Start, Stop, Finish: Riding into Battle with “Dark Knights of Steel”
As a lifelong fan of DC growing up in the 1990s, I quickly became familiar with Elseworlds. These were DC comics that changed something fundamental about the character at the story’s center. Think a steampunk Batman fighting Jack the Ripper or a Superman who crash landed as a child in the Cold War-era Soviet Union. They were an imaginative exercise that made fantastic use of DC’s multiverse.
DC’s latest Elseworlds tale is the sequel to 2022’s Dark Knights of Steel,Tom Taylor and Yasmine Putri’s reimagining of the DC Universe as a work of high fantasy. However, I won’t be reading Dark Knights of Steel II—yet. That’s because I never actually read the original limited series. I figured there’s no better time to change that, and to take all of you along for the ride in our latest Start, Stop, Finish.Here are my thoughts before, during and after going into Dark Knights of Steel Vol. 1 completely blind!
Here’s what’s running through my head as I begin: what sets this apart from Elseworlds tales of years past? Setting stories featuring typically modern day DC heroes in medieval times has certainly been done before, with top level talent.Superman: Kalis one that comes to mind, written and illustrated by Dave Gibbons and Jose Luiz Garcia-Lopez, respectively.
Now, I’m a fan of Tom Taylor through his work on Nightwing and his current run on Detective Comics, but I admit I’m unfamiliar with artist Yasmine Putri. Judging by the style of the cover art, her approach looks to be very creative in presenting what appears to be Batman and Superman in a style evoking stained glass paintings. There are also the characters chosen to preview this world: a man and pregnant woman with the S-Shield emblazoned on their chests, which must signal Jor-El and Lara in this period preparing for the birth of young Kal-El. A man in a Bat-Cowl is brandishing a sword held downward—that has to be Batman. There’s also a woman resembling Harley Quinn in full Harlequin makeup—complete with a jester’s outfit. Finally, a graying bearded man flanks the image on the right, standing upright and looking dignified. Could this be Alfred? Ra’s al Ghul? Slade Wilson? He’s the biggest question mark for me when it comes to the cover.
No need to keep myself in suspense any longer. Let’s dive right in!
NOTE: From this point on, spoilers are fair game. Consider yourself warned.
Halfway through the first volume, three issues in and I’ve one word to say…
This is an incredible start to a brand new Elseworlds series!
For one thing, Taylor and Putri aren’t merely resting on the gimmick of setting the DC Universe within a fantasy setting. Right away we are thrown a huge curveball by having not just Kal-El be sent to Earth, but the entire El Family. Jor and Lara survive the escape from Krypton and raise Kal-El on Earth, easily attaining royalty and establishing a vast kingdom through their yellow sun-given powers. And while this naturally sets the world on an altered trajectory of power and control, those who oppose the House of El also come in surprising guises. I was anticipating the usual suspects—your Luthors, your Wallers. But none other than the Kingdom of Storms and its monarch King Jefferson (known in the more familiar DCU as Black Lightning) serve as the chief opposition, counseled by John Constantine.
Even more unexpected than that is the use of Bruce Wayne, a knight who’s been adopted by the House of El and tasked with guarding Prince Kal-El. Aided by Alfred and a bevy of Robins as literal squires and spies, Bruce’s devotion to the Els stems from his family’s personal connection to the kingdom. This connection is soon revealed to run deeper than he once knew, as we find out that Bruce is part Kryptonian!
We learn the truth of Bruce Wayne’s Kryptonian lineage, as well as the identity of the Green Man (an identity comprising of not one, not two, but three different DC characters in one). We also discover where the allegiances lie with regards to those on Amazonia. The island of the Amazons, ruled by Queen Hippolyta, aligns with the Kingdom of Jefferson Pierce and his family, swearing vengeance on Kal-El’s sister Zala Jor-El—whom Hippolyta’s daughter Diana is in love with!
Zala seems to be the perpetrator of most of the violence occurring between nations, wiping out entire armies and forcing allegiances between different factions. While her family believes her innocent of the crimes we see her commit, Bruce and Kal take matter into their own hands in determining how best to move forward, but find themselves at odds with one another when Kal attacks his childhood friend/half-brother! Wounded and abandoned, Bruce is rescued by the unlikeliest of humble villagers in…Jonathan and Martha Kent?!
As I stated earlier, the real thrill of this series is seeing how many twists and turns Taylor throws at the characters. The events are rendered in gorgeous splendor by Putri, who ensures the characters are all visually familiar to us as readers despite the different setting. By the end of this first volume (which, it should be noted, only takes us to the halfway point of the first Dark Knights of Steelseries), we’re shown her depictions of Ra’s al Ghul, Poison Ivy and Tim Drake, and everyone looks so well illustrated it adds to the anticipation of who might appear next.
Speaking as a new reader, this series is a real surprise. It’s an alternate universe super-powered period mystery that manages to keep things both fresh and recognizable for fans. If you haven’t yet read Dark Knights of Steel,I highly recommend checking out Vol. 1 to see Tom Taylor and Yasmine Putri’s saga unfold from the very beginning!
Dark Knights of Steel Vol. 1 by Tom Taylor, Yasmine Putri, Bengal and Arif Prianto is available as a softcover graphic novel in bookstores, comic shops, libraries and digital retailers. It can also be read in full (along with the rest of the series) on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.
Donovan Morgan Grant writes about comics, graphic novels and superhero history for DC.com. Follow him on Bluesky at @donomark and X at @donoDMG1.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Donovan Morgan Grant and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
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