TITLE: Dark Nights Metal Issue #1
YEAR: November 2017
COMPANY: DC Comics
Writer: Scott Snyder
Penciler: Greg Capullo
Inker: Jonathan Glapion
Letterer: Steve Wands
Colorists: FCO Plascencia
I have been hearing great things about “Dark Knights Metal” and while I have been reading numerous titles from DC Universe Rebirth, I heard this series has introduced interesting, really dark, violent and crazy concepts and characters to the DC Universe.
So, I had to check it out!
The story begins with members of the Justice League participating in a gladiator battle. Mongol has each of them outfitted with gladiator armor that nullifies their powers.
So, Superman’s armor has dust from a few thousand crushed red suns, Flash has vibration-domination boots from the Dominators, Wonder Woman has a lock from Stheno, the elder Gorgon with venom infused to the armor and more.
Mongol uses his slave, the Toyman to introduce the monsters that the Justice League must battle.
But Batman has a plan thanks to the Toyman giving Batman a hint, “Fulcum Abominus” (come together as one).
Having defeated these monsters and escaping from capture from Mongol and regaining their powers, when the group arrives to Earth, Alfred contacts Batman and gives him bad new. A mountain has shown up in the middle of Gotham.
As Flash goes to scan the mountain, they discover a door and when they walk inside, a message is written “It’s chasing us RUN”.
The Justice League are then approached by Lady Blackhawk and her fellow covert anti-apocalyptic team, the Blackhawks.
She takes to Justice League to Blackhawk Island and explains a story given to her by Carter Hall (Hawkman) and how she and Carter were stabbed by a mysterious substance and entered a cycle of reincarnation that spanned history.
The fragment that they were stabbed with is known as an Nth Metal. And Carter wanted to find out where the metal was from, to get clues and all he found were warnings that the metal came from evil and lead to evil but Carter refused to believe it. And they believe didn’t come from the Multiverse that is known to Flash but a Dark Multiverse.
Carter and his team when to investigate and all she heard were screams about whole worlds of nightmare of evil and a warning from Red Tornado that there is a “Great Dragon”. Lady Blackhawk did research on the name and found the name Barbatos. And another word about a vessel referencing a wagon that would carry the beast to the current universe, the wagon’s name, Wayne.
It is predicted that Batman will be the one responsible for letting this evil from the Dark Multiverse in. And now Lady Blackhawk wants Batman arrested.
Red Tornado awakens, screaming that they had open the door and starts attacking everyone. But Batman goes missing along with the Nth Metal.
What will Batman find out? And will he remain on the run or will his teammates try to stop him?
Overall, the first issue was an interesting read but it’s too early to tell where this story is going and I look forward to issue #2.
What I will say is that the writing from Scott Snyder was solid and the artwork by Greg Capullo is equally fantastic. I’m hoping this storyline remains consistent with its action and excitement and doesn’t go downhill towards the end. But so far, I’m really enjoying what I have read so far!