DC Comics has announced that the third and final issue of The Dark Knight Strikes Again will hit retail on July 31.  As reported here last month (see 'DKSA #3 Will Not Be Resolicited'), the book will not be resolicited; retailers can adjust their orders through Diamond Comic Distributors during a period beginning on June 19 and lasting until June 28. 

Frank Miller's return to the Dark Knight saga was the big comic book event of last winter and sales of the $5.95 deluxe comic dominated December sales (see 'Dark Knight Rules December Top 10 Cool'), but the tardiness of the final chapter has led to considerable grousing among retailers (in our Talk Back section, for example). Orders for DKSA #3 were nearly as large as they were for issue #1 (see 'Dark Knight Number One Again For February'), so the anticipated demand was robust before the delay occurred.  Retailers will now have a couple of weeks to figure out if the demand has changed since those purchasing decisions were made.