Retrospectively, the series is today widely considered one of the greatest works in the comics medium. IGN Comics ranked "The Dark Knight Returns" first on a list of the 25 greatest Batman graphic novels and called "The Dark Knight Returns" "a true masterpiece of storytelling" with "cene after unforgettable scene." In 2005, "Time" chose the collected edition as one of the 10 best English language graphic novels ever written. Forbidden Planet placed the collected issue at number one on its "50 Best of the Best Graphic Novels" list. Writer Matthew K. Manning in the "1980s" chapter of "DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle" (2010) called the series "arguably the best Batman story of all time." It was placed second in a poll among comic book academics conducted by the Sequart Organization.