Noteworthy Issues: Dark Knights Of Steel #6 (April, 2022)

Well, whatever I thought was going on after the previous issue, it’s not that.

Cool.

Issue:  Dark Knights of Steel #6, April 2022

Writer:  Tom Taylor

Artist:  Yasmine Putri

The Plot:  With war on the horizon, Kal-El decides to try and stop it.

Commentary:  OK, there is definitely something screwy going on.  This mini-series had a couple issues in a row where Zala Jor-El (Supergirl) killing various people, but then she popped up in #5 and this issue claiming innocence.  However, #5 showed Kal-El doing something truly evil that suggested he was ready to start a war.  This is Tom Taylor’s writing, and his time on Injustice shows he can write an evil Superman.

But then this issue has events that more or less clear Kal-El of whatever was going on.  That’s two of the three Kryptonian children in this series who did bad things only to claim innocence in a manner that actually makes them look innocent.  Like, Zala can still be lying, but she sure does look sincere when she claims she didn’t do it.  Kal, though, he was cleared in a manner that means he couldn’t have done what he appeared to have done in #5.

As for the Batman, he’s not around for this issue, but I will have more to say about him when he returns.

So, it does appear that someone is setting up a war between the various kingdoms, and Kal-El’s efforts to stop it don’t work, with the one thing that works is it allows him to meet this universe’s Lois Lane.  Is it mind control?  A shapeshifter like the Martian Manhunter?  The Green Man?  I suspect there is a clue in plain sight in #5 when “Kal” makes his move against his half-brother, but I’ll wait for confirmation.

But beyond that, there are still moments teasing things I am curious about.  This world’s Etrigan and Ra’s al-Ghul appear, and there’s a cryptic reference to “the Titans,” but I’ll refrain from saying more about that for now until more comes out.  It was the sort of moment that might mean something but could just be a “Hey, check this out!” moment intended for a side-story since it does seem like something that may or may not add up to much in the main story.

But I do look forward to finding out.

Grade:  A-