The legendary comics artist who drew The Dark Knight Returns won’t be handling the art chores for its upcoming follow-up. So who should?
Part of the reason Frank Miller became an iconic superhero comics creator was the strength of his artistic chops on Daredevil and The Dark Knight Returns. But, over the past two decades, he’s been drawing less and less. The recent announcement of Dark Knight III: The Master Race said that “artists for the project have yet to be announced.”
It’s safe to assume that someone’s already drawing DKIII. DC Comics says it’s coming out this fall, after all. So they’re probably saving the announcement of an art team for some other convention or publicity opportunity. But let’s not let that stop us from assembling a wishlist.
Geoff Darrow
Miller’s Dark Knight Batman work is a special kind of crazy. It’s bombastic and ridiculous while being grim and harsh at the same time. Geoff Darrow — who’s done design work for the Matrix movies and his own batshit-crazy Shaolin Cowboy comics — can do exactly that. In fact, he’s done it with Miller before on their insane sci-fi noir graphic novel Hard Boiled. Let’s get them back together.
Klaus Janson
He started off as an inker and came to notoriety working with Miller on Daredevil and DKR, but Janson’s a stellar penciller in his own right. He’s got a long history with both Miller and Batman, one that might pay off in excellent artistic dividends.
Shawn Martinbrough
Miller’s comics work is often been characterised by a powerful use of shadows and dramatic lighting and Shawn Martinbrough uses both of those tools to great effect. Seen most recently in Robert Kirkman’s Thief of Thieves series, Martinbrough is an excellent storyteller with a strong command of body language and dramatic angles. And he’s already got a great Batman run under his belt.
Doug Mahnke
He’s been doing heaps of DC work for years now and Mahnke wields a style that’s well-suited suited to the brutalism of Miller’s work. Miller’s Dark Knight stories have been filled with heavy, larger-than-life figures physically and ideologically struggling with each other. Mahnke could bring that to glorious life.
Comments
11 responses to “Who Do You Want To Draw The Next Dark Knight Batman Story?”
David Mazzucchelli
Greg Capullo, his work on the court of owls was great.
Whoever did Knightfall. That story arc was fucking sweet.
You know it will be Eduardo Risso.
You just know it.
If Azarello is scripting – it’s a no brainer.
Lee Bermejo! Loved his work in Joker, Batman Noel and Lex Luthor Man of Steel.
Plus he’s done good stuff with Azerello (who’s also attached to this)
Alex Ross would also be cool, Kingdom Come was great.
Mike Mignola would be sweet
Not sure who I want to draw it, but I’m reasonably sure that I don’t want Frank Miller to write it.
I’d love to see Sam Kieth have a crack at it. If they’re going let Miller loose with a pen again, why not go with an art style that suits the unhinged ravings?
Tim Sale. Absolutely loved his work on Long Halloween and Catwoman: When In Rome.
Still a sucker for Jim Lee.
Frank Quitely, just so everyone can look puffy and messed up.