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in: Issues Rated T, Marie Javins/Executive Editor, Neil Googe/Cover Artist,
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Dark Knights of Steel: Tales from the Three Kingdoms Vol 1 1

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A year ago, young Jimmy Olsen was lucky enough to be adopted by the White family and escape the nightmarish Arkham Orphanage. His new parents encourage his interest in astronomy by giving him a telescope, and during a stargazing session he meets and befriends Prince Kal-El. When Jimmy and several ot

Quote1 You work for me now, Arkham. Quote2
— General Waller

Dark Knights of Steel: Tales from the Three Kingdoms #1 is a one-shot with a cover date of November, 2022. It was published on September 6, 2022.

Synopsis for the 1st Story

A year ago, young Jimmy Olsen was lucky enough to be adopted by the White family and escape the nightmarish Arkham Orphanage. His new parents encourage his interest in astronomy by giving him a telescope, and during a stargazing session he meets and befriends Prince Kal-El. When Jimmy and several other children mysteriously vanish, Jor-El and Lara send out search parties but Kal-El decides to look for Jimmy himself. Bruce and Zala both notice him leave and follow him.

Kal-El finds talon marks on the roof of Jimmy's house and then heads to the orphanage, where he finds the same scratches. Bruce and Zala catch up to him and Zala suggests they ask the orphans what they saw. The three royals meet Jimmy's old friends Oswald and Harvey, who tell them that a winged monster carried another boy called Waylon to the mountains. They follow and find the missing children in a cave with a gigantic batlike monster. The royal children attack the monster but Jimmy tells them to stop and that the "monster" is actually a twelve year old boy called Kirk Langstrom from the orphanage. Elizabeth Arkham, the orphan keeper, has been experimenting on the orphans to change them into monsters, but Kirk escaped and has been rescuing his friends from her.

Kal-El, Bruce and Zala go home and tell Jor-El and Lara about the orphanage. The orphanage is shut down and Arkham is arrested. Jor-El and Lara tell the children that they are in trouble for going off on their own and potentially putting themselves in danger, but they have stopped a great evil. Unbeknownst to any of them, General Waller secretly recruits Arkham to work for her.

Appearing in the 1st Story

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Synopsis for "The Flock"

Five years before the present day on All Hallows Eve; Kal-El, Bruce and Harley Quinn sneak out of the castle in disguise to visit the festival in the city. Kal-El and Harley are both optimistic about the future but Bruce warns that lawlessness is rising and he fears dark times are coming. A group of street urchins steal Harley's necklace and scatter when the princes chase them. Bruce follows the one with the necklace, Richard Grayson, and is impressed by the boy's acrobatic skill. The thief almost gets away but stops to rescue a small boy from being hit by a carriage, even though this allows Bruce to catch up to him. Meanwhile, Kal-El captures the others.

Bruce tells Kal-El that the young pickpockets will inevitably becomes bandits and killers but they deny it, saying they never hurt anyone and only steal to survive and from people who can afford it. Instead of putting them in prison, Bruce offers them a chance to work for him.

Appearing in "The Flock"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Harley Quinn (First appearance chronologically)
  • Robins (First appearance chronologically)
    • Cassandra (First appearance chronologically) (Cameo) (Unnamed)
    • Duke (First appearance chronologically) (Cameo)
    • Jason (First appearance chronologically) (Cameo)
    • Richard Grayson (First appearance chronologically)
    • Stephanie (First appearance chronologically) (Cameo)
    • Timothy Drake (First appearance chronologically) (Cameo)

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Locations:

Items:

  • Richard's Sticks

Events:

Synopsis for "King's Bane"

Bruce and his guards are attacked in Hobb Forest by a masked outlaw calling himself "The King's Bane". Bane slaughters Bruce's guard single-handedly, but rather than attack Bruce he drops to one knee and hails Bruce as his king. When Bruce says he is a bastard and not the king, Bane replies that the Els are monsters, and he has far more right to the throne than they do. The King's Bane departs, and tells Bruce to come to the White Stag Inn if he wants to learn how to kill a monster.

That night Bruce comes to the White Stag, revealed to be a hotbed of hardcore Wayne loyalists plotting to overthrow the Els, and asks Bane to show him how he plans to kill the Els. Bruce trains for months with the King's Bane, who teaches him to use surprise and stealth to fight people with powers who he cannot match in strength. Eventually Bane admits to Bruce that he was once a royal guard for the Waynes, and was there the day the Green Man killed them. He was helpless to save them and was crippled and left for dead in the attack, but a doctor was able to save his life and provide him with a magic mask that allows him to walk and enhances his strength. Bane tells Bruce that he failed to save his parents but he will honour their memory by ensuring their heir takes the throne.

The next morning, Bruce smuggles the King's Bane into the castle to murder the Els with a magic mace. However, just before Ban attacks them, Bruce cuts the tubes on his mask that feed magic into his body, and Bane falls to the ground unable to move. Bruce swears his loyalty to the Els and throws the Bane into the dungeon.

Appearing in "King's Bane"

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Locations:

  • Earth 118
    • Lands of El
      • Castle of El
        • The Pit
      • Hobb Forest
      • White Stag

Items:

  • Bane's Mask
  • Magic Mace

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Concepts:

Notes



See Also


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