War breaks out among the various houses, and we find out just what is going on in Dark Knights of Steel #9 from DC Comics.

Dark Knights of Steel #9 (of 12)

Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Yasmine Putri
Colorist: Arif Printo
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover price: $3.99
Release Date: January 3, 2023

SOLICITATION: THE BESTSELLING SERIES CONTINUES! The opening battle for the Three Kingdoms takes a deadly and dramatic turn as heroes return…enemies are revealed…and dark secrets spill out like blood on the battlefield!

SECRETS REVEALED

I realize that not everyone likes what used to be called “imaginary stories.” You know, they’re tales that don’t fall in the “usual” continuity. Personally, I enjoy them because we get to see various characters from different perspectives, different angles—and I really like that because we get a better sense of who they are in various situations.

In this mini-series, we see how the different “houses” within DC would line up in another setting—this time, a more medieval one, with aliens galore.

The House of El is the main one we are looking at. It has Kryptonians around, but some “humans” are part of their “tribe,” including Bruce Wayne, who takes on a “Batman” identity. There are also Amazons and Black Lightning’s kingdoms, and all three don’t like each other!

A lot of people compare this book to the Game of Thrones franchise, and I can see why. Tom Taylor, who is always great at reworking DC characters and storylines (you did read Injustice, right?), is doing a great job of bringing that kind of sensibility to the Justice League, as it were. While there is some intermingling of aliens and humans, we don’t have nearly the same number of sexual situations as GOT did, thankfully!

It’s taken a while, but war has finally begun! Bruce accuses his brother Kal of trying to kill him, and Zara has seemingly gone on a killing spree, resulting in the deaths of several characters.

What’s really going on? Well, that would be telling! Let’s just say that things aren’t always what they seem to be! Also, if you have a strong knowledge of DCU history, you’ll recognize the tale as it begins to unfold in this issue. I liked it! Nice surprises and twists, but strongly foreshadowed in previous installments.

Taylor has done his usual excellent reworking of the DCU in this setting, and there are a lot of shocks and revelations as Dark Knights of Steel #9 unfolds. By the last page, though, we get a much clearer idea of which who is who, or maybe what is what. All I can say is, poor Alfred never can catch a break!

I know this is planned to be twelve issues long, but I’m already hoping that won’t be the end of this interesting take on the DCU.

ART THAT SPARKLES!

The artwork in this mini-series is perfectly suited for the setting and situations that appear in this book. There are few, if any costumes, but instead we see the various characters more in medieval armor and uniforms.

I always judge art by two standards—facial expressions and action sequences. I find the expressions on the various faces to be very good at telling us what the various people are feeling and thinking. Terrific!

The battles actually hurt to read! Man, the clang of metal-on-metal clashes and the arrows striking their targets feel all too real to me! Ouch! Well done!

BOTTOM LINE: How Will This All Resolve?

Taylor never resolves these alternate DCU storylines cleanly! You know that when things finally reach a stopping point (I hesitate to use the word “end”), I’ll be left surprised and wanting more!

I must recommend that you don’t just drop into the current issue and try to understand all that is happening. There are informational videos online that could help, but I do hope you will pick up the back issues and gain an understanding of all that is happening by reading it all! It’s so worth it!

I mean, I can’t help but hope certain characters will survive and thrive, but the moment I do that, Mr. Taylor makes sure that does NOT happen! Just let Batman make it, okay? Please?

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