batman the dark knight returns graphic novel

In a timing coincidence, the DC management team was off-site at a retreat as the issue hit the stores. We often used a conference center north of New York City called Tarrytown House, which had a lovely old mansion on the premises with a great, comfortable old library room that served us well to talk and plan. We went ahead and gambled heavily, printing 125,000… a big enough overprint that if we were wrong, we could actually lose money on the project. Danĭark Knight Returns #1 was vastly under-ordered. Retailers and distributors had been over-optimistic about Frank’s Ronin (in some ways his most comparable previous project in format… and DKR was going to go out even slightly more expensive, at $2.95 because we had added a spine) three years before and cautiously ordered, if memory serves, about 87,000 copies. Probably also a sign that we hadn’t managed to communicate our internal enthusiasm. To mark the date, we’re publishing two columns: One about the graphic novel’s mixed legacy, by 13th Dimension columnist Fred Van Lente ( click here), and the other by former DC exec Paul Levitz about the company’s inner workings the day Issue #1 was released, which is below.

The Dark Knight Returns #1 was released 35 years ago March 20, making this the anniversary of a major turning point in comics history. Posted By Dan Greenfield on | 13 commentsĪn EXCLUSIVE view from the inside by PAUL LEVITZ…

Batman the dark knight returns graphic novel