Ranging from the horrific to the wacky, swoop down into a brief look at six different Batmen across the breadth of the Dark Multiverse in this ‘Dark Nights: Death Metal’ anthology interlude.
Written by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, Peter J. Tomasi, Marguerite Bennett, Frank Tieri, Daniel Warren Johnson, and Garth EnnisCover by Tony S. Daniel and Tomeu Morey
Illustrated by Tony S. Daniel, Riley Rossmo, Jamal Igle, Francesco Francavilla, Daniel Warren Johnson, and Joélle Jones
Colored by Marcelo Maiolo, Ivan Plascencia, Chris Sotomayor, Francesco Francavilla, Mike Spicer, and Jordie Bellaire
Lettered by Tom Napolitano, Rob Leigh, Dave Sharpe, Andworld Design, Rus Wooton, and Rob SteenThe DC Universe has become engulfed by the Dark Multiverse, where demons dwell and reality is overrun by monstrous versions of the Dark Knight, all ruled by the Batman Who Laughs. In this collection of short tales, learn the terrifying secrets of these new Bats out of hell and other creatures of the night like Robin King, whose origin is just the worst! Plus, read about the secret buried beneath Castle Bat, the sentient Batmobile, and…how did Batman turn into a dinosaur?
If Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV’s run on “Justice League,” along with those other stories connected, showed anything, it is that their take on the multiverse, both above and below the dark, is strange. There are many dark corners in which new secrets can hide, many stories to be told, all across a massive saga that packs into beings of enormous scale and power. With “Dark Nights: Death Metal – Legends of the Dark Knights” #1, viewers are treated to a variety of different takes on warped versions of Batman in particular, each of which are given in smaller tastes than the full-issue one-shots presented around “Dark Nights: Metal” in 2017, or the more recent one for “the Grim Knight” in 2019.
For the first of the six tales, the three main architects of this entire four-plus-year saga, Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and Joshua Williamson, craft a tale for the newly named Darkest Knight in ‘I Am Here,’ which functions on three separate levels: summarizing his core existence from his first appearance until now, explaining how he came to be what he is, and defining his endgame thus far, using past, present, and future to bring readers up to speed without losing steam either. The horrifying nature of this character is brought to the fore by the artwork provided by Tony S. Daniel, whose intricate look at emotions, helps to show the anger of those around him while keeping him at the forefront of many a page to keep the focus squarely on him alone. Marcelo Maiolo’s use of light and dark, of a brilliant blue as well as the deepest of shadow, along with a variety of other colors across a spectrum, further demonstrates the way in which this new, “darkest” being in the multiverse interacts with those around him, shown best in the final panel’s eerie red glow against purest darkness.
Second comes our first comprehensive look at the newly crowned Robin King, the apparent eponymous ‘King of Pain’ of the origin story. Peter J. Tomasi is no stranger to child superheroes, having worked extensively with Jonathan Kent’s Superboy as well as Damian Wayne’s Robin for years, and he seemingly effortlessly shows his expertise in a completely different genre of horror. The origins of the Robin King play out like some perverse, DC Universe-based take on The Omen, using a secondary character as a narrator as the monstrous young boy goes about his bloody work. Riley Rossmo’s artwork further helps to sell how terrifying this character can be, making him appear almost inhuman in his facial expressions while others around him are more proportional and symbolically more kind or in the least moral adults, emphasizing that something is just fundamentally “off” about the emergent “monarch” long before his rise to power. Ivan Plascencia’s colors in the shadows use a classical “Kirby dots” approach that makes the story appear as though it were almost from another era, but flashes of bright lights or colors, from gunshots in the night to blood splatters from the opposite ends of bullet wounds, provide shocking variation from peace and quiet. The muted tones on a flashback help to show how long ago it was, enabling readers to commiserate with the narrator for his failure to stop this monster of a boy.
Continued belowThe origins of the eponymous ‘Batmanasaurus Rex’ are not told in his two-page tale, Marguerite Bennett having been absolved of such duties from a previous issue in “Dark Nights: Death Metal,” along with his importance in the overall plot. However, she takes a different approach: seeing the beast from the perspective of his own rogues gallery. Treating the plot as a focus on the futile resistance of horrified villains, along with keeping the eponymous dinosaur out of focus for the most part, the entire thing comes across like a monster movie, or perhaps a more land-based take on the likes of Jaws. Jamal Igle’s smoother, relatively realistic art style in comparison to the preceding Robin King tale helps to sell the fear, with an entire page of panels only barely focusing on the creature itself, and instead showcasing corpses or frantic soon-to-be victims. Chris Sotomayor, on the other hand, knows exactly how to split the difference between ridiculous and horrifying, acknowledging all elements of fighting a dinosaur in Gotham City. The colors of the majority of the setting are notably dark blues and greens along with a purple hue for blood, with exception of bright orange light, calling to mind the Gotham night as much as the sheer hopelessness of human beings fighting such a being unarmed.
Frank Tieri shows his hand at occult horror, practiced from the likes of “Pestilence” and some elements of “Ravencroft,” with the rise of Castle Bat in ‘This Man. This City.’ Told through the eyes of an elderly, seemingly emotionally broken Bruce Wayne in conversation with his son Damian in a broken-down Gotham City, it comes across as a horrific, alternate take on the likes of Batman Beyond, though with Terry McGinnis replaced. What would a version of Batman with so little left to give do to save his people, if given arcane methods? Francesco Francavilla provides both illustrations and colors for this story, with thin, seemingly quick lines showing a rougher world alongside a far more limited color palette that clashes one color against another rather than having them work in tandem, helping to show the internal struggles of Bruce himself. One of the longer tales presented, Castle Bat seems as though it may be important going forward.
The story of Batmobeast in ‘Road Warrior’ is one of the shorter ones, but packs quite a bit of intriguing bits into its short runtime. Crossing a world not unlike a variant on Mad Max with an art style close to Sheldon Vella’s rough, animated, and gritty work on the origin story of “Spider-Punk,” writer and illustrator Daniel Warren Johnson gives quite a lot to work with for readers. The location is oddly lively and intriguing in spite of being based in a wasteland, and there are a lot of possibilities presented that could have easily made for a post-apocalyptic “punk” story in and of themselves. Mike Spicer further enhances the already stellar two-page plot with colors ranging from a yellow-green of a Batcave to intrusive pinks, greens, and yellows that draw attention to who is the villain of this story, in spite of how colorful the images may be.
With ‘I Shall Become,’ Garth Ennis writes… a fairly traditional take on superheroes for him, not afraid to dive headfirst into the sheer ridiculousness of its own concept, having Bruce Wayne narrate it completely straightforwardly nonetheless to add to the comedy. Rather than leave readers sad or afraid, this story helps them to step away laughing, which may not work for all viewers in terms of the sheer whiplash. Joélle Jones gives a fairly realistic, albeit perhaps a bit stylized, appearance for this latest Dark Multiverse Batman, while Jordie Bellaire shows her coloring chops from the likes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and more in bringing a young hero to life, from his own body to the interactions he has with his very limited environment.
Final Verdict: 7.5– Horrific and at times ridiculous, this anthology gives a lot of story in a small package, though with perhaps an odd conclusion even for ‘Death Metal.’
