The last decade and change have not been overly kind to the
legend and legacy of Frank Miller. Both
of His new millennium endeavors involving the caped crusader have proven to be
nonsensical and extraneous. The highly anticipated The Dark Knight Strikes Again was the graphic novel equivalent of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. All-Star
Batman & Robin The Boy Wonder somehow managed to be even worse. To add insult to injury, the poor reception of
DK2 seemed to spark a collective
reconsideration of Millers entire catalogue among fandom, with many now viewing
it as mildly diverting yet childish and derivative. Cinematic versions of Sin City and 300 offered
Miller a rebirth of sorts, but that momentum was quickly stalled by his ill-conceived
adaptation of Will Eisner’s The Spirit.