DC Comics' new epic Dark Knights of Steel features a remixed version of Superman's origins.With the help of artist Yasmine Putri, writer Tom Taylor transports readers to the Dark Ages--wait, right writer, wrong comic series--to the Medieval Age of a new DC universe. In a preview for the series' first issue, DC fans once again bear witness to the destruction of Krypton, Superman's home world, as a rocket ship gets launched into space. In this version of the ageless tale, rather than the baby Kal-El making the journey to Earth alone, his parents Jor-El and Lara are the passengers in the ship, with Lara in the middle of childbirth.Superman's origin has been shown and explored time and again. Whether it is shown in live-action films and series like Man of Steel and Superman and Lois, or in various comic titles, the sequence is usually the same. Krypton explodes, the baby is sent to Earth, yellow sunlight makes him a super baby and good parenting turns him into the greatest superhero ever. Although he is not human, Superman represents the best of humanity.This series retells the story in a different way, not commonly seen except in titles like Flashpoint by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert, which saw Superman imprisoned by the United States government after his ship landed in Metropolis as opposed to the Kents' farm in Kansas. Even in that book though, Kal-El made the journey to Earth on his lonesome. The upcoming series by Taylor and Putri now explores a world where Superman may have his biological parents raise him, aside from guiding him in hologram forms like in various Superman media.Of course, this is not the first time Superman's parents or at least one of them was around to guide and interact with a Man of Steel. New Superman Jon Kent, the character Taylor also pens in Superman: Son of Kal-El and will take in a new direction when he eventually comes out as bisexual, went on a mission with his grandfather Jor-El, which ultimately resulted in Jon being aged up in Brian Michael Bendis' run on Superman.
Tom Taylor posted on Twitter to say that the new twist featured is "just the start" of what this series has to offer. The writer has previously hyped the series up as being his "biggest Elseworlds story yet," which is a statement made after Taylor has written the popular Injustice and DCeased Elseworlds stories for DC Comics, now writing one for Marvel Comics as well with Dark Ages. The preview and solicitation for Dark Knights of Steel #1 can be found below.
DARK KNIGHTS OF STEEL #1
- Written by Tom Taylor
- Art by Yasmine Putri
- Cover by Yasmine Putri
- $3.99 US | 32 PAGES | 1 of 12
- Variant by JOSHUA MIDDLETON
- 1:25 variant by YASMINE PUTRI
- Retailer team variant cover by WAYNE REYNOLDS
- $4.99 US (Both covers card stock)
- ON SALE 11/2/21
- An entire medieval world will be forever changed when a spaceship crash-lands from a doomed planet. Monarchs will die, kingdoms will rise, and what seemed the end of the world for many…was only the beginning! An epic high-fantasy story set in a DC Universe where nothing is what it seems…
- From worldwide bestselling writer Tom Taylor (DCeased, Superman: Son of Kal-El) and acclaimed artist Yasmine Putri comes a generational tale of good and evil within a brand-new DCU!
Dark Knights of Steel #1 is written by Taylor with interior and cover art by Putri. Variant covers for the issue were created by Gabriele Dell'Otto, Joshua Middleton, Wayne Reynolds, Kael Ngu and Carla Cohen. The issue goes on sale Nov. 2 from DC Comics.
Source: DC Comics, Twitter