Frank Miller in the context of "Graphic novel"

Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book Detective Comics on March 30, 1939. In the DC Universe, Batman is the alias of Bruce Wayne, a wealthy American playboy, philanthropist, and industrialist who resides in the fictional Gotham City. His origin story features him swearing vengeance against criminals after witnessing the murder of his parents, Thomas and Martha, as a child, a vendetta tempered by the ideal of justice. He trains himself physically and intellectually, crafts a bat-inspired persona, and monitors the Gotham streets at night. Kane, Finger, and other creators accompanied Batman with supporting characters, including his sidekicks Robin and Batgirl; allies Alfred Pennyworth and James Gordon; love interest and occasional adversary Catwoman; as well as foes such as the Penguin, the Riddler, Two-Face, and his archenemy, the Joker.

Kane conceived Batman in early 1939 to capitalize on the popularity of Superman; although Kane frequently claimed sole creation credit, Finger substantially developed the concept from a generic superhero into something more bat-like. They drew inspiration from pulp fiction characters like the Shadow, Sherlock Holmes, and the Green Hornet. Batman received a spin-off publication, Batman, in 1940. Kane and Finger introduced Batman as a ruthless vigilante who frequently killed or maimed criminals, but he evolved into a just, tempered superhero with a stringent moral code that prohibits killing during the 1940s. Unlike most superheroes, Batman does not possess any superpowers, instead relying on his intellect, fighting skills, and wealth. The 1960s Batman television series used a camp aesthetic, which continued to be associated with Batman for years after it ended. Various creators worked to return Batman to his darker roots in the 1970s and 1980s, culminating with the 1986 miniseries The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller.

The origin of Batman depicts the events that cause a young Bruce Wayne to become Batman. The core event (the murder of Bruce's parents Thomas and Martha Wayne at the hands of Joe Chill) has remained fairly unchanged, but the aftermath and Bruce's journey to become Batman were not detailed until later years. The story first appeared in Detective Comics #33 (November 1939), and was retold in graphic novels such as Batman: Year One.

The Dark Knight Returns (alternatively titled Batman: The Dark Knight Returns but originally titled Batman: The Dark Knight) is a 1986 four-issue comic book miniseries starring Batman, written by Frank Miller, illustrated by Miller and Klaus Janson, with color by Lynn Varley, and published by DC Comics. It tells an alternative story of Bruce Wayne who, at 55 years old, returns from a decade of retirement to fight crime while facing opposition from the Gotham City police force and the United States government. The story also features the return of classic foes Two-Face and the Joker, and culminates in a confrontation with Superman, who is now a pawn of the government.

When originally published, the series was simply titled Batman: The Dark Knight, with a different title for each issue (The Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight Triumphant, Hunt the Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Falls), but when the series was collected into a single volume, the title of the first issue was applied to the entire series. Some of the earliest collected editions also bore the shorter series title. The story introduces Carrie Kelley as the new Robin and the hyper-violent street gang known as the Mutants. In the Pre-Flashpoint DC Multiverse, the events of The Dark Knight Returns and its associated titles were designated to occur on Earth-31.

Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction set in a dystopian future. It is characterized by its focus on a combination of "low-life and high tech". It features a range of futuristic technological and scientific achievements, including artificial intelligence and cyberware, which are juxtaposed with societal collapse, dystopia or decay. A significant portion of cyberpunk can be traced back to the New Wave science fiction movement of the 1960s and 1970s. During this period, prominent writers such as Philip K. Dick, Michael Moorcock, Roger Zelazny, John Brunner, J. G. Ballard, Philip José Farmer and Harlan Ellison explored the impact of technology, drug culture, and the sexual revolution. These authors diverged from the utopian inclinations prevalent in earlier science fiction.

Comics exploring cyberpunk themes began appearing as early as Judge Dredd, first published in 1977. Released in 1984, William Gibson's influential debut novel Neuromancer helped solidify cyberpunk as a genre, drawing influence from punk subculture and early hacker culture. Frank Miller's Ronin is an example of a cyberpunk graphic novel. Other influential cyberpunk writers included Bruce Sterling and Rudy Rucker. The Japanese cyberpunk subgenre began in 1982 with the debut of Katsuhiro Otomo's manga series Akira, with its 1988 anime film adaptation (also directed by Otomo) later popularizing the subgenre.

All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder is an American comic book series written by Frank Miller and penciled by Jim Lee. It was published by DC Comics, with a sporadic schedule, between 2005 and 2008. The series was to be rebooted under the title Dark Knight: Boy Wonder in 2011, when both Miller and Lee were to finish the last six issues. The series retells the origin story of Dick Grayson, who became Batman's sidekick Robin.

This was the first series to be launched in 2005 under DC's All Star imprint. These series are helmed by renowned writers and artists in the American comic book industry and attempt to retell some of the history of prominent DC Universe characters, but outside of DC Universe continuity, and not be restricted by it, in order to appeal to new and returning readers. Each title under the All Star imprint is set in its own continuity and separate universe. According to Miller, the series takes place in the same continuity as Miller's other Batman-related works, such as The Dark Knight Returns.

Lynn Varley is an American comic book colorist, notable for her collaborations with her then-husband, comic book writer/artist Frank Miller.

Caroline Keene "Carrie" Kelley is a superheroine from Frank Miller's Dark Knight trilogy of Batman graphic novels (1986-2017). She becomes the new Robin in The Dark Knight Returns (1986) when she saves Batman's life. Later in The Dark Knight Strikes Again (2001–2002), she adopts the identity Catgirl, and in The Dark Knight III: The Master Race (2015–2017), she adopts the identity Batwoman.

Carrie was the first full-time female Robin in the history of the Batman franchise, though Julie Madison had passed off as Robin for a brief time in a Bob Kane story published in Detective Comics #49 in March 1941; because Miller's Dark Knight trilogy is not part of the main DC canon, Stephanie Brown became the first mainline female Robin in the early 2000s instead. She has been featured in different forms of media in and out of comics, and made her live-action debut in the television series Gotham Knights, portrayed by Navia Robinson.

Elektra Natchios (UK: /ˈnætʃiɒs/, US: /-oʊs/) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She was initially created as a supporting character for the superhero Matt Murdock / Daredevil, to whom Elektra has functioned as a villainous adversary, love interest, and later, a heroic ally. Created by Frank Miller, the character first appeared in Daredevil #168 (Jan. 1981). Her violent nature and mercenary lifestyle has served as a divisive point of conflict between her and Daredevil, which, in 2020, culminated in her becoming the second Daredevil.

The character is a highly trained assassin of Greek descent who wields a pair of sai as her trademark weapons. Elektra is one of Frank Miller's best-known creations, and appeared in two miniseries he authored, Elektra: Assassin and Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, as well as a graphic novel, Elektra Lives Again, subsequent to her initial appearances in his run of Daredevil. The character was killed by Bullseye at the conclusion of her first story arc in 1982, although Miller re-visited the character in prequel stories and dream narratives. Although Marvel editors had promised not to continue the character without Miller's permission, she became a regularly appearing character in the Marvel Universe. The character returned to the Daredevil series in 1994 under the authorship of D.G. Chichester, who also wrote a four-issue miniseries with her featuring as the title character. She is the title character of three ongoing series: The first, written by Peter Milligan and Larry Hama and drawn by Mike Deodato Jr., from 1996 to 1997; the second, primarily written by Greg Rucka, from 2001 to 2003; and the third, written by Haden Blackman, from 2014 to 2015. She has also appeared as a supporting character of Wolverine and in other series and mini-series.