Dark Knight III: The Master Race #1

By Frank Miller, Brian Azzarello, Andy Kubert, Klaus Janson, Brad Anderson

“Why did you let the ants knock you from the sky?”

It’s Frank Miller’s Batman in a new era!

There’s a lean and mean knight of Gotham fighting back against the police force. Has the Dark Knight returned? What’s Batman have against the cops?

Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello dive right into the action with their first installment to the third part on the Dark Knight saga. This issue reflects on some of the frustrations we’ve been facing as a country within the past couple years with various situations involving the police, and answers the question of “What would Batman do?” in regards to these types of situations.

On the artwork side of this issue is Andy Kubert on pencils, Klaus Janson on inks, and Brad Anderson on colors. The artwork throughout will seem nostalgic for those who have read Parts 1 & 2 of the saga already. Kubert does a great job of sticking to the style set forth by Miller all those years ago. You can even see a comparison in the artwork styles in a short comic Miller illustrated that appears in the middle of the book involving Atom.

During this issue we get some classic scenes. One of the standouts from the issue comes from the first page where we see Batman’s suit in a glass case sitting alone in a cave. The next panel shows someone breaking the glass, and eventually taking the suit. It adds a layer of mystery to the story right from the get-go. Is he really back? Janson does a great job on this scene along with Anderson in keeping the tone rather dismal in the cave, there’s a hopeless feeling, but with the suit now in the hands of a hero perhaps there can be hope once more?

Dark Knight III: The Master Race #1 gives the same type of gritty story you’ve seen previously in DKR and Strikes Again. This is a Gotham in total despair, a Gotham where the cops and villains are hard to tell apart. This is the type of Gotham that truly needs a Batman. Miller and Azzarello are able to once again create a world in despair for the Dark Knight to conquer, all while adding a modern spin on the tale. The artwork by Kubert, Janson, and Anderson is reminiscent of what we’ve seen before in the series, but definitely splashes in the colors when needed (a chase scene involving cops from the beginning of the issue shows the panels soaked in bright read and blue). Overall, you’re going to want to get yourself a copy of this story. Looks like it’s going to be a fun ride (in the Batmobile?!)