It has been nearly four months since Dark Knights of Steel #7, but the ongoing story we’ve been dying to see progress returns with Dark Knights of Steel #8 today. We did get a cool prequel in September, but it’s time to see these medieval/fantasy takes on the DC Comics heroes go to war!
As the cover suggests, Wonder Woman and Supergirl are the leading players in this issue, mostly focused on the literal march of armies to war. Opening the issue is a reminder the war is due to meddling by a secret manipulator. There is good cause for anger and maybe even war, but there’s a reason why peace is ending now.
As the story plays out, readers are given a chance to see familiar faces and how they fit within the armies and structure of the story. Deadshot is just one who pops up, and Black Canary also gets a good scene with Green Arrow. Meanwhile, Constantine continues to show he’s pro-war, Harley Quinn’s relationship with Poison Ivy leads to a major conflict, and Amanda Waller shows she’s as in control as ever in the El army.
Fans of fantasy will love how Tom Taylor and Yasmine Putri use familiar elements to create conflict in this issue. For instance, a bit of magic puts Supergirl down for the count, and you can’t beat seeing Wonder Woman ride a pegasus.
Good aim.
Credit: DC Comics
The Elseworlds element is alive and well in this issue. Expect a major character to die, and with only four issues left, all-out war is inevitable. If you were to slap a theme on this issue, it’s that not everyone wants to fight, or at least they say they don’t. It’s still unclear who is being manipulated and when, but when a character as powerful as Superman is taken over enacting war crimes, it’s easy to see a war is inevitable. This series is largely exciting because it can take big swings that normal, in-continuity superhero stories simply can’t.
Putri’s art is as good as ever, with a cool use of heat vision in one scene from a unique angle. Details on every vine controlled by Poison Ivy are well done in another scene, and character acting is always refined and well done. Once again, color artist Arif Prianto does an exceptional job with shadows, especially with the shadows in the forest scene. The way the branches cast shadows creates a realistic atmosphere.
Taking a step back and looking at the events transpiring in this issue, one can see the plot moves forward slowly, especially after the months long wait. There’s been a few issues now where the series seems to be biding its time to set up the war and this issue is part of that. While cool, the entire scene with Poison Ivy is more of a distraction than a plot-progressing scene. That said, much of the enjoyment in this series is seeing the medieval twist on characters and letting them do their thing, which that scene was all about.
Dark Knights of Steel #8 continues to move the plot along as war seems inevitable. While much of this issue is focused on an army literally marching to war, it’s still good for a shocking death and some fun character moments with a fantasy twist.
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