Frank Miller Returns To Batman With ‘The Dark Knight III: The Master Race’

Nearly 30 years after the release of The Dark Knight Returns, and almost 15 after The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Frank Miller is coming back to DC comics for a third installment in his series of stories about an older Batman in a world of corruption. It will be out this fall.

Let's generously say that the title is...interesting: The Dark Knight III: The Master Race. Miller is set to co-write the eight-issue series with Brian Azzarello, who wrote a somewhat controversial Batman story of his own, "Broken City," back in 2004. According to DC's blog, an artist has yet to be named. (Which seems to mean Miller won't be drawing it.)

The series will come out twice each month.

The preview art for the series combines a Miller-drawn image from The Dark Knight Returns (it has been used on the cover of a trade paperback edition of that 1986 series) with a Superman logo that is dripping blood, somewhat reminiscent of the cover of the polybag for Superman #75, the climax of The Death of Superman. Clearly, that would indicate the series has some loose connection (at least in terms of marketing) to Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which itself is quite clearly heavily inspired by The Dark Knight Returns.

DC's blog offers this brief quote from Miller:

Batman remains my favorite comic book hero and a sequel to Dark Knight is going to be daunting, but we’ll do our best.

This one from DC co-publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee (who I suppose spoke in unison):

We are thrilled to have Frank back home at DC writing Batman. The story he and Brian have crafted is an astounding and triumphant conclusion to this seminal body of work which influenced and shaped generations of readers and creators alike.

And this from Azzarello:

It's been an amazing experience collaborating with Frank these past six months. I think we have an epic story that these characters truly deserve.

No mention anywhere of what the title is supposed to mean, but Miller's work has certainly been more political in the past decade-plus. Miller's last major work was Holy Terror, a graphic novel (originally intended as a Batman story) many derided as anti-Muslim.