It has been over a year and a half since Dark Knights of Steel launched, but today we get its epic final issue. War has come to the moats of kingdoms as the White Martians were behind it all. Can a newly minted El in Batman stop a horde from storming their literal castles? The medieval twist on the DC universe comes to a conclusion in epic fashion this week.
For the most part, it’s a solid finale pulled off by Tom Taylor and Yasmine Putri. Heroes must rise to the occasion, a plan must be enacted to gain an edge, and by the end, there’s a promise for even more stories to come in this universe. I think it’s fair to say this series has been as refreshing as Taylor’s DCeased, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we get cartoon adaptations and spin-offs.
That’s thanks to Taylor’s ability to develop clever twists on characters and give Putri a chance to show off familiar powers in a medieval setting. One of the more satisfying turns in this issue is knowing the big secret hero plan was thanks to Harley, and she’s just crazy enough to think up something to give them the edge.
She’s a banshee!
Credit: DC Comics
The age-old “we should work together to be our best selves in battle” occurs in this issue. Much of this issue is battle scenes, which Putri pulls off splendidly. It’s satisfying to see Wonder Woman get some justice, and Batman leaning into his newfound abilities is a great bit of fist-pumping fun. As a longtime reader of superhero comics, I never doubted the heroes would win, but the creative team does enough to make us believe the Martians are god-level powerful. Save for their biggest weakness, which DC fans will all see coming.
The deeper character work falls on Waller, who opens the issue, revealing her plan. In a key confrontation between Waller and Alfred, we see heroes fall, and a major twist takes place that could spell doom in any future sequels.
Dark Knights of Steel #12 manages to wrap up the long-building final battle while setting up a universe well worth exploring again in future series. Throw in a key character death or two and you have yourself a rousing climax.
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