Noteworthy Issues: Dark Knights Of Steel #10 (March, 2023)

The previous issue of this fun Elseworlds story popped the Martian Manhunter into the mix in the most unexpected place, but the real threat is actually something else, not even the feared Green Man.

This issue is basically about where they came from.

Issue:  Dark Knights of Steel #10, March 2023

Writer:  Tom Taylor

Artist:  Yasmine Putri

The Plot:  J’onn J’onnz tells three queens who the real threat is.

Commentary:  The final reveal of the previous issue was that the Martian Manhunter has been part of this series from the start, hiding in plain sight.  I’d rather not say who he was, but one of the best parts of Dark Knights of Steel has been the way it has mixed and matched various bits of DC mythology.  That started with the first issue where the spaceship from the doomed planet Krypton actually carried Jor-el and a pregnant Lara.  There was a throwaway line that the Kents raised Aquaman.  The Green Man himself is a mix of a number of characters and not just a Medieval Green Lantern.

And so, there’s J’onn, who was there the whole time but disguised as someone else.  Again, I will refrain from saying who he was.  That would ruin the fun for someone else.

As it is, this issue is mostly J’onn, bound by Diana’s Lasso of Truth, relaying his backstory, how he got to Earth, what happened on Mars, and what the real problem is:  the White Martians are already on Earth, and the whole war between the three kingdoms was their doing.

All things being equal, this isn’t a particularly surprising story.  It’s pretty much the standard story of what happened on Mars, only J’onn landed in a Medieval fantasy realm and wasn’t brought to Earth through a scientist’s teleporter accident.  However, the White Martians are a formidable threat as it is, and if they’re going to stop being subtle, then the issue ends with proof of just how dangerous they can be.

Especially since they’ve been there all along as well.

Grade:  B