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Sarah Irani
Professor Vana
English 114B
8 May 2014
Dark Knight Returns
In the graphic novel, Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Miller uses different
characters to portray certain appearances as evil or good. The Dark Knight Returns is a comic
about Batman, the protagonist, trying to save Gotham City from the high rate of crime caused by
the Mutant Gang. The Joker, Batmans arch enemy, reappears after he hears that Batman is back
in Gotham City. The Joker comes into play and tries to sabotage Batman and his intentions get
questioned; it is then unclear whether or not Batman is using his powers for good or evil. The
Joker does many things and is different from any other character in the novel because of his
motives and lack of emotions. In particular, the Joker is a very harmful character in the graphic
novel and has the most impact throughout the story. The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller,
provides a use of symbolism through the Jokers character and appearance in order to portray
evil.
The Joker is a very sly individual and lies to the doctor and tells him that he is sane and
can be released from Arkham Asylum. Once the Joker is out of the asylum, he is featured on a
talk show and tricks Batman into coming into the studio. The Joker tricked the makeup artists
and used his red lipstick to captivate people and hypnotize them, so when he is offered lipstick,
he does not take it. The lipstick is a symbol of evil portrayed through the Joker because not a lot
of men wear bright red lipstick on a daily basis. Lipstick is not commonly used by men, so
when Miller has illustrations of a man with bright red lips and a white face, the reader does not
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think of a normal guy. When the reader sees the Joker having a white face with makeup
plastered on his face, horrific thoughts may come to mind. It is done in a loose way and is very
blotchy, so it is as if the Joker does not care how he looks. This is important because this shows
carelessness within the character and is more of a way for the reader to analyze the Joker.
The Jokers appearance is very unusual and out of the ordinary compared to the everyday
person. He wears a purple suit with a flower placed on it and has green hair, a white mask, and
bright red lipstick. All of these characteristics are very weird and unnatural and Miller uses them
to portray evil. The flower on the Jokers suit may be looked at as friendly and approachable and
that is how the Joker gets his victims. When Batman is chasing Joker through the carnival, it is
Batman who looks out of place, however, and the Joker is looked at as a clown, which is normal
for the setting. In the carnival, the Joker captivates his audience of sixteen Cub Scouts with
balloons and ends up killing them, an act of evil. In this particular part of the novel, Miller
shows the panel with the Cub Scouts without any of their faces drawn in, Figure 1. (Miller 140).
Miller does this to represent evil and to outline the Jokers true personality. The Joker uses his
appearance to his advantage and ends up killing innocent people, as well as committing suicide
and turning the events in a spin throughout the rest of the novel.
When Batman enters the studio, the Joker releases a cloud of venom on the crowd and
disappears. Batman immediately chases the Joker and they end up running through a carnival
where the Jokers kills a group of Boy Scouts and plants a bomb in the carnival. No one knows
who the Joker really is and he begins killing innocent people throughout the novel. The Joker
could be looked at a maniac because he doesnt have any shame when he kills the boy scouts.
The way that a graphic novel is set up is to ensure the reader has a visual to better understand the
text, so when Miller does not show the faces of the children, it sets a tone of sadness. The
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sadness, particularly used at this point of the novel makes the reader have a made up mind set of
this character. Children are more than often portrayed as innocent and when the faces are not
shown and the kids are killed, it makes the reader feel helpless and mad at anyone for doing such
an absurd thing. When any book shows the innocent killings of children, it has the author
thinking of evil and the use of symbolism. The reason that the boys faces were not drawn in is
because Miller wants the reader to feel as if the boys could be anyone, a brother, son or friend. It
is an eerie realization then that we find the Joker guilty of evil. After the Joker kills the innocent
civilians of the carnival, he ends up snapping his neck and killing himself in a way that looks as
if Batman killed him. This shows the manipulative personality that the Joker really had and it
makes everyone feel different about Batman; is he a superhero, or a villain?
Many people may argue that the Joker is not insane, but is merely doing what Batman is
doing, taking matters into his own hands. This is a valid argument because although the Joker
was declared insane and was held in the Arkham Asylum, the doctor released him without
question. The doctor who let the Joker out of the asylum without question was very odd and it
seems as if they are both on the same side of evil. Not many professional doctors would let out
an insane person and let them wander the streets without proof of being a better person. In the
1988 comic book The Killing Joker, The Joker is a chemical engineer who quit his job to become
a stand-up comedian. He fails miserably, which leaves him very bitter. (Cohen). The Joker and
Batman both have troubled pasts and have taken their way of dealing with it into opposite
directions. The Joker is aware of the crime that he causes, but it is just a part of who he is, just
how Batman helps the innocent. The Joker snaps back to life, full of murderous plans. Their
relationship has the seductive, cosmic push-pull of a predestined romance (Fu). Without the
Joker, Batman would not have as much crime to fight and would mainly be back into Bruce
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Wayne, the man behind the mask. However, when there is an illegal action taking place, there
must be something wrong with the individual. Throughout the carnival scene, the Joker runs
through the house of mirrors to trick Batman into following him while there is a bomb planted on
a roller coaster. He grabs a little kid and holds him at gun point when Batman arrives and
Batman saves the boy. The boy constantly cusses and Batman is trying to set a good example by
telling him to watch his language. The intentions of the Joker and Batman are very different; one
to help and the other to kill, and that is what makes the difference between being insane and
helping others.
Overall, The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller is a graphic novel based around good
and evil through the use of symbols. The appearance and motives of each character symbolize
many different objects throughout the graphic novel. Millers use of abnormality helped show
the readers the different ways that some people can be throughout the novel, as well as life, and
allows for many different interpretations of the characters. Without the antagonist, there will not
be a protagonist and that is what fuels this graphic novel into play.
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(Figure
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Works Cited
Cohen, Alex. "The Joker: Torn Between Good And Evil." NPR. NPR, 16 July 2008. Web. 28
Apr. 2014.
Fu, Kim. Caped Crusador, Or Cruel Sadist? Miller Makes One Fan Wonder.NPR. Npr, 12
Jan, 2014. Web. 07 May 2014.
Miller, Frank, Kalus Janson, et al: The Dark Knight Returns. New York, NY: DC Comics, 2002.
Print.