I’m starting to think the old saying “what a long, strange trip it’s been” certainly applies to Dark Knight III: The Master Race. Since the series kicked off in late 2015, we’ve been treated to a new chapter every few months that sees Batman and his cohorts forced to deal with the threat of the invading Kandorians in what will assuredly be remembered as a definitive tale.
But, I guess no less would be expected from this threequel to Frank Miller’s immortal classic, The Dark Knight Returns. Featuring callbacks to said original along with broadening its scope to include various elements from the DC Universe at large just as The Dark Knight Strikes Again! did, Miller and Brian Azzarello have achieved a delicate balance that has consistently left me coming back for more.
With the release of the penultimate issue just around the corner, various variant covers have found their way online. As of now, we have three to present to you in the gallery at the top, but won’t rule out more on the way. Even so, we don’t expect there to be a billion of them as there were with the first issue or two. Okay, a billion may have been an exaggeration, but only slightly.
As you can see, the 1:100 variant was drawn by Frank Miller and shows a bloodied Wonder Woman, no doubt ready to take the fight to the Kandorians; the 1:50 cover was done by the great Bill Sienkiewicz and bears a Batman who looks like he just fell asleep on his horse (hey, Bruce Wayne is a bit older here); and, finally, we get a look at Jim Lee’s penciled cover for the hardcover collector’s edition recreating a classic scene involving the Caped Crusader and Carrie Kelley.
Dark Knight III: The Master Race #8 arrives in comic shops on March 29. In the meantime, be sure to let us know which cover is your favorite in the comments section below!
