The Dark Knights of Steel universe is expanding, with a Deathstroke solo story, Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter #1. Personally, I really like this universe, though I was skeptical during my first skim of the pages. The black-and-white art was throwing me off – more on this later – but I’ve always been a fan of medieval fantasy and particularly enjoy it when we get an Elseworlds story. It breaks from the main continuity while following familiar characters in different and new settings. It’s refreshing, and I was surprised by how much I wound up enjoying this.
I was also super excited to read Darks Knights of Steel: Allwinter #1 because it’s Jay Kristoff’s DC debut. I love his book Empire of the Vampire. I’ve yet to pick up the sequel Empire of the Damned, released earlier this year. The moment I saw his name on this, I knew it would be done incredibly well.
Kristoff has a gift for fantasy storytelling with detailed fight scenes, forbidden love and really fleshing out a story. He proved himself right with Allwinter #1 – Keeping the pace quick yet efficient and entertaining the entire time. I do wish some scenes were a bit longer, I do like it when a book moves into the story quickly, but I also would have enjoyed a bit more action too.
I couldn’t help but notice how, in Kristoff’s book, Empire of The Vampire, he uses black and white illustrations throughout, and then the same with Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter #1. Perhaps a coincidence, or simply staying on brand? Either way, this was a nice touch to sell the dreary and chilling setting of the story. My favorite book genre is fantasy, so when that is brought into my comic reading, I’m one happy girl. It’s the crossover I didn’t know I needed until now!
Tirso Cons does a great job with the art. He never makes the scenes too crowded or hard to follow, which is a common struggle I have with black-and-white books – it typically takes me longer to focus and get through, and I tend to avoid them where I can, but I didn’t encounter these problems when reading Allwinter #1. Tirso is a great artist; he has a beautifully detailed style, and his variant covers are stunning. His attention to detail while keeping it simple is a skill in itself.
If you’re looking for a perfect blend of Pirates of the Caribbean and Games of Thrones, Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter feels exactly like that. If you’re a big fantasy book reader you’ll enjoy it too – It sucked me into my favorite type of world, with legendary monsters and juicy plot points which made this a complete page-turner for me.