Superman vs The Dark Knight returns: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Superheroes, Heroes, Good and evil, Comics & graphic novels, Comic books, Graphic Novels
Superman
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Collects the first three years of the daily "Superman" newspaper comic strip, covering the superhero's origin and such stories as "Clark Kent--Spy" and "The Hooded Saboteur." in 3 volumes.
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
- Readers rate The Dark Knight returns highest: The Dark Knight returns 4.3 · Superman 3.9.
- The Dark Knight returns has the widest readership — 490 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| Superman | The Dark Knight returns | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (357) | 4.6 (5) |
| Hardcover | 3.5 (4) | 4.2 (490) |
| Google Books | — | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (15) | 4.5 (381) |
Reception
| Superman | The Dark Knight returns | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 357 | 490 |
| Editions | 17 | 17 |
| Citations | — | 33 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 126 | 5 |
| Reading it now | 258 | 2 |
| Written reviews | 37 | 1 |
| Wikipedia attention | 78721 | 24133 |
| Pages | 192 | 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 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: Superman or The Dark Knight returns?
Superman is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Superman (192 pages, ≈ 3 h 33 m); The Dark Knight returns (204 pages, ≈ 3 h 47 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.