Frank Miller Announces Dark Knight IV
Last week, I published an article about the new prequel to Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, and I wrote about what a plethora of new additions to Miller’s Dark Knight universe is coming our way. Well, believe it or not, that wasn’t the end of it. Today, Vaneta Rogers of Newsarama published an interview with Dark Knight III: The Master Race writer Miller and inker Klaus Janson in which Miller announced that a Dark Knight IV is in the works: “[DK III] is in Brian Azzarello’s hands right now, and I thoroughly applaud what he’s doing. But now that he’s doing his, it’s now a four-part series. I’m doing the fourth.”
This is certainly surprising news, given that DK III has been marketed as the ending of a trilogy. Miller continued, responding to a question asking whether or not DK III sets up DK IV: “It sure does. I’ll read what Brian’s doing, and I will respond to that. I know what he’s doing and I applaud him completely, and I can’t wait to get started on my next book.”
More from Bam Smack Pow
- 6 reasons why Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is perfection
- Top 10 Spider-Man video games ranked from worst to best
- Invincible season 2: Every key difference from the comic and the TV show (S2E3)
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode 3 review: Secrets and Lies
- The Expanse: Every character ranked from worst to best
In the opinion of most fans, Miller is currently batting .500 on his work in the Dark Knight universe. 1986’s The Dark Knight Returns is regarded as one of the greatest Batman stories ever written, however 2001-02’s The Dark Knight Strikes Again was quite the dud. It was speculated that Azzarello co-writing DK III might allow all of Miller’s best qualities as a writer to be expressed in that title, while the lesser-appreciated aspects of his writing could be shadowed by Azzarello. Miller explicitly stating that he’s going solo for DK IV opens up some speculation. Did he want more freedom with this book? Was Azzarello not interested in writing a second book? Did DC just feel confident that Miller could do a good fourth installment by himself?
To recap, now on the slate to be released as part of the Dark Knight universe are:
- Dark Knight III: The Master Race (first issue hits shelves next week)
- Dark Knight mini-comics (available with each issue of DK III)
- Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade (first issue available February 17, 2016)
- Dark Knight IV (release date TBA)
Next: Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade Announced
Check out the full Newsarama interview here. I’m keeping my hopes high for DK IV and all the new content coming our way within this universe. Miller’s Batman is one of my favorites, and the story needs an epic finale. Let me know in the comments which new Dark Knight titles you are excited to read, and be sure to keep it locked to Caped Crusades for more developments on this and for all your Batman news!