Frank Miller adds another chapter in his “Dark Knight Saga” as “The Master Race” begins the legend of the Bat reigns!
It wasn’t as if anyone expected Frank Miller to follow up Batman: The Dark Knight Returns with a continuing adventure, but the graphic novelist returned to the darkly cynical Gotham City he introduced, and the battle-worn Bruce Wayne of this dystopian future with the 2002 sequel The Dark Knight Strikes Again. Instantly our imaginations were reignited!
After the catastrophic real-life events that occurred on Sept. 11, Miller’s opus seemed closer to reality and far more resonated than when he first brought Batman out of retirement. Though he battled many of his own demons in his obsessive dedication to finding justice, when his mission was complete he changed the world.
In the wake of what followed many of the heroes that fought alongside the Batman had an entirely new mess to clean up…and even after what it would appear was the Batman’s final moment, the Dark Knight has risen. From his ashes it seems we have a master race among us. Miller’s storytelling picks up right where the last remnants of his last opus end.
What is the final fate of the Batman? Is Bruce Wayne dead? If he is, who has taken up the mantle and is wearing the cape and cowl?
It looks as if the Batman is back in business about the streets of Gotham, taking out wildly gun-totting coppers ready to strike down defenseless innocents, but when Commissioner Yindel is forced to give the word to bring in the Bat, it seems that her police force is on it! Giving chase to the Bat, they’re surprised by what they find when they take down the caped crusader.
It isn’t Bruce Wayne under the cape and cowl that’s been stalking the shadows, but someone very close to the Dark Knight…someone who has dedicated herself to following in his footsteps! The action is kinetic and although Miller didn’t provide the art himself for the premiere chapter, passing the task onto Andy Kubert, the sense of style is still the same.
In a back page interview, “A Conversation With” the artists appearing in current issues of DC Comics this month, Frank Miller comments on how he chose to collaborate with Brian Azzarello on this chapter of The Dark Knight Saga. “I set up a realm in which Batman would operate,” said Miller, “and Brian is now expanding on the storyline that I introduced. I couldn’t be more thrilled.”
Components necessary to evolving DKIII involve setting up in context the other heroes in the DC Universe including supporting characters like Wonder Woman and Superman in uniquely developed chapters entitled the Dark Knight Universe Presents:. The first such episode reintroduces Ray Palmer The Atom in his own set-up adventure.
What in the world is The Atom up to haunting the Dark Knight? Find out.
DKIII: The Master Race has certainly delivered in its promise to readers that it will provide a continuing evolution of Miller’s saga, and also incorporate the taste and style of artists that have become popular in the wake of his groundbreaking artistry, brining much of the Dark Knight’s tale full circle.
Dark Knight III: The Master Race Book 1 by Frank Miller, Brian Azzarello, Klaus Janson and Andy Kubert is available now in print and digital form from DC Comics.
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