Comic Review: Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child (2019-) #1

Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child (2019-) #1

DC Comics

Writer: Frank Miller

Artist: Rafael Grampa

Dark Knight Returns – The Golden Child, the latest addition to Frank Miller’s long-running canon of Batman stories, is a hard book to describe. Put simply, it feels like it’s telling several different stories at once but doesn’t have the page count to totally stick the landing on any of them. That’s not to say that Golden Child is a bad comic. There are certainly good ideas here, and thankfully none as outlandish as the Dick Grayson Joker from The Dark Knight Strikes Again nor as potentially offensive as Miller’s 2011 graphic novel Holy Terror, but overall Golden Child’s one-shot format hampers its potential. 

Golden Child’s story is three-fold and picks up a few years after the end of Dark Knight III. The book follows Lara and Jonathan, the children of Superman, as they learn to use their powers and observe growing chaos among humanity, Carrie Kelley in her new role as Batwoman attempting to maintain peace on the streets, and finally Darkseid and the Joker as they attempt to sow disorder among humanity in the lead up to (apparently) the 2020 U.S. election. The first two of these plots are the more compelling, as they build upon plot threads that Miller and Brian Azzarello introduced in DKIII. They are also the more explained and developed of Golden Child’s narratives, as the Joker/Darkseid plot isn’t really set up. The book offers no explanation for how the Joker is alive again following his death in the original Dark Knight Returns, nor does it fully explain Darkseid’s interest in a comparatively small-scale federal election. This is where the problem with the one-shot format shows most clearly; Darkseid’s political aspirations aside, all of these plots could have benefited from extra page time. As it stands, the resolutions feel rushed and while the message of the story is clear by its end, it doesn’t quite feel earned.

The characters of Lara, Jonathan, Carrie, and Darkseid are fairly entertaining if not groundbreaking. Lara and Carrie fit in with their previous depictions from DKIII as headstrong, driven, and at times abrasive, and their interactions give insight into the hierarchy of Batman’s operation without explicitly stating it. (Spoiler: despite being set in the Dark Knight universe, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman don’t actually appear here, which may be a dealbreaker for some readers.) Jonathan and Lara act as great foils for each other early on through their opposing stances on humanity and their roles in human society. The real highlight, however, is Darkseid. For his first appearance in the Dark Knight universe, the ruler of Apokolips is sufficiently threatening, even if his goals aren’t fully fleshed out. As a side note, Golden Child is heavy on internal monologue and dialogue bubbles, much like Miller’s recent Superman: Year One. This does slow down the flow of the issue but also at least helps give a bit more insight into the major characters.

Rafael Grampa’s art also helps to elevate Golden Child into decency. Grampa’s art style doesn’t contain the blockiness of Miller’s original style circa 1986, but the detail in the linework and the vibrant-yet-faded color palette bring in some of the vibe of the original DKR. The action looks great, and Darkseid has rarely looked more imposing. The flaws in the art come with Grampa’s depiction of Jonathan Kent, who in a couple of panels, appears oddly sinister and not much like any child has ever looked.

Overall, Dark Knight Returns – The Golden Child is a decent side story in Frank Miller’s Dark Knight canon. The story presents some interesting ideas in tandem with a bit of contemporary political commentary, though this is Golden Child’s weakest aspect. The art and characters are stronger, offering strong action scenes and generally decent designs while building on characterization from Dark Knight III. It’s not bad, but it would have been nice to see more of it.