History YMMV / TheDarkKnightStrikesAgain

* ContestedSequel: The book received a more mixed reception when compared to [[ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns its predecessor]]. Frequent complaints include an inconsistent art style (Superman is usually drawn in heavy detail, while everyone else looks like a ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' character), convoluted story (side characters are introduced and immediately thrown away) and overall seems to have very little purpose outside of cashing in on its more celebrated predecessor.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: Apparently Superman is supposed to be seen in the wrong when he says to his daughter that they shouldn't take over the Earth.

* DesignatedHero: Batman, who displays very little regard for human life, despite his aim at overthrowing Luthor. He breaks into Luthor's office early on and has the chance to end things right there, but instead just leaves. When Superman explains to his daughter why they shouldn't just take over the world, Batman actually argues against him, and perhaps his crowning MoralEventHorizon is that he assembles a rebellion composed of girls in costumes, who play no important role in the story and simply die and accomplish nothing. They were untrained, unpowered girls ''cosplaying'' superheroes, while he knows ''real'' superheroes, which didn't stop him from leading the "Superchix" to their doom. Also, he thinks nothing of letting an incident where many people are being killed continue because it'll be a good distraction from his plan. Even if that plan was for the greater good, neither Batman under anyone else's pen (including Frank himself even ten years prior) nor ''anyone'' worth rooting for would let civilians die because ''the distraction made his job a little easier.'' (Or any other reason, really, unless it was a SadisticChoice of truly being unable to stop it and so focusing on what he ''could'' do. Clearly not the case here.)

* DesignatedHero: Batman, who displays very little regard for human life, despite his aim at overthrowing Luthor. He breaks into Luthor's office early on and has the chance to end things right there, but instead just leaves. When Superman explains to his daughter why they shouldn't just take over the world, Batman actually argues against him, and perhaps his crowning MoralEventHorizon is that he assembles a rebellion composed of girls in costumes, who play no important role in the story and simply die and accomplish nothing. They were untrained, unpowered girls ''cosplaying'' superheroes, while he knows ''real'' superheroes, which didn't stop him from leading the "Superchix" to their doom. Also, he thinks nothing of letting an incident where many people are being killed continue because it'll be a good distraction from his plan. Even if that plan was for the greater good, neither Batman under anyone else's pen (including Frank himself even ten years prior) nor ''anyone'' worth rooting for would let civilians die because it made ''the distraction made his job a little easier.'' (Or any other reason, really, unless it was a SadisticChoice of truly being unable to stop it and so focusing on what he ''could'' do. Clearly not the case here.)

* {{Wangst}}: After getting his arse kicked by Batman, Superman gets pretty mopey and doesn't snap out of it until Wonder Woman screws him.

* NarmCharm: The artstyle can be considered charming in it's own sense, due to the odd and distinctive way everyone is drawn combined with the vibrant colors give it a strange and trippy vibe.
* OlderThanTheyThink: People like [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] assumed that porn star Hot Gates, the new Big Barda, is a cute little reference to a location in Miller's own ''ComicBook/ThreeHundred''. Hot Gates was actually a very ''very'' '''''very''''' minor character in ''The Dark Knight Returns'' who was a subject of one of the various random news stories in that book. It's also a part of Miller's AuthorAppeal surrounding Thermopylae.

* UncannyValley: Creator/FrankMiller was pretty new at using Photoshop and this was his first attempt to make a full book with it, and it ''shows''. Pretty much every panel has fancy colours in place of actual backgrounds and in several instances the characters lack the "depth" normally seen in conventional coloured works.

* ContestedSequel: The book received a more mixed reception when compared to [[ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns its predecessor]]. Frequent complaints include an inconsistent art style (Superman is usually drawn in heavy detail, while everyone else looks like a South Park character), convoluted story (side characters are introduced and immediately thrown away) and overall seems to have very little purpose outside of cashing in on its more celebrated predecessor.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodLineArt: While Frank Miller's art wasn't exactly gorgeous, the colors were often garish and lacked any sense of depth or texture, in stark contrast to the muted coloring of the original (which was done by the same colorist).

* MoralEventHorizon: Batman himself crosses with a plan to start a revolution with a bunch of girls who cosplay as superheroes, [[RealityEnsues which gets all of them killed]]. Batman had actual superheroes aiding him, so there was no reason for him to involve the cosplayers.

* AssPull: The number of times Batman has supposedly planned for things is ridiculous. For starters, he has a pair of giant kryponite gloves, despite ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' stating what he had in the comic was all he could get, and it only gets worse from there.

* ShockingSwerve: Infamously, [[spoiler: the Joker's identity as Dick Grayson comes out of nowhere and the book does very little to explain how it actually happened.]]

* CrazyAwesome: ComicBook/PlasticMan fights soldiers by turning into a toilet, and then flushing them.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: One of the sole highlights of the book is Plastic Man showing off [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower how broken his superpower actually is.]] See CrazyAwesome above.

** The art contrasts extremely with that of its predecessor in being neon, simplified, [[http://i.imgur.com/5KLjf.png and]] [[http://i.imgur.com/Ynh7ZNt.jpg?1 much]] ''[[https://www.thesmartset.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/CM_MAUTNER_MILLER_AP_005.png much]]'' [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wqKcpxxJH1Q/VTx00x82iUI/AAAAAAAK7vc/Dhrr7ENtDkk/s1600/p8_74%2Bcopy.jpg worse.]] Also, Frank Miller seems to think that female pelvises are horizontally placed. In fact, there's barely one woman in the entire comic who ends up looking normal/slightly physically possible/not horribly warped, and when they do, it's usually because they're concealed behind something. Even when they are ostensibly standing up straight, they get warped into having one leg massively thicker than another or are leaning waaay over to one side.

* UncannyValley: FM was pretty new at using Photoshop and this was his first attempt to make a full book with it, and it ''shows''. Pretty much every panel has fancy colours in place of actual backgrounds and in several instances the characters lack the "depth" normally seen in conventional coloured works.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Many fans of ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' would prefer to pretend that this comic doesn't exist. Even those who don't consider it the worst thing ever never consider this Batman to be the same character as that Batman, let alone the mainstream one. In the eyes of most fans, this story's ending turning out to be what the horrible mistreatment by ''ComicBook/AllStarBatmanAndRobinTheBoyWonder'''s InNameOnly version of Batman [[TortureMakesYouEvil drove Robin to]] is all this ''or'' that series have to do with anything else.

* ContestedSequel: The book received a more mixed reception when compared to [[ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns its predecessor]].

** The art contrasts extremely with that of its predecessor in being neon, simplified, [[http://i.imgur.com/5KLjf.png and much worse.]] Also, Frank Miller seems to think that female pelvises are horizontally placed. In fact, there's barely one woman in the entire comic who ends up looking normal/slightly physically possible/not horribly warped, and when they do, it's usually because they're concealed behind something. Even when they are ostensibly standing up straight, they get warped into having one leg massively thicker than another or are leaning waaay over to one side.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodLineArt: While Frank Miller's art wasn't exactly gorgeous, the colors were often garish, in stark contrast to the muted coloring of the original (which was done by the same colorist).

* UncannyValley: FM was pretty new at using Photoshop and this was his first attempt to make a full book with it, and it ''shows''.

* DesignatedHero: Batman, who displays very little regard for human life, despite his aim at overthrowing Luthor. He breaks into Luthor's office early on and has the chance to end things right there, but instead just leaves. When Superman explains to his daughter why they shouldn't just take over the world, Batman actually argues against him, and perhaps his crowning MoralEventHorizon is that he assembles a rebellion composed of girls in costumes, who play no important role in the story and simply die and accomplish nothing.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Many fans of ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' would prefer to pretend that this comic doesn't exist.

* AssPull: The number of times Batman has supposedly planned for things is ridiculous. For starters, he has a pair of giant kryponite gloves, despite ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' stating what he had in the comic was all he could get, and it only gets worse from there.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Many fans of ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' would prefer to pretend that this comic doesn't exist.

** ComicBook/LexLuthor is Superman's ArchEnemy and the current de facto ruler of the United States. Seizing control of the country after installing a hologram to [[PuppetKing assume the role of the president]], Luthor proceeded to turn the entire country into a police state. Recruiting the help of Brainiac, Luthor kept the superheroes of Earth in line by threatening to kill their loved ones. The heroes that Luthor did not find useful were either imprisoned or subjected to horrific genetic experiments. After a series of raids by led by Batman reinvigorates the public's interest in superheroes, Luthor snaps and begins cracking down on any super-heroic activities. Luthor launches a missile strike against Costa Rica that kills [[spoiler:Hawkman and Hawkgirl]], while he orders his forces to open fire on a concert held by "The Superchix". Luthor has Brainiac kill thousands of people in Metropolis in an attempt to discredit superheroes, not caring at all about the innocent lives lost. Luthor later captures Batman and begins torturing him while gloating how the rebellion has given him the perfect opportunity to use his [[KillSat satellite defense network]] to kill most of the world's population and allow him to rule what's left. Lacking any pretenses of helping his fellow man, Lex Luthor is motivated [[ItsAllAboutMe entirely by his lust for power]].

* MoralEventHorizon: Batman himself crosses with a plan to start a revolution with a bunch of girls who cosplay as superheroes, [[RealityEnsues which gets all of them killed]]. Batman had actual superheroes aiding him, so there was no reason for him