I had intended to review this issue via the hardcover format, but it appears that won’t be out until after #3. So, I bought the standard edition. The things I do for you people …
Dark Knight III #2 is another very fast-paced, frenetic, and all-too-short issue. The plot points brought up in issue #1 (as well as the mini-comic) are rapidly developing, and we might be at the stage now we can properly identify what “The Master Race” is.
Carrie Kelly’s interrogation is an interesting insight into the hardass that is Robin in the DKR-universe. She could give Damian a run for his money. A little spoiler here, we get some unreliable narrative on the fate of Bruce Wayne that, I’ll admit, almost had me going for a second. Almost. It was a good throwback to the similar fake-out of the original series.
Lana and Wonder Woman have some building discontent over their roles is an this strange state of exile they’re existing in. But I have to say, Lana is starting to grow on me, despite never striking me the least bit interesting in DK2. It’s fun to see just how … “Amazon” she truly is, maybe in spite of herself.
In the previous mini-comic, we were clued into Ray Palmer’s efforts to rescue the denizens of Kandor from their bottled fate, with the help of Baal and Lara. Well, that turns out to be a bad, bad idea. Seems there is a radicalized religious movement among the Kandorians, and they have bloodshed and dominance on their mind. Like the police brutality implications of the first issue, this has been met with some keyboard warriors crying foul in their reviews. Life imitates art, imitates life — really no different than the 1980s setting of the original. In other words, this has drawn my interest. And the last time I cried from art was the end of Saving Private Ryan.
While one may debate the influence of other Frank Miller works in the over-arcing plot, the real homage to past work from Frank is being done in Kubert’s glorious layouts. Some pieces feel like they’re ripped right out of Sin City. And other parts … well, they’re just plain awesome.
So, much like issue 1, I can continue to recommend this series. I just wish they crammed it closer to the 48-page original.