By Jarrod Jones. One thing can be said about the crew at DC Comics: they are adorable.
The DC Comics panel at C2E2 was a cordial affair, one that dealt in the matters of marital strife (the collaborative nature of Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner and David and Meredith Finch was a brief point of discussion), the absolute love of Lee Bermejo’s covers to We Are… Robin, and the true nature of Jimmy Olsen and Bizarro’s relationship. It was all very entertaining stuff, and we got a feeling that these kids really kinda like each other.
But the big reason that Room S402 filled up so enthusiastically, aside from getting a first-person experience of Jimmy Palmiotti’s razor-sharp wit, was the nagging feeling that there was more to the panel than the usual pomp and circumstance. But the huge news was when writer Brian Azzarello took the stage and announced that he has been in collusion with Frank Miller to create what will be a sequel to Miller’s seminal Dark Knight Returns.
So, holy shit.
UPDATE: DC Comics has confirmed that Brian Azzarello and Frank Miller will be collaborating on the latest installment of its Dark Knight series, now known to be called The Master Race.
“Batman remains my favorite comic book hero and a sequel to Dark Knight is going to be daunting,” Miller was quoted as saying, allowing his selective memory to omit the fact that he’s he already made us read a Dark Knight sequel. “But we’ll do our best.”
And thus a huge, exasperated sigh was heard throughout the comic book community, and then it got sillier: DC Comics announced in a press release that The Master Race would be “the epic conclusion of the celebrated ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ saga,” as if the world didn’t already think that The Dark Knight Returns already ended quite well.
And to make sure that the comic community wasn’t having a collective stroke, Dan DiDio and Jim Lee released a joint statement, saying, “We are thrilled to have Frank back home at DC writing Batman. The story he and Brian have crafted is an astounding and triumphant conclusion to this seminal body of work which influenced and shaped generations of readers and creators alike.” And then everyone remembered what happened the last time Dan DiDio let Frank Miller write a Batman story, and all of a sudden the world felt that much colder.
