DC Comics has signed writer Frank Miller to an exclusive five-project deal, which includes a young adult graphic novel starring The Dark Knight Returns‘ Carrie Kelley. Miller and artist John Romita, Jr.’s Superman: Year One for the publisher’s new DC Black Label is also reported as being a part of the deal.

>“We’re looking at our business strategy and how the market and our fans have changed,” DC co-publisher Dan Didio told Publishers Weekly. “We’re developing a new strategy about how we deal with all our characters and we want to get the widest audience possible.”

This announcement is a continued effort by DC to reach new audiences outside of the direct market, with initiatives like DC Black Label, DC Zoom DC Ink and DC Super Hero Girls targeted for bookstores.

>“We’re becoming a book publisher” DC co-publisher Jim Lee added. “We’re bringing in new talent with their own audiences to attract readers we haven’t had before.”

>“We want to branch out. We know how to service our core market, the comics shop market,” Didio said. “But we see our numbers in the book market. We sell more graphic novels than periodicals and we want to produce books with a long shelf life.”

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