In the latest issue DC Comics’ medieval story Dark Knights of Steel, Superman’s sister Zala Jor-El’s actions were so violent that they had to be censored. The recommended age group for the comic is 13 years and older, so it appears that DC deemed the violence too brutal for that age group to see the gory details of. However, based on a preview for the issue, the carnage Zala caused was actually fully drawn before being covered up.
Dark Knights of Steel is a limited series written by Tom Taylor with art by Yasmine Putri and Arif Prianto that reimagines the DC universe during medieval times. In the series, Superman’s parents both escaped from Krypton before its destruction and are now rulers of their own kingdom on Earth. They clash with a rival nation called the Kingdom of Storms, led by an alternate version of Black Lightning. This version of the hero, called simply King Jefferson, uses Green Arrow to assassinate Superman’s father King Jor-El. Upon hearing this news, Zala Jor-El violently retaliates, killing Jefferson’s son. But apparently this is not enough to placate her anger.
In Dark Knights of Steel #3 Zala enacts a brutal string of murders. She begins by annihilating an alternate version of the Metal Men, driving her hand through Gold’s chest and making short work of the others with her heat vision and super strength. Her murder of Gold is actually censored in the final version of the comic, with a sound effect covering Zala’s hand emerging from his back. However in the preview pages for this scene the sound effect is missing, and Zala’s hand is clearly visible, dripping with blood. Later in the issue, she murders King Jefferson by impaling him with the spar of a ship and this is also covered up with a sound effect.
While this censorship may hide the gorier details of Zala’s rampage, it can’t conceal the brutal potential of Kryptonian powers. Superman’s moral compass generally prevents him from using the full extent of his abilities in fights but Zala Jor-El is clearly not restricted by such ethical constraints. Whether this is mainly due to her personality or the more savage nature of the medieval setting of Dark Knights of Steel is up for debate. However, Prince Kal-El, the alternate version of Superman, seems to be more restrained than his sister, refusing to kill the man who murdered his father. It remains to be seen if his different approach to dealing with the perpetrators of his father’s assassination will put him at odds with his more murderous sister, but it will be interesting to see how he reacts to the news of her actions.
Given the censorship of Zala’s violence in this issue, it is unclear the degree to which brutal violence will be present in future chapters. Maybe this censorship is a sign that more content may be cut from future issues of the series. On the other hand it could also be a sign that DC Comics is willing to let the series push the boundaries on what a title in its age group can include, as long as it is covered up to some degree like the kills Superman's sister carries out in this issue. It would be hard to top the level of brutality that Zala Jor-El displays in Dark Knights of Steel #3, however, especially given that her kills in this issue had to be censored.