Three decades after Frank Miller unleashed his classic The Dark Knight Returns , and 15 years after the sequel, a third volume is set to be released, bringing a conclusion to the Dark Knight saga.
DC Entertainment will release The Dark Knight III: The Master Race later this year, according to Wired , as an eight-issue-miniseries which will debut in late fall. Brian Azzarello will co-write the series with Miller, and while no artists have yet been revealed, the teaser image released in conjunction with the announcement implies that Superman will almost certainly be featured in the story.
Miller marked the occasion with his first tweet in nearly five years, as the Verge notes, releasing the official teaser image.
I hope that by now my silence is deafening pic.twitter.com/4E0xi4LHju
— Frank Miller (@FrankMillerInk) April 24, 2015
In the official statement announcing the new series, Miller acknowledged the challenges he will face in following up The Dark Knight Returns and its sequel, 2001’s The Dark Knight Strikes Again .
“Batman remains my favorite comic book hero and a sequel to Dark Knight is going to be daunting,” Miller asserted, “but we’ll do our best.”
Frank Miller’s working on another sequel to The Dark Knight Returns. http://t.co/tA372ZBsUA pic.twitter.com/uU2ovy8zLv
— Kotaku (@Kotaku) April 24, 2015
Dan DiDio and Jim Lee, Co-Publishers for DC Entertainment, expressed their excitement at having Miller return to the world of Batman, pointing to the strength of the plotline he and Azzarello have written.
“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.”
DC Comics Confirms Frank Miller’s “Dark Knight 3” In The Works http://t.co/GxamDj4AQh pic.twitter.com/wqO5R6dSBP
— Comic Book Resources (@CBR) April 24, 2015
As the Verge points out, the announcement of The Dark Knight III comes at a time when Miller’s importance to comic culture is seemingly on the rise. Though The Dark Knight Returns is widely considered to be one of the most influential graphic novels of all time, current and future DC properties seem to recently be taking cues from Miller’s work. The upcoming Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice clearly draws on the darker aesthetic Miller is famous for, as the Inquisitr has previously noted. The title of The Dark Knight III , however, has given pause to some fans, particularly those critical of Miller’s previous graphic novels.
Though no exact release date has yet been announced, Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight III: The Master Race will be published bi-monthly under the DC Comics imprint.
[Image: DC Entertainment via Movie Fail ]
