The Dark Knight Rises, the last in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy of films, opens this weekend. It’s a good time to get caught up on the Caped Crusader’s story in the series to date, and Amazon has put the 48-hour Instant Video rentals of the first two movies on sale for just $1.99 each! Also, take a look at the graphic novels that inspired Nolan’s gritty new take on Gotham.
Batman Begins (PG-13, avg review rating 4.75/5 stars) – The origin story. Having lost his parents to a petty thief as a boy, the orphaned Bruce Wayne travels to Asia to learn the ways of fighting crime and evil. Newly empowered, he returns to Gotham City to put his skills to use in the guise of The Batman. But when his former mentor decides Gotham is too corrupt to be saved and the entire city must be destroyed instead, Bruce finds himself fighting not only the city’s own criminal element, but the man who’s become like a father figure to him as well.
One of the most important and critically acclaimed Batman adventures ever. Written by Frank Miller (BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS), with art by David Mazzucchelli (Daredevil), YEAR ONE tells the entire dramatic story of Batman’s first year fighting crime. This collection includes new introductions by Miller and Mazzucchelli, loads of reproductions of original pencils, promotional art, unseen Mazzucchelli Batman art, Richmond Lewis’s color samples, script pages and other surprises. Collects BATMAN #404-407.
The Dark Knight (PG-13, avg review rating 4/5 stars) – The last film of the late Heath Ledger, for which he won the Academy Award. From IMDB:
Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as The Joker. Written by Peteagassi
There’s a terrific Kindle edition graphic novel to serve as a warmup to the new film, The Dark Knight Rises. It’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, also written by Frank Miller but drawn by Klaus Janson. This book has an average review rating of 4.5/5 stars, features Kindle Panel View technology, and is priced at $9.99. From Amazon:
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.
It’s rumored that opening weekend tickets for The Dark Knight Rises are already sold out in many places. If you find yourself having to wait a day or two, at least now you’ve got something to tide you over!