Dark Nights: Death Metal - Sequel to Metal is Announced

[Robotman]

It was an enjoyable issue but

spoilers:

i really wasn’t sold on Superboy Prime’s sudden change of heart. He’s been portrayed over the past 15 years as a complete psychopath willing to do anything to make his ideal DCU. He literally killed Golden Age Superman. So Diana giving him a pep talk and having him suddenly work with his sworn enemies seemed silly.

end of spoilers

Perpetua may be the most worthless “big bad” of any event book. She’s totally overshadowed by the real villain TBWL. She’s basically just a prop.

[lefthanded]

Finding the series to be thoroughly underwhelming, but better than the first (Metal). I just have to accept to Scott Snyder's style is not my cup of tea.

Over the course of the Justice League series to now, all the villains essentially became Batman - too many gotcha twists where it is revealed that it is all part of the plan. It is keeping in line with the thrust of the story he wants to tell using Perpetua, but it ends up making the villains, and thus the conflict, one-dimensional and unengaging for me.

spoilers:

I agree that the sudden change of heart in Superboy Prime wasn't very convincing, but that would likely require a full issue on its own, rather then being one of the three missions. The transition seemed jarring as well - are we to infer that Batman and Superman were suddenly saved by Superboy Prime smashing Darkseid/Anti-monitor? How does that rescue Superman from already having undergone the Anti-Life process, and Batman from being disintegrated? Seemed like we could use several more scenes there as well. Also, the twist of BWL already reprogramming Metron's chair felt like a random twist rather than a surprising foreshadowed twist.

end of spoilers

My inherent problem with this whole Dark Nights series is that there is too much circular logic. Nobody can beat Batman in comics because he has plans for everything (except in the myriad of story beats where the villain of the week can hand-to-hand combat to at least a stalemate Batman, who by all established lore, is the best martial artist), which is why the Batman Who Laughs and the dark universe is so daunting. Therefore, no one should be able to beat the evil versions of Batman because they also plan for everything, but we consistently see our heroes beat random versions of Batman.
Twists in this series should have been countered for by good Batman, but then the counter would have been expected by BWL so there would be a counter for that, and so on and so forth. I ultimately expect that to be what happens, which makes the series ultimately not be exciting to me.

I am enjoying all the costumes/alternate versions of our heroes/villains though.

[sifighter]

Not sure if it will be required but it’s starts out from the end of issue 4 so hey next week is Robin King.

https://aiptcomics.com/2020/10/16/dc...-robin-king-1/

[sifighter]

So I’m just going to say this now without any real spoilers, that unless something is done with the ending of the story this one-shot is not necessary to the overall Death Metal event, and honestly I only picked it up because I had a $5 gift card. Most of the issue is just seeing what Robin was like before Death Metal, him killing heroes on his earth and becoming a Groblin (which I consider a pretty interesting take with his relationship with Batman who laughs). Other then that he takes out a few heroes on our earth, which I assume people will not be happy with. It’s basically learn about this little monster child and what he can do.

Other then that there is a nice little Duke Thomas story in back of the issue, but yeah mainly a Robin King story and if you don’t care about him maybe don’t pick it up.

[qwertyuiop1998]

Robin King is more annoying than TBWL. Before I thought is was impossible

[sifighter]

Robin King is more annoying than TBWL. Before I thought is was impossible

I think it’s the Robin King’s utility belt, BWL is supposedly cunning and plans for everything but that’s different from a kid who is just delighted that he can kill anyone because he just so happens to have on his belt the specific thing that can kill a hero.

[Nite-Wing]

Robin King is just Bruce Wayne as a kid who saw a robin bird instead of a Bat and since its a nightmare that a positive universe dreamed about he of course is pure evil and kills all heroes he encounters
Reminds me of Damian maybe this is why people dislike the character
no endearing traits, just annoying child banter and edge

[Vordan]

I gotta say if Tomasi and Snyder are intentionally taking the piss out of “Batman can beat anyone with prep time” bravo because I am unable to read that without thinking of this Robin King one shot issue and how over the top ridiculous it is

[Lucky Looke 90]

I gotta say if Tomasi and Snyder are intentionally taking the piss out of “Batman can beat anyone with prep time” bravo because I am unable to read that without thinking of this Robin King one shot issue and how over the top ridiculous it is

I have tried to read the whole Death Metal saga, even the one shots and by now I am convinced that Snyder and company present this mega event as a kind of exaggerated insanity that works in part as a parody of certain events, behaviors or characters of all Dc, it is true that there are "serious moments" that depending on the tastes of each person may or may not work, but in general it gives me the impression that Snyder himself knew that if there was a time to ridicule or make fun of certain myths, ideas or elements of the tradition of DC, it was precisely here, in Death Metal. In issue 4 Superboy Prime speaks the same as a fan of classic comics would speak who thinks that his favorite characters today are not the same as those he read in the past. As you say, the Robin King is another example of the parody of "Batman is always prepared". I think that if people read Death Metal while being aware of the above, the series is enjoyed and entertaining, if what people are looking for is depth and reflection, there is nothing of the kind here.

[Restingvoice]

Of course it is. There's too many funny moments and insanity for it not to be just them being boys with toys having fun, from the moment Dark Nights Metal came out and they list the authors and artists like members of metal band, to the first promotional image of Death Metal with all the bikes and spikes and chains, from Batman Who Laughs appearance to the fact that somehow there'sa BatManhattan. It's METAL! in all caps screaming with your tongue out.

[LAWtoyoto 432]

Other then that he takes out a few heroes on our earth, which I assume people will not be happy with. It’s basically learn about this little monster child and what he can do..

They were the main versions but everyone who dies in this outside of the various Dark Knights will end up getting resurrected.

[sifighter]

I have a feeling this is going to be a necessary issue, considering how it is now the battle of Darkest Knight vs Perpetua. I will say though for someone who was supposedly a big threat, it’s odd how they’ve kept her part of the story to tie ins.

https://www.gamesradar.com/darkest-k...god-1-preview/

[ohfellow]

I have a feeling this is going to be a necessary issue, considering how it is now the battle of Darkest Knight vs Perpetua. I will say though for someone who was supposedly a big threat, it’s odd how they’ve kept her part of the story to tie ins.

https://www.gamesradar.com/darkest-k...god-1-preview/

I don't believe this battle between Batman who Laughs/Darkest Knight and Perpetua was ever intended as the plan. It is, after all, utter nonsense. (I know, how does one call out any single element of this nonsense, when the whole thing is nonsense? Well, I think you know what I mean.)

Snyder says this was his plan. Well - I dare him to prove it by producing his original outline.

Perpetua was very capably destroying universes long before she encountered BWL. BWL convinced her she needed him because he knew more about the Dark Multiverse than she did. (Which is impossible, or at least improbable, but let's go with it.) I believe that happened at the end of Hell Arisen.

So BWL went from informant or counselor to - well, now he has Never-Ending Dark Multiverse Crisis Worlds to feed her the energy she needs to destroy worlds? She ran out of steam or something?

What does this have to do with their original alliance?

And why is he feeding her the energy when he evidently could have always used it himself, and is now hoping to steal it (and has managed to, thanks to the Justice League's meddling)? Why did he ever funnel it to her? If you say "he couldn't use it properly until he became the Darkest Knight" - then why didn't he just have someone kill him and transplant his brain sooner, before he strengthened poor weak Perpetua?

Batman who Laughs was probably converted to Darkest Knight because it would have been ridiculous that a Jokerized Batman could have defeated or even challenged the creator (and destroyer) of this multiverse! It is more plausible that a Darkified Dr. Manhattan would have had at least a fraction of the necessary power.

(It also gave them a reason to finally get rid of the red squiggly font on black background, which annoyed a lot of readers. Hah!)

But I'm sure there are some decent explanations or theories about all of this, which I could really benefit from hearing.

[Kingdom X]

I have a feeling this is going to be a necessary issue, considering how it is now the battle of Darkest Knight vs Perpetua. I will say though for someone who was supposedly a big threat, it’s odd how they’ve kept her part of the story to tie ins.

https://www.gamesradar.com/darkest-k...god-1-preview/

One of the main reasons I can't get into this event is all of the necessary tie-in one-shots. Just make the main series 10-12 issues.

[sifighter]

One of the main reasons I can't get into this event is all of the necessary tie-in one-shots. Just make the main series 10-12 issues.

See that’s a hard call for me personally, because normally I skip tie-ins. If marvel or dc has taught me anything is that during an event they will just interrupt ongoings for a bigger story and those ongoings don’t really matter or effect the story normally.

However if it’s only one-shots that are actually significant and don’t interrupt an ongoing story then I don’t see why not. It’s not really hurting anything so long as the story itself explains itself or let’s the audience know and if it’s important to the story I might as well try it. But then you get into a different problem, what if the story is not important like Robin King. Maybe it will become important later but for now I feel it had nothing to add to the main story and was actually the weakest of books I’ve read.

So it’s hard to say what is better, all ongoings interrupted or one-shots which may or may not be necessary.