| Slot: |
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns 1 |
| Item: |
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1 Signature |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
1323193012
|
Owner Comments
This books was signed by both Frank Miller and Klaus Janson, and furthermore Miller drew a small sketch.
In order to introduce this book to persons with no previous knowledge of this amazing book, let's quote Wikipedia:
"Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is a four-issue comic book limited series written and drawn by Frank Miller, originally published by DC Comics under the title Batman: The Dark Knight in 1986 [...] The Dark Knight Returns tells the story of a middle-aged Batman who comes out of retirement to fight crime, only to face opposition from the Gotham City police force and the United States government".
This book is considered to be the most important (Batman) comic books ever made, and in 2005 TIME Magazine chose the collected four-issues as one of the 10 best "English language graphic novels" ever written with these words:
"One of the best-selling graphic novels of all time, this black comedy version of Batman's latter days masterfully combines satire with superhero antics without betraying it's central character's core of danger. Along with Alan Moore & Dave Gibbon's Watchmen, it redefined the concept of "superhero," and helped spark the first wave of "serious" interest in comics".
In my opinion, this is indeed the greatest Batman publication ever (at least until this day, September 2013 ;-) - and therefore a key issue to every serious Batman comic collector. Currently, it simply does not get any better:
"Groundbreaking."
—USA TODAY
"It's film noir in cartoon panels."
—VANITY FAIR
"There's never been storytelling quite like this."
— THE WASHINGTON POST
"Changed the course of comics."
—ROLLING STONE
"Revisionist pop epic."
—SPIN
DC Comics has described the four albums in these words:
"Hailed as a comics masterpiece, THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS is Frank Miller's (300 and Sin City) reinvention of the legend of Batman. It remains an undisputed classic, one of the most influential stories ever told in comics, and is a book cited by the filmmakers as an inspiration for the most recent Batman movies.It is ten years after an aging Batman has retired, and Gotham City has sunk deeper into decadence and lawlessness. Now, when his city needs him most, the Dark Knight returns in a blaze of glory. Joined by Carrie Kelly, a teenage female Robin, Batman takes to the streets to end the threat of the mutant gangs that have overrun the city. And after facing off against his two greatest enemies, the Joker and Two-Face, for the final time, Batman finds himself in mortal combat with his former ally, Superman, in a battle that only one of them will survive".
Source: http://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/batman-the-dark-knight-returns-0
|
| Slot: |
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns 2 |
| Item: |
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #2 Signature |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
1062859003
|
Owner Comments
Full title of this book: "Batman: Dark Knight Triumphant". See the description regarding issue #1 for an elaborate introduction to the four "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" books.
In October 2015 the highest CGC grade for these books was 9.8, and just 8 books at 9.8 were part of the Signature Series making this book extremely rare.
Adding to the desirability of the signature (since signatures can be quite obtrusive to the cover illustrations), the grey silver/metal color of the signature was chosen to match the cover colors.
It has been speculated that this book inspired mass murderer James Eagan Holmes, July 20th 2012 at the Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colorado, to kill 12 people and wound 58:
"There are eerie similarities between the massacre at the Aurora multiplex during a showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” and a sequence in a seminal 1986 comic book. In the second issue of Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns” a crazed gunman stands up in the middle of a Batman-inspired porn movie and opens fire inside the crowded theater."
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/dark-knight-shooting-aurora-theater-eerie-echo-seminal-1986-comic-frank-miller-article-1.1118713#ixzz2GTsfa0Rg
According to Wikipedia, Holmes pretended to be The Joker and had dyed his hair red, which may seem strange, because The Joker normally has green hair. The gunman Arnold Crimp in DKR #2 had red hair.
Furthermore I was able to obtain the most amazing custom statue showing the book's cover in very detailed 3D (digital sculpt). This may be the finest Batman statue ever created, and I consider it an important attachment to this book. So if I one day had to part with the book the statue should follow the book, since brothers should stick together! ;-)
I would like to dedicate the statue to Benjamin Preisler Herbst at http://www.superhelten.dk , without him and his expert knowledge of rare Batman statues, I probably would never have gotten this precious item. This statue is number 3 out of 10, making it extremely rare. The size is huge, 15" base diameter, height about 14", weight probably about 15 pounds (high quality resin material, hand painted by the artist).
In August 2013 the original art cover by Frank Miller sold for an amazing $ 478,000.00 at HA.com:
http://comics.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=7079&lotNo=92234
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| Slot: |
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns 3 |
| Item: |
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #3 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 10 |
| Cert #: |
0058431072
|
Owner Comments
Full title of this book: "Batman: Hunt the Dark Knight". See the description regarding issue #1 for an elaborate introduction to the four "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" books.
In October 2015 this was the only DKR #3 book graded a perfect 10 from CGC, and one book had reached 9.9, compared to more than 420 books at 9.8. So this book is as rare as an albino northern rhino in the African Congo...
Furthermore this book contains the final version of the most expensive original page from Frank Miller, namely page 10, which sold for $448,125.00 in May 2011:
http://comics.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=7033&lotNo=92134
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