Before the jumping up and down begins, I have to harsh your glee by stating that this is just a rumor right now, but it’s a hell of a rumor.
According to a new report, there is a chance that Frank Miller is looking to team-up with Scott Snyder to write a third installment in The Dark Knight Returns series. It’s a collaboration that would build on the legacy of one of the most revered comic books in history, a huge influencer on the shape of the character’s soul (on paper and screen) since the ink first dried.
Here are some of the details from Bleeding Cool about the potential storyline and the short list of artists that are allegedly being considered.
The story, I am told, would concern Carrie Kelley, the Robin of Dark Knight, now in her elder years. She is now in a similar position to that of Bruce Wayne in the original Dark Knight, and she is seeking her own successor to protect Gotham.
I am told that Frank Miller is too unwell to draw the book, so new artists are being sought. DC co-publisher Dan DiDio, and those above him, want multiple issues with multiple artists, including the likes of Greg Capullo, Jim Lee, Andy Kubert, Marc Silvestri and the like.
I’m also told that Scott Snyder prefers a standalone title, akin to Sandman Overture, without the many spinoffs that Before Watchmen got. And that his artist on The Wake, Sean Murphy, is a favourite artist choice.
But that’s even if it gets made and I understand there are many other aspects to consider first, including Frank’s health.
The story rumor is what it is, I’m not going to put much stock in something that could be incredibly fluid at this formative moment, but if it turns out that that is where this would go, that would be interesting.
Rumors about Miller’s health have been out there for awhile, so I suppose it’s not surprising to see that mentioned as a concern in Bleeding Cool’s report.
As for the style of the event, I’m personally more in favor of a stand-alone series with one artist for the sake of continuity, and Sean Murphy is a really solid artist (and a great writer as well), so that would be fine. It’s interesting that there was a Bleeding Cool story yesterday about Marc Silvestri coming to DC to draw a monthly Batman book and now his name is being floated as an artist on this project.
Obviously, Greg Capullo, Jim Lee, and Andy Kubert are huge talents with ample experience drawing Batman, but I just don’t see Capullo having the time what with his commitment to the Batman monthly and Lee’s last collaboration with Miller, Batman and Robin: All-Star, was not well received.
Frankly, I’d love to see original Dark Knight Returns collaborator Klaus Janson participate in this possible series, and he did publicly reach out to Miller in an interview with CBR back in February wherein he said he’d like to work with him again, but who knows?
As for the Snyder/Miller team-up, it’s not terribly surprising. If it’s a Bat-book, DC’s go-to is Snyder, who is presently in the midst of the battle-heavy Batman: Endgame arc in the Batman monthly series. He’s also writing Wytches for Image.
Snyder and Miller have never worked together before, but the two did meet over the summer for the first time while Snyder was in the midst of a spiritual reboot of Batman’s origin story (a task Miller is a bit familiar with thanks to his work on Batman: Year One) with his Zero Year arc and there was a bit of mutual admiration expressed.
It pains me to type this, but after the failure of Miller’s recent film work, his penchant for finding controversy, and the critical community’s issues with Holy Terror and its oft-noted lack of delicacy regarding Islam, I wonder if Snyder is there for his skills and as a guard against the possibility that Miller doesn’t have “it” anymore.
This is all speculation in response to speculation, though, so this project could be something that defies all expectations and it could turn into dust and go nowhere. With the close proximity to the 30th anniversary of The Dark Knight Returns (in 2016) and the book’s ties to Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, though, it almost seems to make too much sense to not be true.
Via Bleeding Cool