The Dark Knight Returns: Styling and Composition, Characterization

Narrative structure
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The Dark Knight Returns is a comic book written by James Miller starring Batman. It tells a story of a 55-year-old retiree who returns to Gotham City to fight crime as a vigilante. However, he faces stiff opposition from the law enforcers as well as the government. In the previous comic book series, Batman had already defeated the villain (the Joker) and had decided to disappear for a while (Crutcher, 2011). However, with the continued rise in crime levels in Gotham City, he decided to return to save the city. The paper provides an in-depth description of the comic book based on the graphics scene provided below.
#1


Color
The color in the above scene communicates a feeling of fear and anticipation. In comic books, the black color is usually associated with darkness or nightfall. This is usually the time when most crimes are committed. The red shade that comes after the sound effect of a siren depicts the red light that is often emitted by a sounding police siren. The red color is often associated with danger and thus, this would explain why the police officers are in a rush. For instance, the car could be in pursuit of a getaway car used by a couple of bad guys fleeing from the scene of the crime. The theme of the comic book is about fighting crime in a city that has experienced an upsurge in the crime rate (Daniels, 2004). The two characters are both police officers who are on their way to fight crime in the city of Gotham. The officer on the left side is driving the car while his counterpart is in the co-driver seat. The officer driving the car seems a bit old and experienced and is probably in his early 50s. His colleague on the other hand is much younger, probably in his late 20s and is in his beginning of his police career.
Styling and composition
The letter E repeated continually represents the sound of the police siren. The crying sound of the police siren is a common thing in Gotham City due to its high crime rate. A police siren is often used to clear traffic to allow the cops car to rush to the destination with minimal delay. The siren sound often depicts the presence of danger or an emergency since it is commonly used in police cars and ambulances. The older officer driving the car is more composed and seems aware of what is about to happen. The younger officer is less composed and is probably more anxious compared to his counterpart. The officer is also worried and is in anticipation since it is probably his first day in the field. Moreover, he is certainly not aware of the presence of a vigilante in Gotham City who is rumored to have prevented several crimes from happening including saving the lives of numerous crime victims. Based on his composure the officer driving the car has noticed the presence of Batman and, therefore, decides to slow down the car to the amusement of his counterpart who is still clueless. This prompts the young officer to ask him why he was slowing down yet they are rushing to a crime scene that is probably out of control (Chute & DeKoven, 2007). The reason for slowing down the car is quite apparent since the older officer is aware that Batman has just flown in to save the day. Therefore, both officers have to stay calm and let the vigilante (Batman) do the work for them.
Characterization
As mentioned earlier, the scene above portrays the character of two police officers rushing to fight crime. One of the police officers is much older and more experienced than the other officer who is probably fresh from the police academy. The two characters reinforce the theme of crime in the scene since they are both in a police car driving at a high speed and with a siren alerting those around of an emergency (Duncan, Smith & Levitz, 2015). The older officer is more informed and aware of the event ahead while his counterpart is somewhat clueless and anxious.
#2


Color and styling
The scene above portrays a news station reporting the presence of a vigilante who people are not sure if it is Batman. The image behind the news anchor depicts the label that is identified with Batman. The yellow background color portrays a sign of hope, that is, the promise of a safer city due to the presence of Batman, the vigilante. The dark color of the bat sign depicts the mystery that shrouds the character of Batman. Sections of the population in the city of Gotham are fearful of Batman while others view him as a hero. This probably explains why Batman continues to face opposition from the government as well as the police officers. On the other hand, Batman is envied and admired by most of Gotham city residents some of who he has come to their rescue (Robin).
The news briefing in the above scene displays the logo of Batman. The logo showcases the image of a bat on a yellow background. The logo is symbolic since it depicts the perceived arrival of Batman in the city of Gotham. This is the case because the darkened bat appear as if it is about to make a landing. The news anchor informs the audience that there is evidence of what seems to be the return of Batman although no one has confirmed his presence in Gotham City.
Characterization and composition
The character portrayed in the scene is that of a female news anchor who seems fascinated by what could be Batman’s return to Gotham City. She reports the presence of a vigilante whose description and modus operandi is similar to that of Batman. However, based on the reports reaching the news desk there is still no certainty of the return of Batman. With all the crimes happening in Gotham City, the vigilante could be anyone hell-bent on reviving the Batman sensation among the constituents. Having disappeared from the city for awhile after defeating Joker the villain, Batman appeared to have emerged from his hiding to fights another villain as well as save the city from the rampant crime (McAllister, Gordon, Jancovich, 2006). The news anchor is more composed than expected this means that a section of people may have expected his return given the recent crime upsurge.
#3


Color and characterization
The background color in the above scene, informs the reader that it is day time. In this scene, Batman reappeared to save the day by preventing crime in part of the city. The spectators or probably the new reporters shown in the scene appear to be shocked on seeing Batman. This only means that only a few people may have actually seen Batman, and most of them only heard of his tales. Usually, Batman appears in the night when most crimes are happening in the city. However, in this case, he may have changed his ‘work schedule’ a little bit certainly to deal with an issue that requires his urgent attention. The three characters portray new reporters on the field reporting the reappearance of Batman (McAllister, Gordon, & Jancovich, 2006). The first describes Batman has a monster since it is probably his first time to catch a glimpse of the imploring figure flying across the city. The other two characters are female reporters. The brunette is amused by the sight of Batman and is more surprised than the blonde in glasses. The blonde is not as amused but admires the domineering size of Batman.
Composition and styling
As mentioned earlier, the scene shows three reporters informing their audience of their first-hand encounter with Batman. Batman appeared to be trailing a few bad guys dur...