Artists were announced today at Comic-Con for the upcoming The Dark Knight III: The Master Race. The threequel is expected to conclude Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns trilogy that began almost 30 years ago.
Andy Kubert (1602, Origin, Batman) and Klaus Janson (The Amazing Spider-Man, World War Hulk, Batman: Death and the Maidens) will illustrate Dark Knight III for DC Comics. DC didn't specify if the duo will share pencils or if Kubert will pencil while Janson inks. Miller is teaming with Brian Azzarello for writing duties on this one.
Dark Knight III is expected to consist of eight issues, which is quite a jump from the three issues that made up the second series, The Dark Knight Strikes Again, and the four issues that comprised the original. Can Miller and Azzarello come up with enough story to keep it going for that long?
One way DC is planning to stretch it out is by adding secondary, standalone stories to each issue. Each of these additional tales will be set in the Dark Knight Universe and feature a different artist, but nothing more is known about them.
As revelatory a masterpiece as The Dark Knight Returns was, its sequel was universally despised. Dark Knight III is Miller's chance to redeem himself for what fans and critics perceived as rushed, shoddy artwork and uninspired writing in the second outing.
"We went into this knowing that we had to give fans more," co-publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee are quoted as saying in DC's press release. "We're pulling out all the stops to deliver an amazing conclusion to this exciting body of work. We hope it inspires the next generation of writers and artists, the way it has already inspired us."
The Dark Knight III: The Master Race is scheduled to launch this fall.
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