Dark Knights of Steel vol. 2

War was brewing when we last checked in with this medieval fantasy recasting of the DC Universe.  Two of the rulers of the three kingdoms of the land had been murdered and all three of them are now prepared to settle their differences on the field of battle.  It’ll be a battle the likes of which this realm has never seen, and Batman won’t be there for it.  He’s busy recovering from a near-fatal beatdown given to him by his half-brother Kal-El… who managed to get himself imprisoned by the Amazons at the same time?  Does that have any connection to how Kara is wanted for the murder of one king even though she claims she didn’t do it?  And what about Luthor the laughing man and his talking ring?  It’s almost like someone is running the perfect con on these kingdoms and nobody has realized it yet.

The second half of writer Tom Taylor’s superhero fantasy finishes strongly with the same kind of quality art and storytelling that drove the first part.  Anyone fearing that the writer had used up all of the good twists regarding how these characters would be used in this story can rest easy as he’s got more in store here.  The man even has twists upon twists, in fact, and they keep the story interesting until the end.  It may all end up in a somewhat familiar form, but there’s enough done differently in the main story, and in the “Tales From the Three Kingdoms” anthology included here to make me want to see where these characters go in this new setting.

Which has already happened with the “Knights of Steel:  Allwinter” miniseries, soon to be collected.  In hardcover.  With Taylor only providing backup stories and Jay Kristoff handling the main plot.  While I’m still interested, I think I’ll wait for the paperback edition like I did with these two volumes.