The Dark Knight returned today at New York Comic-Con! DC Comics held a panel celebrating the 30th anniversary of Frank Miller’s seminal Batman story The Dark Knight Returns, which was first released in 1986. Of course, with the second sequel to that story -- The Dark Knight III: The Master Race -- coming in November, we also got lots of new info on that highly anticipated book. Plus, Frank Miller himself made a surprise appearance at the panel, bringing the house down like one of Batman’s bat-bombs!

The Dark Knight III: The Master Race

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DCE co-publisher and Batman artist Jim Lee and Dark Knight III co-writer Brian Azzarello and artists Klaus Janson and Andy Kubert were on hand to celebrate all things Bat. The panel began with a little history lesson on The Dark Knight Returns’ impact on the medium (but you can also watch our history of TDKR below if you want more on that).The veil (cowl?) was also pulled back on the process of how Dark Knight III is being created. Miller spoke several times about how he’s only “consulting” on TDKIII, but Azzarello said he was being modest. Azzarello flies into New York City every month to sit in Frank’s studio and talk about the story and craft dialogue together. “We’re constantly trying to make each other laugh,” he said. “And that’s why we’re coming up with these crazy situations in this book. There are a couple of Superman moments in this book… you’re gonna like Superman again!” Azzarello also promises that “there’s lot of story” in this comic.“This is not my conception,” said Miller. “It’s Brian’s. I set up a world in which Batman would operate, and tried to stay true to the character, and now Brian is expanding on the world that I created. These are DC’s characters. … I couldn’t be more thrilled and I’m dying to read it.”Kubert and Azzarello said that they are “filtering” Miller through their art and writing, although Jim Lee joked that he threw his name in the hat to do the art, but when told the book has to come out on time, he pulled his name back out. Azzarello has been talking to DC about this project for two or three years, while Janson -- who of course inked the original TDKR book as well as Miller’s classic Daredevil run -- said he and Miller haven’t worked together in 30 years. “I was incredibly happy and incredibly intimidated at the same time,” Janson said of taking on TDKIII. “There was a lot of cloak and dagger and intrigue and a lot of backstabbing about this project.” (The backstabbing part was apparently a joke.)While details on the story and characters of Dark Knight III were scarce today, the general promise was that it’s not what anyone is expecting -- although Miller snarkily chimed in that it is what Brian is expecting -- and that fans will be very surprised by how the book ends. Some unfinished artwork was shown, featuring the bat suit in a broken glass cave, presumably in the batcave. Wonder Woman in action was also spotted, as was her and Superman’s daughter Lara, and Batman himself, apparently narrowly avoiding a bullet to the head.Lee also spoke about how the packaging on TDKIII will be different. Each issue will include a 5x7 mini-comic with a different but parallel story to the main story. These will be part of what is being called Dark Knight Universe Presents. The first issue focuses on the Atom, with subsequent comics utilizing the Flash, Wonder Woman, and others. (Also, a hardcover of each full-sized issue of the main book will come out after each standard issue, with the box for the hardcover set coming with the final issue.) Preview art (by Miller) of the Atom story was also shown, featuring Ray Palmer facing off against… fierce dinosaurs (or lizards that look very big to him, perhaps).Azzarello said that when hashing out the story of the book, “Frank would be like, ‘What if we did this?’ And I’d be like, ‘Holy s#!t!’ There’s a lot of holy s#!t in this book… Batman.”But let’s end this on a collection of Frank Miller zingers from the panel, as his wit is almost as legendary as his comics:On the distribution of the book, Miller joked that “DC has arranged for an entire array of B-52s to be dropping the book everywhere.”When asked if his work had any influence on the upcoming movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, or if BvS has any influence on TDKIII, Miller deadpanned, “No influence. I wasn’t asked and I wasn’t told.”Would he ever direct a Batman movie based on his comic? “Yes.”Lee and Miller were asked if they will ever complete their controversial book All Star Batman & Robin, to which Miller responded, “We just started.”When a fan asking a question mistakenly referred to The Dark Knight Returns as The Dark Knight Rises, Miller laughingly snapped, “Don’t do that again.”Miller’s thoughts on the Adam West Batman: “I believe the Adam West version has as much merit as The Dark Knight or anything else. I think it was delightful. I like Bat-Mite! The wonderful thing about Batman is that he’s unbreakable. He’s like a diamond. He can’t break. You can do anything to him. He always works.”When it was suggested that there aren’t many other character who’ve endured the way Batman has, including Superman, Miller said, “He’ll be back!” And then he also pointed to some slightly older characters who persist as well, like Moses and Jesus.The most important thing Miller wants to see in the BvS movie is the duel between Batman and Superman -- and the clear finish that Batman wins.Regarding the much-talked about Superman’s junk (from the cover of the Atom mini-comic), Miller said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

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