One might think the premise of Dark Knights of Steel would sink it right off the bat. A “Game of Thrones meets DC’s classic hero stable in a fantasy-magic slugfest” yarn is a concept that sounds so clichéd in 2021 that, at first glance, it would seem to be a tale best left for bedtime stories or pipe dreams. But writer Tom Taylor’s been on a bit of a hitting streak lately for just these kinds of Elseworlds-style stories, with his acclaimed run on Injustice standing out as a well-woven parable from the inherent strengths within the trodden trails of the popular “evil Superman” trope. Now with an even more ambitious world to build, Taylor knocks one out of the park in Dark Knights of Steel #1.
The first issue of DC’s new 12-issue miniseries by Tom Taylor and Yasmine Putri does an exemplary job of drawing the reader into this strangely familiar, but radically different alternate reality of knights, castles and warring kingdoms. The bulk of this first installment involves a rapid-fire introduction to the Kingdom of El, ruled over by Superman’s father Jor-El as, in this universe, he survived along with his wife Lara to make the trip from the destruction of Krypton. Bruce Wayne is depicted as the son of the former, now sadly deceased rulers of the kingdom, who entrusted Jor-El with their throne in their will due to his incredible, Superman-esque abilities. Bruce remains to serve as Jor-El’s leading guardsman in armor reminiscent of The Dark Knight while commanding a cadre of "Robins" to act as scouts and spies, meta-contextually acting as a Jon Snow figure to Kal-El’s Robb Stark.
What makes Dark Knights of Steel #1 such a portentous beginning to what is sure to be another neo-classic by Taylor is that, even with the clear dangers inherent in the premise, his adaptable style shines through. He transforms what would likely develop into an act of unforgivable hubris by a lesser scribe into the humble beginnings of a good fantasy epic. Rather than running from it, Taylor's embracing of the source material in A Song of Ice and Fire leads him to great success, in no less an avenue than his strikingly layered take on Bruce and Kal as brothers in a magical kingdom. Bolstered by the lucid dream/nightmare-style illustration by Putri, Taylor’s consummate ability to allow these genre-splices to breathe on their own brings out the best in DC’s classic characters. The team manages to really set the stage for this twisted fairy tale in a breezy yet absorbing inciting episode that promises only greater calamities ahead.
Perhaps the greatest achievement is that, after just one issue, his world feels very alive, with each and every character introduced possessing a certain vulnerability and soulfulness. It's exactly this kind of foundation that has given Taylor a strong lead in his storytelling before and he appears to be delivering such an approach with similar, if not even better execution. Putri’s lithe and flowing art evokes other great artists like Charles Vess and Stuart Immonen, but her defining trait might actually be the more realist design among fantasy-oriented subject matter she uses. Ultimately, there are a multitude of mistakes that Taylor could have made in this rendition, but he does not stumble once, taking a simple premise and delivering it to the best of his ability to create a genuinely interesting take on what easily could have been a hackneyed concept.
What myriads of magical mayhem await the fantasy-transposed heroes of the DC Universe? Dark Knights of Steel #1 is on sale now wherever comic books are sold.