Comments on: Recovering from ‘The Dark Knight’ http://hilite.org/archives/2155 Carmel High School's student newsmagazine Thu, 17 May 2012 07:35:04 -0400 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Evan Dossey http://hilite.org/archives/2155/comment-page-1#comment-32945 Evan Dossey Sun, 04 Jan 2009 04:08:12 +0000 http://www.hilite.org/?p=2155#comment-32945 As a comic fan, I want to mention that The Dark Knight is actually closer to Batman comics over the past twenty years (and the best Batman stories) than any of the other films in the series (aside from Batman Begins). Not all comics features quirky elements; in fact, the most celebrated stories (such as The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen) feature superheroes in very un-quirky ways. Rather superheroes are treated as the metaphors they are, outside of fantasy. There is room for fantasy and quirky elements in comic books and films based upon them, but comic books, as a medium, features as wide a thematic and stylistic template as film. The Dark Knight is important because it was the first comic film to really show that. Burton's Batman films were good, but they were gritty with those 'comic-book' elements. "Watchmen" is supposed to feature the same deep dissection of superheroes as the book did, and I'm sure it will be a good representation of that element; I hope they don't attempt to cheapen it for wider appeal. The Dark Knight really *was* groundbreaking for comic book films, because it displayed that they can be as grown up and meaningful as most of the stories featured in comics currently are. As a comic fan, I want to mention that The Dark Knight is actually closer to Batman comics over the past twenty years (and the best Batman stories) than any of the other films in the series (aside from Batman Begins). Not all comics features quirky elements; in fact, the most celebrated stories (such as The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen) feature superheroes in very un-quirky ways. Rather superheroes are treated as the metaphors they are, outside of fantasy.

There is room for fantasy and quirky elements in comic books and films based upon them, but comic books, as a medium, features as wide a thematic and stylistic template as film. The Dark Knight is important because it was the first comic film to really show that. Burton’s Batman films were good, but they were gritty with those ‘comic-book’ elements.

“Watchmen” is supposed to feature the same deep dissection of superheroes as the book did, and I’m sure it will be a good representation of that element; I hope they don’t attempt to cheapen it for wider appeal.

The Dark Knight really *was* groundbreaking for comic book films, because it displayed that they can be as grown up and meaningful as most of the stories featured in comics currently are.

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