From Eisner Award-winning writer Tom Taylor (Nightwing, DCeased) and rising artistYasmine Putri comes an Elseworlds epic about a hero from a distant world, a darkknight crusader, and an Amazon warrior set in a world of steel and magic.Peace between the kingdoms of El, the Kingdom of Storms, and the Amazons hasalways been uneasy. But when a member of the royal family of El is assassinated toprevent a dark prophecy from coming true, the only remaining course is all-out war.But was the prophecy itself accurate, or is a far greater evil responsible for settingthe three realms against each other? Swords will clash, spells will be cast, and bloodwill be spilled as the war of the three kingdoms begins! This deluxe edition collectsDark Knights of Steel #1-12 and Dark Knights of Tales from the Three Kingdoms #1and features an introduction by Mark Waid and a new cover by Yasmine Putri.
Once a professional juggler and fire eater, Tom Taylor is a #1 New York Times Bestselling, multi-award-winning comic book writer, playwright and screenwriter.
Well known for his work with DC Comics and Marvel, Taylor is the co-creator of NEVERLANDERS from Penguin Random House, SEVEN SECRETS from Boom Studios and the Aurealis-Award-winning graphic novel series THE DEEP. Taylor is also the Head Writer and Executive Producer of The Deep animated series, four seasons of which is broadcast in over 140 countries.
He is perhaps best known for the DC Comics series, DCEASED (Shadow Awards Winner), NIGHTWING (nominated for 5 Eisner Awards), SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL (GLAAD Award Nominee), INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US, SUICIDE SQUAD, EARTH 2 and BATMAN/SUPERMAN as well as Marvel's FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, ALL NEW WOLVERINE, X-MEN: RED, DARK AGES and SUPERIOR IRON MAN. Taylor is also the writer of many Star Wars series, which include STAR WARS: INVASION and STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES (Stan Lee Excelsior Award winner). Taylor has written for Marvel, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Boom Studios, Wildstorm, 2000 AD and Gestalt Comics.
Aren't they cute! and surely not maladorous or diseased...
OK, reducing the series thusly might be doing it a disservice but also mostly fits... Taylor still is basically the best writer doing it for DC these days so it was fun and twisty-turny but apart from the character design and dynastic plotting they didn't take much advantage of the faux-medieval setting. I mean, not a single character even said "forsooth!"
The trusty Bat-Steed was underexplored, alas.
I understand there has been a sequel to shoehorn in yet more DC character variants, I'll likely check it out one day but this curiosity has been satisfied for now.
I had heard good things about this comic and the industry in general, and I'll just say it's not for me and if this is where the industry is at, I'm good lol I don't need to read any more comics.
I was hoping this was going to be in the same vein as Marvel 1602 (and just as good), but instead it's literally just modern heroes with a medieval skin. Art is fine, I guess, I think if you're going to commit to a time period it would be good to have a style that mimics it in some way.
My main gripe is that it doesn't feel like a medieval story. The cool thing about the Elseworlds imprint idea for me is the fact that you can remove these characters from their typical environs and place them "elsewhere." This allows you to really mess with the characters and think "Oh, how would this have looked in this time and place." But it's more than just putting them in armor, it requires research and changing certain things in order to make it fit the time and place. In other words they should be thinking, in some way, like the people in that setting. Take for example the best Elseworld story in my opinion: Red Son. Everyone in that comic acts and talks like people from the 50's. They have appropriate names, appropriate speech, and appropriate morals. This run is really just a high fantasy, high powered, modern D&D campaign.
It of course should be noted that it's not necessarily set in any specific time and place and the location isn't even obviously our planet. It's just "a" planet that is in it's medieval period. As a lover of the medieval period this is what grinds my gears with so much medieval fantasy is that authors really struggle with the mindset of characters in these settings. Gaiman nails this so well in 1602 (along with pretty much everything else.) But most people really can't get the modern out of their writing. Why bother setting it in a medieval setting if you're going to include Raven attacking the idea of kings? Monty Python has it, but that's a farce. I assume this is a serious story, after all Batman is a bastard and they make it a big deal. If most common people don't seem to think highly of kings why would they care that a bastard is on the throne. It would be like in Red Son, Superman saying "there really is no difference between Communism and Capitalism." It's ripping out an important ideological pillar and worldview of that world. There is just so much of that missing. You don't have to spend whole issues on it, but set it up in small dialogue bubbles or in panels. In Marvel 1602, there's a panel with no words that shows the X-Men praying in the chapel at their school. Amazing, why? Didn't need to talk about religion, just had to show it and remind the reader that "Oh yes, this is important in these characters' worldviews." You really don't have that here.
Does this mean every idea was bad? No, I actually really liked the Martian Manhunter/Alfred thing. I thought that was cool. While some things were kind of clunky like the Lex Luthor/Joker thing, I thought the overall swing was interesting. Take risks! That's good! Just also take risks with your writing, just because everyone claps for certain tropes today doesn't mean they have to appear unaltered and unchallenged (looking at you Harley and Ivy romance.)
I imagine the average comic book fan will like this, and I get that, it is cool to see Batman in armor or whatever, but we should really hold all writing to a higher standard, especially because this idea is really fresh and could be done really well with the right team. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case here.
Finally: Go read Marvel 1602 instead. The only good thing I can say about owning a physical copy of Dark Knights of Steel is that I can hold it up with my copy of Marvel 1602 and show how much better 1602 is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was so breathtakingly illustrated and the story feels so fresh despite calling on classic DC storylines and characters. The plot twists and turns here were so cool that I was captivated all throughout. A new favorite from Tom Taylor!
so goofy. so good for my reading goal. so fun to just recount to people who have never heard of it. art is gorgina. dc should be employing yasmine like they're employing mora
This was a cracking maxi series. Elseworlds books can sometimes lean too heavily into the “look at my fun Alt-version of your favourite hero” and lose the heart and plot of a good comic. Not so here! Great art, creative and exciting writing: you’d be hard pressed to find as much fun as are in these twelves issues.
Frankly, I’ll take good stuff like this over a typical crossover any day.
Premetto che non sono un grande conoscitore dell’universo DC, quindi mi sono avvicinato a Dark Knights of Steel con curiosità ma anche con una certa “verginità” rispetto ai personaggi. E forse proprio per questo l’ho apprezzato ancora di più. Si tratta di una maxi-serie in dodici numeri che reimmagina l’intero mondo DC in chiave fantasy/medioevale, in una sorta di "Elseworld" o What If particolarmente ispirato.
Il lavoro di Tom Taylor mi ha davvero sorpreso: i personaggi sono stati riscritti in maniera coerente con l’ambientazione, ma mantengono le caratteristiche fondamentali delle loro controparti classiche. Non si tratta solo di un cambio estetico o superficiale: le dinamiche, le alleanze, i tradimenti e i colpi di scena portano a sviluppi narrativi originali che riescono a coinvolgere anche chi, come me, non ha una conoscenza approfondita del pantheon DC.
L’ambientazione medioevale è uno dei punti forti del volume: castelli, magia, cavalieri e casate reali si fondono con i poteri e le origini dei supereroi, creando un mondo credibile e affascinante. Anche le tre storie brevi contenute in fondo al volume arricchiscono ulteriormente il contesto e danno respiro all’universo narrativo.
Sul fronte visivo, poi, c’è poco da dire: Yasmine Putri è stata per me una scoperta assoluta. Le sue tavole sono eleganti, dettagliate, dinamiche e perfette per raccontare una storia epica come questa. C’è un solo numero della serie in cui l’artista cambia e, purtroppo, il calo si nota subito: è evidente quanto lo stile di Putri fosse fondamentale per mantenere la coerenza visiva e il tono della narrazione.
In definitiva, Dark Knights of Steel è una lettura che consiglio senza esitazioni: funziona sia per i fan di lunga data della DC, che potranno divertirsi a riconoscere i personaggi in nuove vesti, sia per chi ama il fantasy e cerca una storia solida, ben disegnata e fuori dagli schemi.
Magia, spade, casati reali e superpoteri: cosa volere di più?
Kiedy za historię z gatunku elseworlds bierze się Taylor, to można mieć pewne oczekiwania (autor m.in. serii Injustice), bo zazwyczaj ma to POTĘŻNY ładunek rozrywkowy, bawiąc się często formą w sposób, jaki może mu pozazdrościć wielu komiksowych twórców. I tak jest po części tutaj. To takie "1602", tylko że ze stajni DC. Mamy tu więc wariację na temat średniowiecza, kiedy na Ziemię przybywa Kal-El. Tym razem jednak w towarzystwie rodziców...
Lata mijają, a rodzina Supermana obejmuje władzę nad krainą, rządząc mądrze i sprawiedliwie. Jednak ktoś zagina parol na ten świat, próbując skłócić krainę z innymi, postronnymi królestwami. Duża wojna przecież od zawsze sprzyja wielu pozakulisowym interesom. Taylor umiejętnie wprowadza coraz to nowe postacie, chociaż większość z nich zdecydowanie pozostaje w "ramach" swoich wykreowanych charakterów.
Młody Superman jako królewicz prezentuje te same wartości, co jego dorosły odpowiednik. Młody Wayne, jako podopieczny władców kieruje się honorem i dyscypliną, próbując wyeliminować jakiekolwiek zagrożenie dla korony. Towarzyszy mu oczywiście Alfred, który wygląda nieco jak zblazowany muszkieter. Są też Robini, ale ich rola jest marginalna. Jest Harley, która pełni rolę nadwornego trefnisia. Są Amazonki, dosyć standardowo rozpisane. Jest Constantine, który wieszczy tu nadejście zagrożenia z nieba. Jest i Luthor, który posiada pewien pierścień, który do niego przemawia...
Jeżeli miałbym wybierać największą wadę tego tytułu to właśnie fakt, że autor w sumie za mocno tu nie zakombinował z postaciami. Momentami miałem wrażenie pójście na łatwiznę. Choć trzeba przyznać, że historia ma dobre tempo i jest pełna mniejszych lub większych zwrotów fabularnych. Nie ma to jednak takiego ładunku emocjonalnego, jak w przywołanej innej serii autora, mimo że tu też "pada" kilka postaci...
"Mroczni Rycerze ze Stali" to taki komiksowy odpowiednik letniego blockbustera, przy którym będziesz się dobrze bawił, ale za jakiś czas zdarzy ci się zapomnieć większość z fabuły... Dla mnie był świetną zabawą, ale nie bez nie bez świadomości, że nie jest to jakoś "mocno" rozpisany świat. Przynajmniej jak na razie.
This was a bit like Marvel's 1602. The characters for the most part transfer well, except that Jefferson Pierce rules the neighbouring kingdom to the Waynes/Els and I wouldn't have thought he was a major enough character for it.
There were a few places where the mythology didn't fit with comics continuity and I wasn't super happy about it. The fusing of Green Lantern/ didn't really make sense to me and it was never clear whether the power ring was really speaking to the Green Man or not. Similarly, the fusion of didn't really sit well with me.
I'm going to enjoy going back and re-reading to see if some scenes aren't what I thought they were on first read.
Motherfuckin' Tom Taylor. I wanted not to like this when I started reading it. "Another Elseworlds, a fantasy one this time. Yuck!" Problem is, this Aussie bastard is so fuckin' good he weaves for the umpteenth time a perfect ensemble story, in which every character is organically integrated into the narrative, and they're characterized even with just a couple of balloons if they don't have much "panel time". This is funny, compelling, smooth and motherfuckin' Tom Taylor somehow makes it even look easy to write (and believe me, when something is so smooth, it's NOT easy to write). Fuck you, Tom Taylor. Another great job.
Tom Taylor is a master of taking the established order of the DC Universe and twisting, eventually putting the pieces back together in something that is familiar albeit unique and new and ultimately exciting. That goes for the Dark Knights of Steel series, set in a old style kingdom, we see the major players of the DC Universe trickled in as the story unfolds.
One of the only issues I had with this series, is that it left me wanting more. There were some characters that felt like they had more to add, or more narrative to follow in a future series set in this world. Whether we'll see that, remains to be see.
I loved this. Just pure comic book goodness. Tom Taylor tells a Game Of Thrones-esque story involving the DC Universe about warring kingdoms, magic, love, death, and more. The book was epic. Familiar characters but there were so many great twists that all made sense. The book was delightful. There was so much to enjoy here and you could tell Taylor had fun with it. Too many times Elseworlds books don't push the envelope far enough but that's not the case here. Added to that was the phenomenal artwork from Yasmine Putri. Her work here was stellar. Creative and gorgeous. Overall, I just can't say enough good things about how fun this was.
Dark Knights of Steel throws the DC Universe into a medieval, Game of Thrones-style world—and it totally works. Tom Taylor does an amazing job using every character in fresh, unexpected ways. You really have to let go of what you think you know about them, which makes the twists hit even harder. The world-building is sick too. Whether you’re into DC, fantasy, or just want something different, this is definitely worth checking out.
Es interesante ver las historias alternativas de vez en cuando y los twist que le dieron a la historia para incluir a casi todos los personajes icónicos de DC de una manera u otra. El artes estuvo muy bien. Me quedo con dos cosas:
1 - Volvemos a afirmar que en DC el pride es todo el año 2 - Increíble como Amanda Waller es una hija de la gran ... en todas sus variantes
Basically the Game Of Thrones-esque story is just false advertising. Just your generic super fare with no reinvention. Lacks scale and interesting characters and twists that amke no sense.. Nothing to enjoy honestly and it felt voerlong. Basically a genric Elseworlds book that's too afraid to do anything new or push the envelope, let's keep this buried.
Love a good elseworlds, and I especially love an elseworlds that preserves the personalities of the characters while putting them in new environments. Instead of completely changing their personalities. I’m looking at you injustice.
I could not drop this book down. Tom Taylor created a captivating medieval world with those gorgeous designs by Yasmine Putri. Full of amazing panels, great twists, and pure action, with its share of Game of Thrones drama. This is how you take advantage of an Elseworld story.
Honestly very weak, very long to essentially do the same things we see in normal stories and the characters are extremely flat. If you want a fantasy-based alternate story you'd be better reading DC Vs Vampires or something.
Fun, and I had some "haha, that's smart" moments. Do I like every change? Nah, but it's an Elseworld story. Contextually, I think everything changed worked to serve the very specific story being told, and at the end of the day that matters to me more.
A pretty awful series, it's predictable, and a slog to get through, there are much more interesting alternate unvierses out there, like Dceased or DC Vs Vampires.
This is terrible. Genuinely awful You can't spend who-knows-how-many-chapters setting an interesting conflict only to pull the rug and reveal this is just your most generic JL cosplay ever.