For twenty-one years, the world of the Dark Knights of Steel has been black and white. Insidiously, Deathstroke’s deadly mission leads him to the one child who can change everything. In a similar way, another destiny child finds its way into the unwitting care of another pair of saviors. Join the discussion below!
This will hurt
Similar to Kratos in God of War (2018)the warrior Deathstroke unexpectedly rediscovers his paternal instincts. After Vandal Savage sends Killer Frost and Deathstroke to retrieve his target, Slade betrays his contract when he learns that it is only a child. That is, when Slade learns that his ex-wife is protecting her, he switches sides without hesitation. As an immediate result of his actions, Savage’s forces begin to track her down and hunt her down. Despite their shared fate and the treatment of her wounds, Adeline wants nothing to do with Slade. In contrast, Slade everything has to do with Adeline and the child Alec. Slade effortlessly breaks through the cold nature he expresses in the first issue and indulges the duo with adorable awkwardness.
Given the loving depiction of their lives in watercolor-like parchment panels, his bond is not difficult to understand. Parallel to the main universe, in this world Adeline and Slade still lose their sons Grant and Joseph. Moreover, Adeline is also the reason Deathstroke is a cyclops. The biggest difference is the relationship they have with their daughter. While Rose follows her father into the mercenary life under Vandal Savage, she vehemently hates both parents. Oddly, even though they blame Slade for their sons’ fate, they seem to hate her too. Consequently, Rose ambushes them in a sketchy but expressive action sequence.
Heritage of the Seas, Part 2
In the last issue, Emperor Manta sends his army to capture the queen and her son. Now the group of soldiers from the El Kingdom are afraid to face the soldiers from the deep, so as not to take sides. Unfortunately, this backfires and most of the agents from the surface drown in a magical maelstrom. Furthermore, we continue to follow the perspective of Johnathan, Martha, Jim and Waller as they deal with the aftermath. Most notably, the soldiers discover a dying Atlannta and may have to care for her child. So, of course, Taylor uses John and Martha as DC’s famous foster parents.
Once again, the detailed hatching and realistic motifs are the highlight of this section. The beautiful full-page illustration of the waves of the Water Weaver is a real eye-catcher. As for the main story, I initially thought that the black and white was simply Slade’s perspective. However, the lack of color in Allwinter is literally a curse. In fact, Alec’s Swamp Thing-like Abilities actually manifest in temporary bursts of restored color. While the metaphor isn’t subtle, the effect the color has on Slade’s character almost startles him and makes him feel immediate sympathy. However, the very loose art style is sometimes blotchy and often distractingly cartoonish when depicting Alec.
Recommended if …
- You are a fan/regular reader of Dark Knights of Steel Series.
- They support any version in which John and Martha randomly adopt babies.
- You like the Viking setting.
In total
I’ll get straight to the point. Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter is interesting, but a bit boring. In terms of details, the main story illustrations are pretty mediocre. The side story illustrations, while amazing, don’t hold the attention in the slightest. Additionally, Slade’s hero’s journey has great themes, but becomes increasingly generic. My hope for the series is that things don’t go in a predictable direction and readers get a chance to read something that feels fresh. Without the illustrations to justify the second story, it drags the overall issue down and makes both stories feel like two inferior halves of a whole. Still, I appreciate the thematic symmetry between both stories.
Score: 6/10
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