# Is "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" by Frank Miller (with Klaus Janson & Lynn Varley) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller (with Klaus Janson & Lynn Varley) (DC Comics, 1986) is identified by: Collected one-volume edition of the 1986 four-issue Prestige-format series. Precedence: the four original Prestige-format comics (DKR #1-4, 1986) are the true first appearances and are themselves collectible, especially #1 in first print.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Collected one-volume edition of the 1986 four-issue Prestige-format series
- The DC softcover trade
- , adding new material (new introduction, endpapers, chapter headings, sketchbook), is the first collected trade; identified by stated first printing, the printed price, and ISBN 0-930289-21-8
- A hardcover trade edition and a Graphitti Designs signed/numbered slipcased hardcover (limited, with additional material) followed
- Correct publisher/imprint: DC Comics

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Frank Miller (with Klaus Janson & Lynn Varley) |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | Collected one-volume edition of the 1986 four-issue Prestige-format series |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Collected one-volume edition of the 1986 four-issue Prestige-format series. The DC softcover trade (1986), adding new material (new introduction, endpapers, chapter headings, sketchbook), is the first collected trade; identified by stated first printing, the printed price, and ISBN 0-930289-21-8. A hardcover trade edition and a Graphitti Designs signed/numbered slipcased hardcover (limited, with additional material) followed.

## Is this the true first?
Precedence: the four original Prestige-format comics (DKR #1-4, 1986) are the true first appearances and are themselves collectible, especially #1 in first print. For the BOOK, the DC trade is the first collected edition; the Graphitti signed slipcased hardcover is the premium limited state but later. The UK Titan edition follows the US.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No standard book club; distinguish the 1986 first trade from later DC reprints via stated first printing and the original ISBN. The Graphitti edition is identified by its slipcase, limitation page, and Miller/Janson signatures.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Batman: The Dark Knight Returns* by Frank Miller (with Klaus Janson & Lynn Varley) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/batman-the-dark-knight-returns
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.