon is the Comics Editor for GamesRadar/Newsarama. He has been writing about comics, film, TV, and music for more than 15 years, which is quite a long time if you stop and think about it. At Future he has previously launched scary movie magazine Horrorville, relaunched Comic Heroes, and has written for every issue of SFX magazine for over a decade. He sometimes feels very old, like Guy Pearce in Prometheus. His music writing has appeared in The Quietus, MOJO, Electronic Sound, Clash, and loads of other places and he runs the micro-label Modern Aviation, which puts out experimental music on cassette tape.
Creature Commandos – All the Easter eggs, references, and cameos in the first entry of James Gunn’s DC Universe
Absolute Superman #2 pokes fun at generative AI, while sparks fly between Kal-El and Lois Lane
Get hundreds of hours of RPG goodness for $30 with this bundle of 8 games that includes the first two Baldur’s Gate games, which are absolutely worth playing
