The hype and anticipation for Dark Nights: Death Metal continues to build, and for some the series’ June 16th debut date (wow, that’s next week) can’t arrive fast enough. Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo‘s sequel to 2017’s Dark Nights: Metal has already had a pair of one-shot tie-ins revealed, and now DC Comics has announced a trio of new, 48-page tie-in one-shots for the series, set after Death Metal #3 and focused on a few different corners of the DC multiverse.
First up, on September 8th, Snyder and artist Francis Manapul are teaming up for the first of the one-shots, Dark Nights: Death Metal: Trinity Crisis #1:
With Superman freed from his New Apokolips prison, the classic Trinity lineup is back together and ready to rock their next gig. Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman amp up their power to launch an assault on Castle Bat, and that’s just the warm-up act! Three walking nightmares are hidden deep inside the fortress—but these Dark Multiverse versions of the Anti-Monitor, Superboy Prime, and Darkseid hold the key to humanity’s survival. The Justice League have to face down their old nemeses, but will round two be the end for our heroes?
I’ll be honest, I only followed about half of what that’s describing, but it sounds bonkers and like a lot of fun. Dark multiverse versions of villains must be heroes…right? At least I’m assuming the dark multiverse version of Superboy-Prime is just this really calm, well-adjusted, well-mannered kid. Kind of looking forward to seeing that.
Two weeks later, on September 22nd, comes Dark Nights: Death Metal: Speed Metal #1, by Flash scribe Joshua Williamson, with art by Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira and a cover by Howard Porter:
It’s the drag race from hell! Taking place after the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal #3, the Darkest Knight is after Wally West and his Dr. Manhattan powers. Thankfully, Wally has back-up in the form of Barry Allen, Jay Garrick, and Wallace West! It’s a knockdown, drag-out race through the Wastelands as the Flash Family tries to stay steps ahead of the Darkest Knight and his Lightning Knights!
It’ll be good to see Wally West in a story penned by Williamson again, and the alternate looks for the other speedsters on Porter’s cover are pretty wild.
Scott Snyder has previously said that one of the goals of Death Metal is to ‘sort out continuity’ in the DC Universe, which is just what Wally appeared to be set to do in the Flash Forward epilogue in Flash #750. That story was set to be expanded upon in DC’s Generation Zero Free Comic Book Day offering, but with the departure of Dan Didio and the apparent shelving of the Generations project, it looks like Wally’s story will be continuing here instead.
Finally, on September 29th, writer James Tynion IV, artist Juan Gedeon, and cover artist Michael Golden team for the final of the three one-shots, Death Metal: Death Metal: Multiverse’s End #1:
Perpetua, mother of all existence, has culled all life and creation in the Multiverse, condensing all beings to one planet: Earth Prime. In her quest for power and dominance, she rules absolutely and in totality, using her children—the Monitors and Anti-Monitors—as her heralds and destructors. But a group of heroes has banded together across multiple worlds in a last-ditch effort to stop her from destroying all of existence: Owlman, President Superman, Iris West, Captain Carrot, Guy Gardner and others choose to make their final stand in a battle they’re destined to lose!
It’s still unclear to what extent Dark Nights: Death Metal will follow up on the ending of Snyder & Tynion IV’s Justice League run, which ended on a huge cliffhanger, but it looks at like at least some of that will happen in this one-shot with the return of uber-villain Perpetua. Among the heroes on the cover, aside from those listed in the description, are Uncle Sam, the Tangent Universe Green Lantern, Red Rain Batman, and Stan Lee‘s Wonder Woman. I’m always on-board for a comic featuring Captain Carrot, and the PR for this one bills it as his ‘last stand,’ so I’m not sure if I should be excited or scared.
Check out more info on these over on DC’s blog, and look for all three 48-page one-shots to hit stores in September.
On the face of it, it does look kind of interesting but at the same time, it can potentially suffer from the same issue that plagues other comics as well as shounen anime. The pressure of escalation. The constant desire to make something bigger and better does look good on the face of it but it can also be an impediment to good story telling and cause people to lose all perspective.
In my opinion, there should be an ongoing prequel series before this or in another part of the Dark Multiverse. One that is more focused on the individual perspectives of ordinary people or indeed the dark counterparts of our favourite heroes and one that gives them the space to develop.
I know 2000AD has an ongoing series called Deadworld which is based on the eponymous that the Dark Judges would eventually scour of all life and explores this cataclysmic event from the perspective of ordinary people and a former judge. This not only serves to build the world but also gives a sense of humanity as both human and supernatural forces conspire against it and slowly and inexorably bring about its downfall.
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