Dark Knights of Steel is an American comic book created by Tom Taylor and Yasmine Putri and published by DC Comics. The twelve-issue limited series—written by Taylor and illustrated primarily by Putri—began its monthly publication on November 2, 2021. Set in an alternate universe, the series is a high fantasy reimagining of the DC Universe starring Superman and Batman.
Publication
The Dark Knights of Steel comic book limited series was created by Tom Taylor and Yasmine Putri, with the former serving as writer and the latter as lead illustrator; the fourth and seventh issues of the comic book were respectively drawn by Bengal and Nathan Gooden rather than Putri. Dark Knights of Steel consists of twelve issues released by DC Comics at monthly intervals, the first being published on November 2, 2021. A special issue, Tales from the Three Kingdoms, featuring three stories set in the Dark Knights of Steel world prior to the main plot, was released on September 6, 2022, written by Taylor, Jay Kristoff and C.S. Pacat.
A six-issue spin-off titled Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter was announced at New York Comic Con in 2023. The miniseries will be written by Jay Kristoff with art by Tirso Cons. The series reimagines the assassin Deathstroke as a Norse Viking.
Specials
Plot
Main plot
Fleeing the destruction of Krypton, Jor-El and Lara crash-land on Earth and are confronted by a group of archers who arrive to investigate from a nearby castle. Jor-El destroys them with his heat vision just as his son, Kal-El is born. In the nearby Kingdom of Storms, a local peasant boy named Constantine has a vision of demons who will conquer the world while King Jefferson listens and orders the prophecy recorded.
Nineteen years later, Bruce, a knight of the Kingdom of El, his companion Alfred, and his squires Richard, Duke, Jason and Stephanie go on a quest to capture a banshee. Prince Kal-el asks to join them but is forbidden, due to his family's vulerability to magic. The party locate the banshee and Bruce accuses her of being an assassin sent by King Jefferson, based on knowledge he has gained from his spy in Jefferson's court. The banshee denies this and attacks, with her scream destroying the building they are in but leaving Bruce largely unharmed. She is then apprehended by Bruce and Kal-el and is taken back to the castle, where she is imprisoned in the dungeon along with other magical beings. Jor-El and Lara, now King and Queen, summon them to the throne room where Kal-el admits that he followed Bruce without his knowledge and questions why ordinary men should act on their behalf when he is invincible. Jor-El talks to Bruce on the battlements and Bruce explains that he thinks he is cursed after being able to survive the banshee's scream and should be exiled or imprisoned. Jor-El reveals to Bruce that he is his father and that when Bruce's mother, Queen Martha and her husband Thomas died, the Els took over as they knew the people would never accept Bruce as a bastard King. In a nearby forest, the Green Man enchants the arrow of Oliver, an outlaw, and it successfully kills Jor-El by piercing him in the eye.
While Lara and Kal-El grieve, Bruce, his powers seemingly activated by his anger, mounts his horse, finds Oliver in the forest and cuts off one of his arms. Alfred convinces Bruce not to kill him and they bring Oliver back to the castle for questioning. The Green Man visits King Jefferson and Constantine, now his advisor, in the Kingdom of Storms and informs them that Jor-El is dead. Constantine is unnerved, beginning to doubt his own prophecy and warning Jefferson that he has angered the Kingdom of El. General Waller calls for war against the Kingdom of Storms but royal jester and advisor Harley and Alfred counsel against this. Kal-El blames Bruce for failing to protect his father and confronts Oliver in the dungeon, though is determined to prove that his family are not the killers they have been made out to be. On the nearby island of Amazonia, Queen Hippolyta's advisor Lois Lane informs her of Jor-El's death. She goes to the sparring field to inform Jor-Els daughter Zala and her lover Diana. Zala flies off enraged, with Lois and Diana fearing that the war they have been trying to prevent is now inevitable. Zala goes to the Pierce's castle and murders Jefferson's son, Jacob in front of him.