Review: Dark Knights Of Steel #12

Dark Knights of Steel #12 came out this week, the end to an entertaining Elseworlds maxi-series written by Tom Taylor and drawn for the most part Yasmine Putri. Putri is on art here.

For me, Taylor seems to shine the most on these Elseworld books where he can re-imagine DC characters or nudge them down a path he wants. One of my main issues with his 'in continuity' books is his very heavy-handed agenda driven stories. This book pretty much shied away from that. This was simply 'what would the DCU be like if it was thrown into a Game of Thrones style world'. There are good people and bad people. There are people who are ethically gray. It had character beats, side stories, a main plot, and a lot of action. It worked.

This is issue wraps up the story rather neatly. Taylor has to do a couple of things. Bring together our heroes to brawl with White Martians. Set things up for a sequel since, I think, this has been a successful book. Wrap up the side stories. Set up the next villain. And he does all that. The brawl takes a sort of back seat as the fight ends quickly, using a crutch that DC has been leaning on for 5 years. 

But what I really like is the time that Taylor gives to the characters here. This could be the last time we see these folks. Taylor gives us some great closing moments for all the characters, even the secondary ones. My favorite moment is with a supporting characters. This really felt like a fleshed out world and therefore I will miss it.

Putri work here feels a little bit less polished than her work in the earlier issues. But her work is so strong and powerful that it is still powerful and bold. I hope we see her work in other places. Put her on 4 issue minis or specials. But keep her in the fold.

I'll say it now. If there is a sequel, I'll be on board.

On to the details.

Review: Dark Knights Of Steel #11

Dark Knights of Steel #11 came out this week, the penultimate issue of this mini-series which I have very much enjoyed. Writer Tom Taylor has really done a good job of putting together this world, a pastiche of Dungeons & Dragons and the DCU. In 11 short issues, he has stuffed a lot of characters into this world and they feel both iconic and new. That's what Elseworlds should be.

I have to say that Tom Taylor sort of fascinates me. I loved his All-New Wolverine.  I really like this book. I think his Nightwing is a solid book. But his Jon Kent books are not good. And I am avoiding his Titans. Usually I find creators who are 'sure things' and he seems to be batting .500. This review will be glowing. Next week's Adventures of Superman Jon Kent #4 won't be. I guess no one bats 1.000.

Here, Taylor sets up next month's finale very well. But just when I thought I knew all the there was to know heading into the conclusion, Taylor throws one more curveball. And it was one maybe I should have expected. Great cliffhanger and surprise.

Yasmine Putri is on art again and it is lush. I have talked about the excellent expressive work here but the Harley in this book is too precious. Here Harley is the perfect 'court jester who is the smartest person in the room'. But the action is solid too. This issue is mostly a set-up for the upcoming battle so there are a lot of scenes of people talking. But Putri makes it look good. Add to that a Dan Mora cover showcasing these versions of the character and this issue's art is a big win.

I will be sad to see this series end although there is enough world building here to easily do a sequel.

On to the particulars.

Review: Dark Knights Of Steel #10

Dark Knights of Steel #10 came out this week and we are starting to tie up all the plotlines as we head to the conclusion. Last issue we had finally had the bombshell drop. The White Martians have been manipulating everyone, forcing the super-powered kingdoms to fight each other and eliminate the super-powered beings on the board, softening the world up for a takeover.

With the reveal out of the way, it is time for some of the background to be explained.

Writer Tom Taylor seems to thrive in these Elseworlds situations. This issue he does a good job of giving us the origin of the Martians arrival as well as setting up the end war. Heck, he even goes back to the original prophecy that is driving the plot, revealing who 'the Green man' is. I have enjoyed how well Taylor is juggling the characters here, giving each of the main characters their own personality, their own backstory, their own worries. We are only ten issues (and one special) in but I feel like I know these versions of familiar characters.

Yasmine Putri continues to stun on art. Our last issue came out two months ago. If Putri's art is what is taking so long, it is worth it. I'd rather have a unified look. The fantastical elements and the quiet moments all work well here. This issue ultimately is a sci-fi issue which shows her breadth nicely.

Best of all, the story has reached the right place for the 10th issue of a 12 issue series. Taylor has 2 issues to wrap it all up. I get the sense this won't be rushed.

On to the book.

Review: Dark Knights Of Steel #9

Dark Knights of Steel #9 came out last week and was an issues filled with revelations. One I guessed way back in my review of issue #5. Another came out of nowhere but makes a lot of sense. An issue where I was right about a theory AND I was surprised by a twist. You know I liked this issue.

Writer Tom Taylor has been having a war between the kingdoms heating to a boil. There have been significant deaths in all the houses. There have been secret missions and hidden alliances. And now it all comes to a head. This is a blood filled issue of war. Despite the battle pages, there are a couple of real solid character moments which showcase just how fun this book has been. And the twists which explain so much of the mysteries that have happened in the earlier issues. I honestly think that Taylor shines when he writes these Elseworld books. 

Artist Yasmine Putri is back on art. The stuff is just fantastic. The warfare is realistic and brutal. The emotions are raw and palpable. Everything is smooth and slick. I am glad that DC has given this book some time so that Putri can be on the book and finish the issue's she is on. I'm hopeful she rounds out the title.

But this is a turning point. We enter the last fourth of the title and some major twists have been revealed. That is plenty of time for use to get to a satisfying conclusion!

On to the book!

Review: Dark Knights Of Steel #8

Dark Knights of Steel #8 came out this week and was another interesting chapter in this mini-series. I have enjoyed this book for its exploration of the DC heroes in a medieval setting with all the trappings that comes with. It was a time when combat settled a lot of disputes. So seeing some of our heroes seem eager to raise their sword hand seems right.

The House of El, The House of Lightning, and the Amazons are about to engage in battle, a war of the three major kingdoms on this world. I have suspected for some time that the real villains of this world have yet to be revealed. Some shape-shifters are out there ratcheting up the tension and lashing out in the guise of our heroes. 

The problem is that this also means that the 'real' heroes are bound to return the violence. This issue ends with a brutal death. But I don't think there are any shapeshifters here. I think who ever is pulling the strings has succeeded in making these different factions kill themselves off. 

Tom Taylor does a good job here with characterization as usual. I love the Harley here. I like Diana and Zala- trying to calm things. And I like the budding romance between Ollie and Dinah. 

Another big win is the art. Yasmine Putri is back on the book and her stuff is just gorgeous. Her panel construction and page layouts really help push the story.  Her battle sequences are fantastic. And she seems to have a good handle on the fashion and mores of the time. Just wonderful.

On to the book!

Review: Dark Knights Of Steel #6

Dark Knights of Steel #6 came out last week, marking the halfway point of the maxi-series. And this one ended, as much of this series has ended with a great cliffhanger.

I have been very impressed by this series so far. Sure, this is just another Elseworlds take on the DCU, this time set in medieval times. But writer Tom Taylor has kept his foot on the gas the entire time. Things happen pretty fast in this book, with deaths, plot twists, and declarations of war happening in each issue. Add to that solid characterization and new takes on classic properties. 

In this issue, the fire is stoked for an all out war between the House of El and the House of Lightning. But more and more it is becoming obvious that there is another power lurking in the background, manipulating these two kingdoms into battle. I am still putting my bets on White Martians. We'll see if I'm right. At the very least, it looks like Zala Jor-El, the Supergirl analogue, is probably not a killer. 

Yasmine Putri is again on art and everything is just gorgeous. There isn't necessarily a heavy action issue. Instead Putri gets to show off her expressive work here. The looks of shock, horror, and anger throughout the book are spot on. So much of the story is told by the art here, not words.

And this Supergirl-centric Joshua Middleton cover is just gorgeous.

I am having a ton of fun with this book. It hasn't missed yet. 

On to the details.

Review: Dark Knights Of Steel #5

Dark Knights of Steel #5 came out this week and was another wild chapter in a series that has been incredibly entertaining and intriguing so far. One thing I have learned about this title is that a surprise death or twist is going to happen in every issue. And this one did not break the trend.

Writer Tom Taylor has done an incredible job putting familiar DC characters into this Game of Thrones landscape. Of course, we have to cement them in this new reality which means new wrinkles and different takes. I was sort of depressed when I saw that Zala, the Supergirl of this world, was a vicious killer. Perhaps I should have waited a second. Taylor shows us that I may need to rethink everything. Even questions that I have asked myself which confused me seem to be answered here. It also looks like I have another mystery to solve. I have a couple of theories already.

After last issue's flashback, we are back in the present. Taylor pushes the plot forward as he has with every issue in this series. I mean, things happen at a breakneck pace. And don't blink or you might miss someone dying.

Also, after last issue's great fill-in by Bengal, Yasmine Putri is back on art. The results are typically astounding. The scene in the forest with Poison Ivy, Harley, and Diana is just lush. The fight scenes are powerfully rendered. And we get solid expressive work. 

I am truly enjoying this book, a fun, fast-moving Elseworlds.

On to the particulars.

Review: Dark Knights Of Steel #3

Dark Knights of Steel #3 came out this week and kept the pedal down on the progression of plot. This is an interesting Elseworlds, a mix of DCU and something like Game of Thrones, where no one is safe and it seems like characters die every issue.

Tom Taylor certainly has a flair for the dramatic. He effortlessly brings in mainstream DC concepts into this storyline only to remove them almost immediately with death! One thing I can say three issues in is that I have never said 'this book is treading water'. We are a breakneck pace.

One thing that is clear in this issue is that the prophecy stated in the first issue as captions over pages is going to be a major plot point. Not that I mind going back and re-reading but if I had one request it would be that the prophecy get restated in each issue, maybe in an old school 'scroll' text box?

And I have to wonder what Supergirl has done to DC management to have her treated so badly. Yes, I know, this is an Elseworlds AND this is Zala Jor-El (not Kara Zor-El). But the character is the Supergirl analogue and she is villainous. Her body count is growing. Can't I get a heroic Supergirl somewhere?

The art by Yasmine Putri is simply gorgeous. I love the detail she puts into the work. I love the gore she puts into the battles. One thing I love is this cover. The background is an image of Jor-El, killed in the first issue. Doves fly across the cover but one is covering Jor's left eye. That is the eye struck with an arrow, killing him. Blur your vision a little and the dove could be a wound. Nice imagery there.

On to the book.

Review: Dark Knights Of Steel #2

Dark Knights of Steel #2 came out this week and was another wild issue pushing the plot forward at breakneck speed and adding a mystery for me to contemplate. This is a 12 issue mini-series but last issue we had the death of Jor-El and this issue we have another assassination. Can this pace be kept up for the whole story? I can only hope.

Writer Tom Taylor really shines here as I have a solid feeling for this world and these characters already. It is hard to bring that sort of depth so quickly. Yes, we 'know' who these characters are but they are also very new. I also appreciate that Taylor is able to bring some echoes of classic DC history into these new proceedings. I won't bury the lede ... there is a sort of Supergirl analogue here. But once again Kara (or here Zala) isn't shown in the kindest light. 

Yasmine Putri brings a lushness to the art here. From medieval action to the drama of the court to dungeons, the work really shines. Things are moody and have the feeling of being torchlit with the colors of Asif Priento. The whole book has the feel of tapestries and oils. 

Two issues in and I am pretty engaged. On to the details.

Review: Dark Knights Of Steel #1

Last week Dark Nights of Steel #1 came out, an Elseworlds look at DC characters in medieval times. From the time the book was first solicited, I have been excited. It seemed like a great project. Tom Taylor is a writer I trust. Yasmine Putri's art is gorgeous. Supergirl has been hinted as being a character in the book and I have wanted to see Taylor's take on Kara since he wrote All-New Wolverine. 

Now I have been reading comics for some time and lived through the heyday of the Elseworlds boom, reading everything from a Civil War Superman to a the Justice League in the old west. To succeed, things need to be similar enough to recognizable but different enough to be interesting. Sometimes that is a change of venue, or a new wrinkle in the origin. 

Here, Taylor does a good job of both. There are a lot of interesting wrinkles in this first issue and that isn't even counting the Medieval setting. I am intrigued and already forming some theories. New origin threads, new relationships, even a death. This is a meaty first issue. I also get to see Harley Quinn as a true harlequin court jester. For that I will forever be in Taylor's debt.

Putri's art is just a gorgeous as expected. The pages sing. In particular, the Black Canary pages are incredible. 

On to the book.

Review: DC Nuclear Winter Special #1

I had seen the solicits for DC's Nuclear Winter Special #1 and I saw the creator list included a number of names of creators who I trust. This includes but isn't limited to Steve Orlando, Paul Dini, Tom Taylor, Cecil Castellucci, Phil Hester, Scott Kolins, Jerry Ordway, etc.

That's a lot of names of people whose work I routinely love.

But then I saw the price point. $10 is a lot to shell out for a collection of post-apocalyptic, 'this isn't a holiday special', 'out of continuity book. I'd almost rather buy three monthlies and keep those titles afloat. It's like a $10 lottery ticket. It might be a winner. But it might not. And shouldn't that sawbuck go elsewhere?

Luckily I have friends who don't overthink things so much and had bought it. Those folks loved it. So when you say there are creators who you trust in the book and there are comic friends who you trust telling you to buy the book, you reach into your wallet and you plop the Hamilton down.

I am so happy I did. I won't cover all the stories here but they are all very good. But tucked in there is a Supergirl story by writer Tom Taylor with breakdowns by Tom Derenick and finished art and colors by dazziling newcomerYasmin Putri. The tale is absolutely wonderful. It certainly will make my top ten list. It leans into so many things I feel about Supergirl's history. It is hopeful, even in the nightmarish world it exists in. And it is beautiful. This alone would have made the book worth buying.