Thought Boxes in The Dark Knight Returns

Miller's The Dark Knight Returns remains an excellent example of using text boxes to flesh out characters. As opposed to earlier comics in which text boxes (not to be mistaken for text bubbles) typically feature the input of a third person narrator, the text boxes featured in The Dark Knight Returns are all narration from the viewpoints of characters. This increases the impact each character has on the story by exposing more of their personal thoughts and opinions.

The other way in which these text boxes modify the story lies in Miller's use of different colors to represent the thoughts of different characters. Not only do these different colors cause different characters to appear more important by literally highlighting their thoughts, but the actual colors themselves also provides information about the characters that goes beyond the text itself.

The first example is how Batman's thought boxes are all shaded gray. This indicates the controversial gray area surrounding Batman and his methods. While he is technically breaking the law through his acts as a vigilante, he still doing good by trying to stop crime. Another example lies in the use of blue to represent the thoughts of Superman. Since blue is a color deeply associated with America, its use in describing Superman's thoughts indicates his devotion to his country and his sense of duty. In the case of Gordon, his thought boxes in the early parts of the comic are white, but Miller changes them to black on page 169 during the events of The Dark Knight Falls. This indicates his change from a righteous figure of authority as police chief, to just another panicked civilian in the blackout. Finally, Carrie Kelly's thought boxes are a light shade of yellow when she is first exploring the idea of being Robin on page 60, but changes to a darker yellow on page 144 once she gains Batman's acceptance.