Originally slated for eight issues, the Dark Knight III: The Master Race limited series from DC Comics will extend to a ninth issue because co-writers Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello requested another chapter to tell their story right.

Issue #6 cover by Andy Kubert. DC Comics.

Variant cover by Klaus Janson. DC Comics.

Variant cover by Jim Lee. DC Comics.

Variant cover by Greg Tocchini. DC Comics.

Variant cover by Giuseppe Cammunicoli. DC Comics.

Variant cover by Frank Miller. DC Comics.

“Once you dive into the Dark Knight mythology, it’s hard to pull yourself out. Those characters cannot be contained and neither can we,” Miller said in a statement.“This story turned out to be bigger than the both of us,” Azzarello added.The third entry in the saga that started with 1986’s The Dark Knight Returns and 2001’s The Dark Knight Strikes Again, both written and drawn by Miller, DK3 #1 launched in November 2015 with Azzarello sharing writing duties and Andy Kubert and Klaus Janson on art. The story features Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman teaming up to stop Quar, a renegade Kryptonian priest set free from the bottled city of Kandor along with an army of super-powered followers. Quar also persuades Lara, the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman, to join his side, so now Batman must find a way to stop them from conquering the world.DK3 was originally scheduled to end in March 2017 with issue #8, but now DC is promoting a Spring 2017 release for issue #9.“When Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello come to you and tell you, ‘we need another issue to tell this story right,’ you find a way to make it work,” DC Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras said. “Once they shared with me, the Publishers and the Editorial team how they plan to end the story, extending the series to nine issues was an easy call to make.”Issue #9 issue will also include the final installment of Dark Knight Universe Presents, a series of companion stories featuring characters such as Green Lantern and the Atom.The next chapter to release will be issue #6 on October 19. Here’s your first look at the cover and various variants for that upcoming issue.

Joshua is IGN’s Comics Editor. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN