TITLE: Dark Knight III: The Master Race #5
AUTHOR: Brian Azzarello, Frank Miller
PENCILLER: Andy Kubert
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $5.99
RELEASED: June 29, 2016

***WARNING: Spoilers lay ahead***

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

When All Star Batman & Robin came out, people reacted strongly to Frank Miller’s portrayal of Batman. It obviously wasn’t his first go-around with the character, but people reacted very strongly to that story in particular. Miller’s take on Batman has always been a little edgier. But the consensus seemed to be that he took it too far. Batman was too violent, too animalistic, and his catchphrase about being ” the goddamn Batman” was downright stupid.

It’s a fair guess that one of the reasons Brian Azzarello was brought in to work with Miller on DKIII was to keep him from going too far again. We were doing pretty well until last issue, when we were introduced to Carrie Kelley’s ungodly Batgirl costume. In issue #5, something similar happens. But this time we’re venturing back into the realm of stupidity.

As an army of Kryptonians prepares to decimate Gotham City unless Batman shows himself, our hero has once again armored up to face seemingly insurmountable odds. But he’s not alone. While Batgirl and Aquaman work to get Superman back in the fight, Batman tends to The Flash. But when time runs out for Gotham, what will The Dark Knight have up his sleeve?

Let’s dive right into this. To fight back against the Kryptonians, Batman seeds the clouds over Gotham with synthetic Kryptonite and causes a rainstorm. This produces a pretty cool visual of the Kryptonians falling out of the sky. Once the fight is on the ground, Batman is in his element. But he’s got back up: Superman. The Man of Steel is now wearing a suit of armor, presumably to shield himself from the Kryptonite.

This idea is fine. But what ruins that last shot, and moves it into the unintentionally funny category, is the way Superman’s head and neck are drawn. What in the blue hell is happening there? They’re both looking up, which explains the angle of Clark’s head. But where is his neck? He looks like a toy that’s had its head shoved down into its body. How’s he supposed to turn his head in that thing? The sheer awkwardness of Superman’s look completely kills the epic team-up vibe they’re going for, and ends the issue on a surreal and bizarre note.

Also, I think it’s supposed to be, “I’ve got your back.” Sorry, grammar nazi.

Toward the middle of the issue, Azzarello channels Miller by Batman a lengthy inner monologue about fear. He writes: “Fear. The strongest, purest primal motivation there is. My lieutenant. My nanny. My invisible friend. Fear is why I get out of bed. Fear is what I dream about.” This is a little weird, but not offensive by any means. Considering how Miller has personified Gotham and other cities he’s written about, we got off fairly easy.

Kubert’s Miller-ized take on Aquaman and the undersea life is really interesting. Kubert hasn’t spent much time with Arthur, let alone in a story like this. His scruffier take on the character fits this world well.

What doesn’t fit this world, or any other world, is the pink and green Batgirl costume. I still don’t understand it. Is it supposed to mimic the brighter colors that Robin wears? That might not be all bad. But why pink and green? It’s such a bizarre combination.

This issue’s mini-comic spotlights Lara the Supergirl, as she gets acquainted with one of the young male Kryptonians. While I haven’t been enamored with any of these mini-comics, I will say I enjoyed this one the best. The dialogue was awkward, as was the art. But at its core, it’s a story about a young girl still coming to terms with who she is. She is both Kryptonian and Amazon. Judging by a discovery Quar makes in this issue, I suspect her loyalties to both groups will be tested very soon.

Five issues in, it’s apparent DKIII isn’t going to have the satirical or insightful edge that The Dark Knight Returns had. That’s fair enough. The world Miller created in that original story had build up some ill will between The Dark Knight Strikes Again and All Star Batman & Robin. Things almost needed to be redefined, especially if they want to tell more Dark Knight stories going forward. As a result, what we’re getting is a fairly safe story.

But at this point, perhaps we’re better safe than sorry…

Image 1 from adventuresinpoortaste.com. Image 2 from aquamanshrine.net.