One might think the premise of Dark Knights of Steel would sink it right off the bat. A “Game of Thrones meets DC’s classic hero stable in a fantasy-magic slugfest” yarn is a concept that sounds so clichéd in 2021 that, at first glance, it would seem to be a tale best left for bedtime stories or pipe dreams. But writer Tom Taylor’s been on a bit of a hitting streak lately for just these kinds of Elseworlds-style stories, with his acclaimed run on Injustice standing out as a well-woven parable from the inherent strengths within the trodden trails of the popular “evil Superman” trope. Now with an even more ambitious world to build, Taylor knocks one out of the park in Dark Knights of Steel #1.