dark knight iii

It's raining in Dark Knight III #6, we can say that for sure, based on this preview courtesy of DC. Batman is there, wearing his famous "I beat up Superman one time" armor. But Superman is there too, and they're on the same side.

Frank Miller is unarguably a legend in the comics industry, and in his own way was responsible for changing the direction of American superhero comics in the mid-'80s with his work on classic characters like Daredevil and Batman. However, Miller's recent output has been met with derision and outright mockery by some fans who see him as well past his prime. James Harvey of Masterplasty and Bartkira sees things differently, and claims that Miller is as good as he ever was; DC just doesn't know how to color his art to get the most out of it. In a blog post last week, Harvey shared some examples of what he would do if he were Miller's colorist.

The second issue of the still mindblowingly titled Dark Knight III: The Master Race arrives in comic book stores on Wednesday, December 23rd, and DC Comics has just revealed five limited variant covers by Cliff Chiang, Klaus Janson, Eduardo Risso, Jim Lee, and Frank Miller himself. Unsurprisingly, all five of the cover artists are male, but at least three of them are people of color. I don't know that that mitigates the stigma of the series title, but hey, it's something.

We are quickly approaching the November 25 release date for Dark Knight III: The Master Race, Frank Miller, Brian Azzarello, Andy Kubert and Klaus Janson's eight-issue miniseries chronicling the final adventure of an older Batman. And, as is the way of things, there are going to be plenty of variant covers for collectors to get their hands on. In addition to the usual variants --- including the 1:5000 sketch variant by Jim Lee that was announced back in August --- there are also going to be retailer-specific covers.

October traditionally marks the end of the summer con season, when retailers, creators and exhibitors return to their caves for hibernation, secure in the knowledge that they have done everything they can to promote their wares. But before we all get our rest, the fitful sleep before the rattling of chains in January that signals the first email about registering for San Diego, there's one last stop: New York Comic-Con, coming at you on October 8 through 11, complete with a very fun roster of variant covers! In addition to getting Andy Kubert's art for Dark Knight III on the cover of the con program, DC is marking the occasion by offering up six exclusive variants that you can grab at the Javits Center next month. But if you're not going to be there, don't worry too much: You can check 'em out right here.