On November 25, DC is going back to explore the world of the Dark Knight universe with DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE. This time, Frank Miller is joined by Brian Azzarello, Andy Kubert, and Klaus Janson for this new tale. Azzarello and Kubert talked to us over the phone about this upcoming book.
COMIC VINE: Dark Knight Returns focussed on Bruce Wayne and Batman. DK Strikes Again had a much broader scope. Where does DK III fit into all of that?
BRIAN AZZARELLO: Somewhere in the middle. There's a lot of intimate ground level stuff going on, but it's also that "big" sort of 70mm scope that this book has as well.
CV: Brian, seeing you and Frank Miller at New York Comic Con, it's pretty obvious you two are friends. How has the writing experience been when you're collaborating someone you're that close with?
AZZARELLO: Well, it's been easy. We get alone, you're right. No one else gets alone much, so... [laughs] that's a good thing. It's been a really great time. We talk through dialogue and do different voices. It's fun. Too bad no one is there to see it or record it. Actually, I'm glad no one is there to see it or record it.
CV: There was a bit of that there during the press conference [at NYCC] with you guys going back and forth. It's kinda cool to see two iconic writers coming together for work and having a really good time.
AZZARELLO: Giggling like school girls.
CV: Aside from DARK KNIGHT III, you also worked on BEFORE WATCHMEN. Do you find it challenging working with these iconic characters, which have a very vocal and loyal fanbase?
AZZARELLO: I don't look at them any differently than working at these characters that have been around for 75 years, you know? It's the same thing, to me. I don't mean that to slight either camp. I was telling Frank the other day. Like I have to do a sequel to MAUS now, gotta hit all the books that came out in [19]86.
CV: You'll become the go-to '86 guy.
AZZARELLO: I guess.
CV: You've both worked with DC Trinity in the past. To you, what makes Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman so special in the Dark Knight universe?
AZZARELLO: Oh man. I think emotionally they are a lot rawer, you think so, Andy?
ANDY KUBERT: I think they're a lot more... not shallower, but more
AZZARELLO: Human?
KUBERT: Yeah, exactly! They're a lot more human. A little more that you can interact with yourself.
AZZARELLO: Yeah. They're more reactionary to anything regular DC comics.
KUBERT: Like Brian said, they immediately react. They're not thinking about it or having a meeting about it. They would just go with their gut instincts to do what they got to do.
AZZARELLO: It's much more visceral comic reading experience, reading the Dark Knight stuff. Nobody pulls any punches.
CV: In each issue comes a mini-issue focusing on another character from the DK universe. Where did the idea come from for this?
AZZARELLO: The mini-comic came from a few different directions. Originally, a lot of artists were contacted about working on this project. Once we started scripting it, as Frank said "We pick one." We asked a couple guys and no one could do it, so Andy was the last one we contacted... That was a joke.
KUBERT: [laughs]
AZZARELLO: We knew Andy was going to do it and we didn't want to have multiple artists, so that's how the mini-comic came about. We took big chapters from the story that we could focus on individual characters, then we contacted some other artists. Who are artists that expressed interest? Frank wanted to bring some artists in. Frank wanted to do something and he did the first one.
CV: I got to see the Atom mini and his art looked fantastic in it.
AZZARELLO: Yeah. It looks great.
CV: Andy, readers will be seeing a very different style from you in this book. What was the artistic process in capturing Frank Miller's characters in this new series?
KUBERT: When I sat down to try and draw, doing character sketches and trying to figure out where I was going to go with, the one mistake I made was trying emulate Frank. I was getting frustrated with it, so what I did was reversed a little bit. I thought if he tried to draw like me and that made it a lot easier. It was just a lot easier, so what you're looking at is a combination and if Frank was trying to draw like me. I made a conscious effort and decision to make it, what we call, "very Dark Knighty," so it'll have that look. Brian was keeping the spreads long with the pacing. I just want to make sure I can get the composition and storytelling and the beats along in the panels. Frank is such an iconic storyteller that I just wanted to do something that was even close to something he did. I tried the best as I could. It was a pretty daunting experience but right now it's going really well.
CV: Andy, how has it been working with Klaus Janson inking the book?
KUBERT: I've known Klaus for years, even when I was working at Marvel in the early-90s. This is the first time we've ever worked together. What he is doing is giving my work such a refreshing look. I love what he's doing. To me, it's so new and so well done. It invigorates me. I'm really into what he's doing.
Thanks to Brian Azzarello and Andy Kubert for talking to us and make sure to check out DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE when it hits stores on November 25.