

DC Comics has announced that Frank Miller will write a third Batman series to complete what will now be a trilogy begun with The Dark Knight Returns. The Dark Knight: The Master Race is planned as an “epic conclusion of the celebrated THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS saga.”

Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns is one of the most influential comic book mini-series of all time. The 1986 comic book arc told the story of 55-year-old Bruce Wayne who comes out of retirement to “fight crime and faces opposition from the Gotham City police force and the United States government.” The series is said to be responsible for the grim and “mature” age of comic books, revigorating Batman’s popularity and influencing the darker esthetic of the Batman feature films. In fact, Zack Snyder’s upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice appears to be heavily influenced by Miller’s original arc.

A sequel written and illustrated by Miller titled The Dark Knight Strikes Again was published in 2001, and was considered a disaster by most fans and critics. I’m not sure anyone was looking for a third arc in the series, but because of the original it is sure to get a lot of play from the comic book community.

Note that at this point, it seems like Miller only plans to write the new series, with Brian Azzarello; the press release below mentions that artists will be announced later on.

The Dark Knight The Master Race Press Release

Read the full press release for The Dark Knight The Master Race below:

SUPERSTAR WRITER/ARTIST FRANK MILLER RETURNS TO BATMAN!

“THE DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE” Completes Trilogy in Legendary “Dark Knight” Saga

BURBANK, Calif. (Friday, April 24, 2015) – DC Entertainment announced today that bestselling, iconic Batman writer and artist Frank Miller will write the epic conclusion of the celebrated THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS saga.

The “THE DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE” is the sequel to Miller’s 1986 classic THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS – heralded by TIME Magazine as one of the 10 greatest graphic novels of all time – and its 2001-2002 follow-up series BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN.

Miller will be joined by acclaimed writer Brian Azzarello (100 BULLETS, JOKER, and WONDER WOMAN) on the eight-issue comic book periodical, to be published twice a month under the DC Comics imprint. Marking the 30th anniversary of THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS original series, this periodical is slated for publication beginning in late Fall 2015.

“Batman remains my favorite comic book hero and a sequel to Dark Knight is going to be daunting,” said Miller, “but we’ll do our best.”

“We are thrilled to have Frank back home at DC writing Batman,” according to Dan DiDio and Jim Lee, Co-Publishers for DC Entertainment. “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.”

According to Azzarello, “It’s been an amazing experience collaborating with Frank these past six months. I think we have an epic story that these characters truly deserve.”

Artists for the project have yet to be announced.

About DC Entertainment:

DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating its content across Warner Bros. Entertainment and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the world’s largest English-language publisher of comics.