WI: No Dark Knight Returns

Let's say as our POD that DC never publishes the Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. This will obviously have a major impact on Frank's career and on comics as a whole. Maybe the whole Grim and Gritty trend never starts and the Dark Age of Comics with it. Your thoughts?
 
Grim and gritty came because the business men are dumb about interpreting what the creative people do. As is generally the case. True, DKR did influence that era of comics. It also helped usher in the "Dark Age" of the 1990s of grimderp and bad writing. Such was the result of misunderstanding what something like DKR was really doing. But the other thing that helped that along was Watchmen. Watchmen will still exist all the same.

Neal Adams' Batman, prior to Miller, brought Batman into the realm of realism and seriousness. Miller took it to a very dark place, that may have even been too far. It may stay on that level.

Also, without DKR, you would not have the Batman/Superman rift in comics. Miller broke up those two.
 
There are definity effects on Frank Miller's career. Sin City is vastly different if it gets made at all.
 
Well, honestly, the Batman comic series had been dark since the Neil Adams run in the early 70's. Had there not been a Dark Knight Returns, something, maybe The Killing Joke, would have taken its place as the story that put the Dark back into the Dark Knight.

As for Frank Miller, I have a feeling he would probably not go crazy. He would be a popular, but largely unremarkable comic writer.
 
Miller was already a big enough star to do only the projects he wanted. DKR had the impact it did because everyone knew about Batman, and it was so different from the television series. So from a cultural point of view, Miller's new work is unlikely to have that impact. However, I don't see it impacting Miller's output at all.

If DC doesn't want DKR, then Miller likely completes the projects he was working on for Marvel. He may continue on Daredevil after completing the Born Again storyline as there was supposed to be a second story drawn by Walter Simonson. He may continue to do work on DD or perhaps another series for Marvel since I doubt he'll do a Batman: Year One without having done DKR. Ultimately though, Miller releases his independent projects through Dark Horse Comics including Sin City and 300.

I don't see how not doing DKR means there is no Sin City. Miller was already big enough among comics fans to be successful. The changes are on the larger cultural front with how non-comics readers view comics, especially with possible changes to the 1989 Batman movie (which actually didn't rely on Miller's work at all, but the earlier work by Denny O'Neil/Neil Adams and Steve Englehart/Marshall Rogers) because of the perception by studio bosses as to what a comics movie should be.
 
Miller was already a big enough star to do only the projects he wanted. DKR had the impact it did because everyone knew about Batman, and it was so different from the television series. So from a cultural point of view, Miller's new work is unlikely to have that impact. However, I don't see it impacting Miller's output at all.

If DC doesn't want DKR, then Miller likely completes the projects he was working on for Marvel. He may continue on Daredevil after completing the Born Again storyline as there was supposed to be a second story drawn by Walter Simonson. He may continue to do work on DD or perhaps another series for Marvel since I doubt he'll do a Batman: Year One without having done DKR. Ultimately though, Miller releases his independent projects through Dark Horse Comics including Sin City and 300.

I don't see how not doing DKR means there is no Sin City. Miller was already big enough among comics fans to be successful. The changes are on the larger cultural front with how non-comics readers view comics, especially with possible changes to the 1989 Batman movie (which actually didn't rely on Miller's work at all, but the earlier work by Denny O'Neil/Neil Adams and Steve Englehart/Marshall Rogers) because of the perception by studio bosses as to what a comics movie should be.
That is an extensive analysis .
 
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