Welcome to Comic Book Legends Revealed! This is the six hundred and twenty-first week where we examine comic book legends and whether they are true or false.
Just like the last few months, one legend today, one tomorrow and one Sunday.
Let's begin!
COMIC LEGEND:
The fight between Superman and Batman originally ended much differently in "Dark Knight Returns."
STATUS:
Basically True
As most comic book fans know, the final book of Frank Miller and Klaus Janson's iconic "The Dark Knight" miniseries, titled "The Dark Knight Falls," features a climactic battle between Batman and Superman, with Batman ultimately having Superman at his mercy before he is felled by a heart attack. Green Arrow played a role in it, as well, shooting Superman with a kryptonite arrow.
The heart attack, of course, was all a ruse by Batman so that he could go underground. In a cute scene at the end of the issue, Batman awakes a TOUCH too early, so Superman actually hears his heartbeat, but allows Batman to get away with it.
In the tenth anniversary collected edition of "Dark Knight Returns," though, DC shared with us all Frank Miller's original plot for the final issue, and not only is Green Arrow not in the final fight, but the total final battle was SLIGHTLY different, especially in the fact that Superman was WINNING the final fight when Batman then succumbs to his heart attack...
Everything else after that is as it was in the original comic (I mean, slight differences, but the basic gist was the same).
I think that I like the published version better, especially the use of Green Arrow. What do you folks think?
Check out some legends from Legends Revealed:
Did Steven Spielberg Win a Percentage of the Profits of the First Star Wars in a Bet?
Did the Star-Spangled Banner Have An Extra Verse Added During the Civil War?
Did The Band Behind the Hit Song “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” Not Even Really Exist?
Check back Saturday for part 2 of this week's legends!
And remember, if you have a legend that you're curious about, drop me a line at either brianc@cbr.com or cronb01@aol.com!