Dark Knights of Steel has delivered a hell of a rollercoaster ride so far. The series follows a fantasy take on familiar superheroes with Black Lightning’s family ruling one kingdom and Superman’s family ruling another. Jor-El is murdered by King Jefferson leading to Zala Jor-El to attack Jefferson’s kingdom killing his son. A war is brewing and Dark Knights of Steel #3 sees the various factions jockeying and preparing for what’s to come.
Written by Tom Taylor, the first three issues have very much been the setup of the clash to come. There’s lots of mystery brewing, like why Zala is just out killing folks now, but it’s the machinations and planning by the rulers that’s most interesting.
Dark Knights of Steel #3 has Jefferson attempt to woo the Amazons to his side. But, is that really his goal overall? There’s an intelligence as to what Taylor is brewing that has the reader questioning what might behind everyone’s actions. Things can’t just be straightforward, can they?
Taylor also does a fantastic job of using DC’s characters without just having them in different costumes. There’s hints and teases in some cases where just a name or color of armor let you know what their main DC Universe equivalent is. It’s fun in that way that has you partially playing “who’s that character?”.
The art by Yasmine Putri has been fantastic. With color by Arif Prianto and lettering by Wes Abbott, each issue looks stunning and Dark Knights of Steel #3 is no exception. As said above, the characters look like they fit in this world without just slightly tweaking their normal costumes. Normal knight armor might just be colored in a way to tip off readers. There’s also a great use of events off page. With Zala on the warpath, some of her actions happen off the page with the reader only seeing the beginning and then the destruction. That leaves the imagination to run wild and fill in the blanks, which is far worse than what Putri would be able to show.
Dark Knights of Steel #3 is another solid issue of the series. It’s slowly building the intrigue and action to come instead of just rushing into things. It also has no problem piling up the bodies and destruction. In other words, it’s using its disconnect from continuity to full advantage and delivering a reading experience that’s familiar but also keeps readers on their toes.
Story: Tom Taylor Art: Yasmine Putri
Color: Arif Prianto Letterer: Wes Abbott
Story: 8.75 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW
Source: Graphic Policy
