Klaus Janson Suspects A Dark Knight IV and Dark Knight V, At NC Comicon

Published Sat, 12 Nov 2016 17:30:23 -0600

By Jonathan Rich, Bleeding Cool Senior Southern Correspondent

Most fervent comics fans already know Dark Knight III: The Master Race has been extended to a ninth issue beyond its initial eight issue run, but Saturday at NC Comicon artist Klaus Janson indicated maybe even more may be in store for his collaboration with writer Frank Miller and their revived version of the classic Batman mythos.

"As far as I know, issue nine is it," Janson said at the DC Comics panel. "That's where the story wraps up, but I suspect there will be a Dark Knight IV and Dark Knight V at some point."

The sixth issue of Frank Miller's most recent take on Batman was in stores Oct. 19 and issue seven is not expected until Dec. 28 with the reunion of Batman and Superman, but whenever that arrives there may be some changes in store for the core characters.

Panel moderator and DC Vertigo editor Jamie S. Rich asked Janson what comes next in the tale and the enigmatic artist seemed to reveal a more prominent role for Carrie Kelly could be in the cards.

"Carrie is one of our favorite characters," Janson said of the future Robin on behalf of her creator Frank Miller. "She's much more intelligent and less scarred than Batman. She doesn't have all the psychological trauma Bruce has. I'm not saying she becomes Batman, but if Batman is dead then what comes next? You never know."

An added bonus for Dark Knight fans this time has been the inclusion of mini comics featuring different future interpretations of classic DC characters written and drawn by Miller for each issue.

Hawkman will be the focus of an upcoming mini comic by Frank Miller set in the Dark Knight universe.

Janson said while he enjoys sharing the art duties for the main part of the book, he also enjoys the added art by his co-workers.

"We decided to give the fans something extra," he said. "What impressed me about that was it combines the traditional format with something more contemporary and cutting edge. There's a certain amount of deja view about this project, but inking Andy Kubert is different than inking Frank Miller."

Dark Knight III: The Master Race #7, including a 16 page 5.5×8.5" mini comic, is scheduled to be on sale Dec. 28, 2016.

Jonathan Rich is a freelance journalist, high school educator, and self-professed comic book nerd working in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. He writes about entertainment and pop culture for various print and web publications, including bleedingcool.com.

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