No one in comics is more of a lightning rod for controversy than Frank Miller. Over his long career he's redefined Batman, Daredevil and even the Battle of Thermopylae.
With Dark Knight III: The Master Race (the second issue of which goes on sale Dec. 23) he's returning to the dystopian world of Batman, with writer Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets) and artists Andy Kubert and Klaus Janson doing most of the heavy lifting on the series. As the second issue shows, the storyline is shaping up to be a battle between Carrie Kelly (now filling the cowl herself) and Lara, the daughter of Wonder Woman and Superman, who has taken it upon herself to unleash the power of the Kryptonians living in a tiny bottled city.
And what the natives of Superman's home planet seem to have in mind does not bode well for the humans of Earth.
It's another journey through the themes of power and its proper use that Miller and Azzarello have been exploring throughout their careers — and the major roles played by Carrie and Lara fit perfectly in a landscape populated by powerful female protagonists.
I caught up with the two writers as they were preparing for a signing at Midtown Comics, with 125 fans (all chosen via lottery) lined up in the rain outside waiting to meet their heroes and get their Dark Knight III copies signed. Miller fans are a dedicated lot.
Miller and Azzarello were loose and funny. After working on the series, the two have become quite the team.
Did you know when you were planning this months ago that by the time this came out girl power would be the main thing in our culture? You really nailed it.
Frank Miller: Wasn't the first one about that, too? Wonder Woman, Carrie, Lara. Give me some credit! Let's just say Brian and I have both known the right women.
Brian Azzarello: It's his fault that the women characters in the series are the most interesting.
FM: Sorry!
Well, you do have a bit of history with female lead characters. But it has been noted that no one has made a Give Me Liberty movie yet. Had anyone ever approached you about that?
[Miller shakes head.]
Anyway, Lara ... wow. Is she a snotty 13-year-old girl...
FM: She's older than that!
Yes, but she's acting like a brat. Does she have a real agenda or is she just rebelling against her mother?
FM: Isn't that an agenda? She's here to fight for truth, justice and the Kryptonian way.
BA: She's rebellious. Well, in the second one she was a brat. We were talking about that this morning. The roles have been flipped. The one who's the rebel is the one you'd think would be the daddy's girl. Carrie's the one who is trying to please dad.
The three Dark Knight series have taken place over 30 years of the real world. What is different about how the world might perceive the Dark Knight now than when you first had this idea?
FM: The world becomes increasingly resistant to the notion of any hero. The world has become more petrified about what heroes actually represent.
BA: Yeah. Structurally, I think what we found is that if we were true to the way the media is now there would be no room for the story.
[Laughter]
FM: We're all choking on information.
BA: It would be all media. In a way, DKII is a precursor to what is happening now. It keeps going media, media, media. To put it into a comic now would be a parody
FM: You have the opportunity to put it in its proper place or ignore it completely ... or take it for granted. I like it as a Greek chorus. I like what Brian is doing with it.
It does seem that truth is of no interest whatsoever to people who watch the media any more.
FM: It's an interesting distinction — or corruption — in the language where people started talking "perception," which used to mean something that you saw, something that was true. Now it means something that you believe to be true, which is a very big difference. I'm a big fan of reality, not reality TV, but reality. I'm an advocate for it. I think it's a good idea.
Are we going to be dealing with that more in Dark Knight? With the Kandorians coming out, is it might makes right or right makes right?
FM: It's like King Arthur said in Camelot. It's might for right.
I like what you're doing with the mini comics with each issue. They're like featurettes on the main story.
BA: Like shorts. Green Lantern is coming up in one.
FM: Green Lantern is a great character. He is Aladdin. He's even got a lamp! Everything he wishes comes true. It's brilliantly conceived.
Were there any other character you wanted to bring into the story?
FM: Can I mention Brother Power the Geek? At least I got to ask that question!
BA: We're still working on that. A lot of characters that would be interesting to use in the third one you killed in the second one. How about the Blue Beetle, didn't you kill him?
FM: No! I killed the Creeper!
Frank, I've heard that you spend a lot of time drawing. So I have to ask: what might be the next thing we see that you've drawn?
FM: The next thing you see beyond basically a pile of drawings is I'm planning a new Sin City that will be called The Homefront, set during World War II. It will be an American Secret Service agent and French Resistance leader up against the Nazi movement in New York City. Set in 1942, when America was first getting into the war, the sleeping giant was starting to be woken. One of the things I'm doing the research for right now is to show how powerful the Nazi movement was in the United States. There will be Nazi group meetings in Sin City. And all the fashions I love to draw, the hats, the trenchcoats, and the cars.
BA: I saw the cover yesterday.
A lot of people will be interested to hear you are working on a Nazi story, Frank.
FM: They're the bad guys!
Well, hey, it's good to get on the record!
FM: I know, my heroes fight bad guys so they are considered fascists.
With your body of work, do you find yourself drawn to ideas that are like, "I wish I could do this with Green Lantern or Sin City," or to new ideas?
FM: With Sin City, I can't wait to do the next one. There are endless stories to be told there. The business of moving it back in time fascinates me. I suggested to Brian that we start swapping Dark Knights for a while, because there are so many possibilities. It's always fun to watch Superman get his butt kicked again.
Will you go see the movie?
FM: Which one, Star Wars? We're going tomorrow. They haven't invited me to Batman v Superman yet.
Well, you have a couple of months. But if invited you will go?
FM: Of course. I'll write a review. I'll only go if they invite me.
The reaction to DK III has been good.
BA: They seem to like it!
You seem surprised, Brian!
FM: You never know. The moment you take anything for granted you're creatively dead.
BA: I haven't heard anyone say it's garbage, which is a surprise because everyone always says my stuff is garbage. (laughter)
Last question: Can Batman be anyone? Can it be Carrie Kelley or can it only be Bruce Wayne?
FM: Brian, you can have your answer, I'll have mine.
BA: If it can't be Bruce Wayne it should be Carrie Kelley.
FM: I disagree. I think that she could be a new character. I don't think anyone could call her a man. She could be a new character wearing a Batsuit. But when Bruce Wayne dies, Batman is dead. He's the one with the dead parents.
Heidi MacDonald is the editor-in-chief of Comics Beat and can usually be found at a comic con somewhere around the globe.
