Dark Knights of Steel #11: Auld Lang Syne

I’ve said, from the beginning, that nobody can nail characterization as exquisitely as Tom Taylor, and that assertion holds. This series has been as carefully constructed as a Patek Philippe wristwatch: all parts fit together precisely, and oh, how sweetly they turn! These characters have been uprooted and replanted in an analogous medieval world while remaining thoroughly true to themselves, and that is a pleasure to read.

This issue has it all: the reconciliation of half brothers, giant battles, careful plotting, justice-themed prison breaks, and a mad dollop of KILL IT WITH FIRE! Oh, and plot twists! There are quite a few, but it’s challenging to write about them coherently without salting the earth with dreaded spoilers. The plot twists are not last-minute cheats thrown in willy nilly, but instead carefully considered cogs intentionally built into the machine and whose moving parts have been evident from the beginning if you were reading with a critical eye.

Yasmin Putri’s art is astonishing. One panel in particular (a character walking through an inferno of bones and ash) made me gasp. Her knack for balancing action and acting elevates this book to the status of high art. Arif Prianto’s colors are rich, vivid, and incredibly alive. His skill with chiaroscuro makes these pages some of the most striking in modern comics.