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Frank Miller wants us all to remember that even though Batman is scary, he’s a symbol of hope

To The Dark Knight Returns writer-artist Frank Miller, Batman isn't all doom and gloom

News by Jules Chin Greene, Staff Writer

Published on Thu Mar 05 2026

The Popverse coverage of the ComicsPRO Annual Meeting 2026 is brought to you by Lunar Distribution. Commited to Retailers. Focused on the Future of Comics.

When you think of Frank Miller's writing, what words come to mind for you? What images of his vision of Batman are conjured up for you? I'm willing to bet that a lot of you thought of something along the lines of "dark." But even though Miller likes to explore darkness in his writing, he doesn't see Batman as an entirely dark character.

The writer-artist reflected on the legacy of The Dark Knight Returns with Klaus Janson at the ComicsPRO industry conference this year. "I see it as that even though [Batman is] a big, scary guy who employs terror in his methods, that he's ultimately a figure of hope. And hope is an extraordinarily powerful thing that gives people great strength and resilience," said Miller.

For Miller, Batman's actions in The Dark Knight Returns are done in order to "save the soul of the city," and ultimately make him a hopeful figure. In case you need a refresher, Gotham City was in a pretty rough spot at the beginning of The Dark Knight Returns, enough to re-galvanize a 50-year-old Bruce Wayne to put the Batsuit back on again.

This year, DC Comics is celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Dark Knight Returns by printing facsimiles of the issues, new variant covers featuring characters from the storyline, a deluxe hardcover edition, and a $10 Compact Comics edition. There's never been a better time to discover the wonders, the darkness, and the hope of The Dark Knight Returns than in 2026.

He is vengeance, he is the night, he is... one of Popverse's favorite subjects. Learn how to do a Dark Knight movie marathon right with our Batman movie guide, and for the true World's Greatest Detectives out there, dive deep into the heart of Gotham City by getting to know Batman with Popverse. Here are some of our latest Batman stories:

About ComicsPRO Industry Conference

Every year, the giants of the North American comic industry congregate behind closed doors for a closed-door conference to talk about the changing landscape of comics, what they've learned, and what they are all planning to do in the future. It's not a comic convention for fans, though - it's in a B2B event called the ComicsPRO Annual Meeting, and this year Popverse is going there to bring it all to you. At the 2026 Comics PRO Annual Meeting, Popverse will be covering the announcements, the conversations, and the insight from the likes of Marvel Comics, DC Comics, VIZ Media, Yen Press, Image Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and more.

Dates

Feb 19 - Feb 22

Location

Glendale, California
United States

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Jules Chin Greene: Jules Chin Greene is a journalist and Jack Kirby enthusiast. He has written about comics, video games, movies, and television for sites such as Nerdist, AIPT, and Multiverse of Color.