With “Dark Nights: Metal” #6 we arrive at the conclusion to what as been one of the most buck wild event comics in a long time. The question remains, can Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo bring “Metal” to a satisfying conclusion? The answer to that question, and a few spoilers are in this review.
Written by Scott Snyder
Penciled by Greg Capullo, Mikel Janin, and Alvero Martinez
Inked by Raul Fernandez, Jonathan Glapion and Mikel Janin
Colored by FCO Plascencia and June Chung
Lettered by Steven WandsAll roads lead…to darkness. In the devastating and epic conclusion to DC’s cataclysmic event series, heroes from across the universe make their final charge into the unknown to battle the forces of the Dark Multiverse! Space and time, dreams and nightmares, all will collide—and what is left at the end will leave the DC Universe irrevocably changed!
Coming into this, if you have read the other issue of “Dark Nights: Metal” you pretty much know what you’re getting into. All the craziness, all the action that has characterized this story up until this point comes to a head in this issue, and explodes, going even farther over the top than the previous six issues. All that is to say, if you’re here for that, you probably already know. And if you haven’t been a fan of Snyder and Capullo’s work so far, nothing in “Metal” #6 is going to change your mind.
Personally, I love the kind of insanity that “Metal” #6 is bringing to the table. Both Snyder’s story and Capullo’s art make the experience of reading “Metal” a bit like a fever dream. By the end of this issue, I still wasn’t entirely sure what had actually happened plot wise, but I still enjoyed the rollercoaster ride it was taking me on.
Most of this issue is spent with the Justice League fighting the forces of the evil bat god Barbatos. Capullo does a fantastic job rendering this fight in all it’s glory. With everything from double page spreads of large group battles to epic confrontations between giant, godlike beings, Capullo bring a gravitas to every movement, every punch characters throw. And while the action is fantastic, the character moments that the issue is able to squeeze in between the punches great as well. There are a number of small moments where just a look on a character’s face, or their demeanor and body language, is able to communicate so much about what they are feeling without wasting words on it. Which is good, because this is a stuffed issue. There was not any space to be wasted, and so the art team didn’t.
FCO Plascencia’s colors do a great job creating tone in the issue. When in the middle of huge brawls, the colors feel harsh and grimy. But as the heroes begin to turn things around, Plascencia brings a shimmering brightness to all the scenes that need it. Even the letter, which is usually a hidden art in the world of comics, has a chance to stand out in “Metal” #6. With the amount of different dialogue boxes and text fonts, it would be easy for it to feel haphazard. But Steven Wands is able to make all of it fit together in a way that really works.
Of course, when I say that this is a stuffed issue, I mean it. Everything I’ve had to say about “Metal” #6 so far only covers the first thirty or so pages. The last fourth of the book acts as an epilogue to the main story, setting up the future of the DC universe and especially Snyder’s next event, “Justice League: No Justice.” With Snyder and Capullo working together on this series that focused on Batman, it has at times felt like this event was a bit of a relic from their New 52 run. With Batman rebirth artist Mikel Janin taking over for at least parts of the epilogue, it works as a sort of move out of this strange event and back into the current world of DC rebirth.
The best thing I can say about these pages is that they do their job. While it seems like “Metal” itself actually ends when you reach the last page of Capullo art, the set up for the future of DC is interesting. Tying in everything from ‘No Justice’ to the new Sandman Universe, these pages did what they were supposed to, they made me want to buy more DC comics. While it might be a little bit cynical to look at them that way, I think it is actually painting them in the best light. They don’t necessarily feel vital to the story, but they certainly do make me want to check out more DC comics in the future.
But, what sticks with me aren’t those teases for the future, it’s the images that “Metal” #6 gives to us. Batman punching a Joker dragon. Plasticman’s triumphant return. An army of Batmen being brought in as the cavalry. There are so many things in this book that are just so cool, so wild and so bizarre that I cannot help but love it. At the end of the day, no, I am not entirely sure what happened in this issue. If I was asked to describe it, I’m not even totally sure where I would start. But I’m a okay with that too. “Metal” #6 just wants to take you on a ridiculous, insane rollercoaster of a ride, and you’re willing to let it, it’s a ton of fun.
Final Verdict: 8.7 – “Dark Nights: Metal” #6 is an insane finale to a crazy series, and an absolute blast to read.
