REVIEW: Dark Knight III: The Master Race #2

Dark Knight III: The Master Race #2
Written by Frank Miller, Brian Azzarello
Art by Andy Kubert
Inks by Klaus Janson
Colors by Brad Anderson
Published by DC Comics

After reading issue two of the Dark Knight III: The Master Race, I have to say that so far, this latest plot is merely OK. Over the years, I have read countless Batman adventures, and while I enjoyed most of them, there were some stories that didn’t quite entertain me. DKR was easily one of the most unforgettable Batman stories I’ve ever read. DK2 had the opposite effect for me. At the moment, DKIII in my opinion, falls somewhere in between.

I’m afraid for this review, I’ll have more negative viewpoints than I do positive ones, but I’ll share some of them with you anyways.

Perhaps what is bothering me the most, is the fact that the Dark Knight himself has been absent from most of the pages of the first two issues of DKIII. So, if you look at this from a financial perspective, you would have spent at a minimum, about $12 for the first two issues which focuses more on the supporting cast of characters than it does the leading one.

Carrie Kelley donning the cape and cowl and subsequently getting caught by the GCPD, seemed like an awfully painful way for her to gain an audience with Commissioner Yindel and share with her a tale of Bruce Wayne’s demise following his encounter with Lex Luthor in DK2. I don’t know about you, but I’m trying my best to put DK2 out of my mind.

The Wonder Woman mini-comic was not as impactful as the mini-comic from issue one. Good artwork yes, but the story there, or the emotions it conveys, could’ve been shared over the course of a few panels. Using a mini-comic devoted to Wonder Woman’s relationship with her daughter Lara was OK, but unnecessary.

Speaking of mini-comics, after reading the mini-comic from issue one, it was not hard to figure out who the Master Race was going to be. Now, the citizens of Kandor come forward in book two and their intentions are immediately made clear to the reader. Without a doubt, their rise in the second half of book two was much better than the story told in the first half of the issue.

With all of that being said, I’m not giving up on this series. It’s definitely much better than DK2 up to this point. Legendary this story is not, but the creative team has used up two issues using a supporting cast of characters as a setup for what’s to come. Sooner or later, the Dark Knight will return, but against a race of superpowered beings, he’s going to need some major help. As I mentioned in the DKIII book one review, this series appears to be more of a JLA or Superman themed book rather than a Batman book.

Until next time Crusaders!

[yasr_overall_rating]

Author Profile

13th Crusader

Real Name: Mike / Occupation: (As Mike) Classified; (as The 13th Crusader) Host of The Definitive Crusade, DC Podcast, for Undercover Capes / Known Aliases: 13, The Iron Mike, Ironhide, The Walking Human Encyclopedia, Professor M / Affiliations: Comic Crusaders / Base of Operations: The 13th Lair (location classified), often mobile / Abilities: Photographic memory (to the extent where he is capable of memorizing the comic book inventories of several stores simultaneously for lengthy periods of time), voice impersonation, acute senses (The 13th Crusader possesses an uncanny ability to track down vintage comic books, and on several occasions, with his eyes closed, he has been able to determine the exact year a comic book was published just by smelling the ink inside of it), capable of drawing sketches; however, he prefers to write. He has a substantial amount of resistance to alcohol, surpassing the levels displayed by Marvelâ€™s Volstagg and Valiantâ€™s Aram Anni-Padda â€“ combined. Multilingual (Proficient with English and Spanish, adequate with Portuguese and Italian). Above average marksman (he is capable of throwing objects accurately at high velocities), limited sword fighting skills and kickboxing techniques. / Known Weaknesses: Anything that involves the original Gwen Stacy, 2 for 1 drinks during Happy Hour, 50 cent comic book bins, the scent of 1983 comic book ink / Hobbies: Vintage comic book collecting, baseball, listening to excessive amounts of 80â€™s music / History: Little is known of The 13th Crusader. He is a man of many talents who was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He has extensive knowledge of the comic book world and heâ€™s been collecting comic books since before he was able to read. Heâ€™s a BIG time fan of Silver and Bronze Age comics, and as such, his personal collection is truly impressive. He owns books that range from the 1950â€™s and onward. First Appearance: Comic Crusaders Column â€“ What Defines A Characters First Appearance (Feb 2014)