Batman: Freedom Fighter?!?

Anyone read Frank Miller? He’s worked in comics for decades, now. Wrote a Batman story that Tim Burton used as the basis for his film “Batman”. He came back to Batman a couple of years ago, writing a sequel to his long and often praised “Batman, The Dark Knight Returns” called “Batman, The Dark Knight Strikes Again” or “DK2” for short.

It was written and drawn shortly before the 9/11 tragedies and this unending “War on Terrorism” began and finds our hero, long-thought dead by his world, hidden and plotting to overthrow a tyrranical Amerikan government, who keeps it’s subjects in check by blackmailing and strongarming them into submission through unending martial law deemed necessary for national security, domestic spying, and other dirty tricks. The result of these tactics is continued domestic and economic success, but at heart lies some nefarious doings. Examples are a holographic President, whose master complains that the compassion levels need to be spiked, a perpetuated falsehood of democracy, and most chilling, the thought that “Freedom of Press is a wonderful thing, so long as no one is listening.”

Miller’s claim is that the story was completely coincidental to real world events, and this book has largely been crucified by comics purists who hate the art or think the book itself done for the quick buck. Whatever prevailing thought might be on this book, Miller, whether intentional or unintentional, raises some good questions in his story.

Now, I hear, Miller is going to write a book, where Batman will wage a one man war on terrorism as he goes after plotters who have committed atrocities not unlike 9/11. I’ll wait for the book before I serve judgement on that.