Superman vs The Dark Knight returns: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Heroes, Comic books, Graphic Novels
Superman
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A special historical one-shot issue featuring the marriage of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, with appearances from characters throughout the DC Universe and with stories and art by creators from throughout the Man of Steel’s…
The Dark Knight returns
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"Together with inker Klaus Janson and colorist Lynn Varley, writer/artist Frank Miller completely reinvents the legend of Batman in his saga of a near-future Gotham City gone to rot, ten years after the Dark Knight's…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Dark Knight returns has the widest readership — 490 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| Superman | The Dark Knight returns | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.2 (133) | 4.6 (5) |
| Hardcover | 3.4 (5) | 4.2 (490) |
| Google Books | 4.0 (1) | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (8) | 4.5 (381) |
Reception
| Superman | The Dark Knight returns | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 133 | 490 |
| Editions | 12 | 17 |
| Citations | — | 33 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 113 | 5 |
| Reading it now | 4 | 2 |
| Written reviews | 11 | 1 |
| Wikipedia attention | 78721 | 24133 |
| Pages | 264 | 204 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Superman or The Dark Knight returns?
The Dark Knight returns has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Dark Knight returns 4.3/5, Superman 4.2/5).
Which is shorter to read: Superman or The Dark Knight returns?
The Dark Knight returns is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Dark Knight returns (204 pages, ≈ 3 h 47 m); Superman (264 pages, ≈ 4 h 53 m).
Which is harder to read: Superman or The Dark Knight returns?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Superman: Light; The Dark Knight returns: Light.
Have both books been made into films?
Superman: 5 film adaptations; The Dark Knight returns: no film adaptation on record.