The Dark Knight: The Master Race

“The Dark Knight Returns” is arguably one of the most influential comics of the past 40 years.

Writer-artist Frank Miller re-imagined Batman as an aging Bruce Wayne who comes out of retirement a decade after giving up the cape and cowl.

Miller followed with “Batman: Year One,” which chronicled Bruce Wayne/Batman’s first year as a crimefighter in Gotham City.

“The Dark Knight Returns” and “Year One” revolutionized the concept of what could be done with an established comic book character and graphic novel creatively and as a bestselling book.

Miller had returned to “The Dark Night” concept once and last year returned to the format again with monthly issues.

Now, the third installment has been collected into one volume, “Dark Knight III: The Master Race.”

An old Bruce Wayne returns again to being the Batman assisted by Carrie, the young girl, now grown, who became his latest Robin in “The Dark Knight Returns.” Now, old Batman must save not only Gotham but the world.

A highlight of “The Dark Knight Returns” was it dashed the old “World’s Finest” conceit that Superman and Batman were Super Friends. Instead, they disagreed with one another, baited each other then battled one another and there was especially no love lost by Bruce Wayne for Clark Kent.

In “The Master Race,” Earth is threatened by Kryptonians who trick their way into the world and immediately become a race of Supermen, powered in the same way as Superman, their fellow survivor of doomed Krypton.

Batman, Carrie, Superman, Wonder Woman and other superheroes must reunite to stop the Kryptonian assault.

“The Dark Knight Returns” remains a masterpiece. It’s difficult for any creator to capture lightning again. “The Master Race” is no “Dark Knight Returns.” But that doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s a good book, an exceptional volume, but readers who do not drop their comparisons to “The Dark Knight Returns” will be disappointed.

Also, Miller writes the story with Brian Azzarello but Miller is not the book’s artist. Andy Kubert and Klaus Janson are the artists.

“The Master Race” is a good yarn but it’s not another masterpiece.