The Dark Knight III: The Master Race #2 Review and *SPOILERS*

Fooled you!

*Non Spoilers and Score at The Bottom*

Written by: Frank Miller, Brian Azzarello
Art by: Klaus Janson, Andy Kubert
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: December 23, 2015


The first issue of the Dark Knight III was a great start to the series, giving the feel of the original Dark Knight Returns, but still feel modern enough to  bring in the new generation. Does this mean that it didn't have it's share of faults? Nope. The art was questionable when it came to a few of the characters (mainly because they were drawn like they would in Strikes Again) and the tie-in mini comic was boring and seemed pointless. Despite these issues, the comic hit the peak of intriguing when it is revealed that its actually Carrie Kelly under the cowl of the returned Batman, who claims that Bruce is dead. So how did he die? What will happen to the Kandorians that Superman's Daughter found? Lets find out...

We open with Yindel interrogating the captured Carrie Kelly, and finally after 27 days of nothing, Carrie talks about the final days of Bruce Wayne. After his final battles with Lex Luthor, who looked worse in this comic than he did in Strikes Again, and Dick Grayson and it turned out that he never really recovered from it. For the last three years of his life, Bruce and Carrie bonded over the tales of his past as he faded in health. His final day with the girl wonder asking if he mattered, and to carry on his crusade. This was a really nice one on one scene with very good art with some great dialogue between these two characters that have been through two series together...then Yindel asks what happened to the body....and Carrie replies she ate it...goodbye tender moment...Either way, Yindel realizes the story is full of it and orders her men to take her to Blackgate.

Meanwhile across the country, Ray Palmer is working alongside Lara, the Supergirl, to help regrow the population of Kandor. Baal, a scientist from Kandor, tells Supergirl how Ray Palmer is a brilliant scientist and hero that should be respected...then Palmer smiles like the friggin' Cheshire cat and it makes me realize how BAD the art is outside our Gotham side of the story. It happened last issue as well; in Gotham, the art looks like The Dark Knight Returns, everywhere else looks like Strikes Again(WHICH SHOULD BE AVOIDED LIKE THE PLAGUE!).

Before we get creeped on by Palmer some more, we jump on back over to Gotham, where we watch Carrie being transported, and with a whistle calls upon one of my favorite things from the Dark Knight Returns...oh yeah, The friggin' Bat-Tank...and it looks amazing. Yindel at this point realizes she should have put more on Carrie as she makes an epic escape on the bottom of the Tank which crushes the fronts of police cars before launching through the air and on the other side of the river...It was awesome to not only see the Bat-Tank in action, but as I mentioned before, look good! With the two lights on the front it makes it look like a bat and yet still look menacing!

We end the issue with The Atom activating his modified shrinking device to grow the population of Kandor...except its actually a ruse and grows a group of Kryptonians, fresh from killing their own kind. Baal turns out to be apart of a cult where the leader, Quar, feels as if he is a god that deserves to control the universe with the power granted by the yellow sun. Rather than, you know use the machine to shrink the group again, Palmer just stands there as Quar bends the laser back at him to shrink him down without a means to grow...the Baal steps on him...Ray Palmer: F&%k up of the year!

As Quar tells the Master Race to be prepared after blowing apart Kandor with a blast of heat vision, we see Carrie arrive at the batcave...with a very alive Bruce Wayne, waiting for his protege to return.

The mini-comic this time was DEFINITELY worst than the last one. It consists of Lara and Wonder Woman training...except Lara just stands around saying she's bored. She tells her mother its pointless to train in weapons as she is a Kryptonian...despite an entire series and earlier dialogue explained how she prided herself on being raised as an Amazon. Add the crappy characterization with poor art and  just pointlessness to the central plot, it makes me wonder 'Why was this part even put in?'

Bits and Pieces

There is good to this issue...all the good is where it should be focused on: BATMAN, CARRIE, AND YES EVEN COMMISSIONER YINDEL! Everything that happened in Gotham looked and played out so well...Then we get to the parts outside of Gotham. The art for the kryptonians, Palmer, and Wonder woman are bad. Atom acts like an idiot for a bit, Supergirl has become a stereotypical teenager fighting the will of her mother, but the Master Race, while brief, really look and act like a menacing threat. I recommend reading just the main issue...and forget there even is a mini-comic attached.

7/10