Comic Review: Dark Nights : Death Metal (2020-) #4

Dark Nights: Death Metal #4

DC Comics

Writers: Scott Snyder

Artists: Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia

Dark Knights: Metal was a roller coaster.  Every issue was high speed, high octane craziness.  There were twists.  There were turns.  There were even loop-de-loops.  It was a story about fun.  But there’s also another ride at the amusement park, one that’s tucked further away…the Himalaya. The Himalaya is like a merry go’ round on cocaine.  You spin so fast that you instantly lose vision.  The riders on one end slam into the other.  No one knows what’s happening.  The ride operator can barely hear the screams of the riders over the whirling of carts.  Heart rates rise.  Life expectancies drop.  It’s not a fun time.  If a roller coaster is a pack of M&Ms, the Himalaya is a black cherry warhead.  There is no reason for the Himalayas.  There is no order or sense to be had.  It is a painful burst of whiplash.

Dark Nights: Death Metal is a Himalaya.

This story shot way past the territory of fun and landed somewhere in between the territory of self-parody and nauseating.  Which there could be a certain appeal to.  Most DC events try desperately to be “epic”  and “brilliant”.  So I have no problem with an event that just wants to cut straight to the nonsense.  But after four issues, it’s clear that Death Metal isn’t even interested in nonsense or fun. I think DC could legally advertise a higher page-count in this story because of its non-stop exposition.  It’s like riding the Himalaya while the operator describes over megaphone how the ride works.  For a while, I stuck with it.  In my mind, the three previous issues of exposition were all leading up to this issue.  But there is no stopping to get to the story.  Death Metal is not the events in the story but is instead the kinetic force rushing you past the events you want to actually see.

The premise of this issue was incredible.  Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman were all supposed to travel to one of the three previous Crises.  This is a proven formula.  Whether it’s Secret Wars or Avengers: Endgame, there’s tons of nostalgia and potential in revisiting past events.  But the Trinity wraps up their jaunt to the past by the end of the issue.  In my mind, the Trinity honestly didn’t travel back to these Crises.  Where is the climactic battle with Superboy-Prime on Mogo?  Where is Superman’s journey to limbo?  The team never explores any of the actual events of these stories.  This isn’t a history lesson, it’s a pad of SparkNotes.

It’s a shame because I love the ideas Snyder brings in this issue.  I love Darkseid winning Final Crisis.  I love the long-awaited return and redemption of Superboy-Prime.  Hell, I love all the ideas in this series.  I love Bat Mage. I love zombie Jonah Hex.  And I wish Snyder would go into more detail about any of them.

But there is one thing I hope we don’t go into more detail on, and that’s the ending.  The Batman Who Laughs is a bad concept.  The Darkest Knight…considerably more so.  He steals the entire spotlight in this book.  Where is Perpetua in her universe-shattering quest to claim the multiverse?  Why was Lex Luthor hyped up as her prophet only to be pushed aside by The Batman Who Sells Books? And most importantly, what in Rao’s green Earth is his plan at the end of this issue?  You can’t seriously be telling me the villain’s goal in this post-apocalyptic story is to create a post-apocalyptic universe.  How is that any worse than the current situation?  At one point Snyder mentioned, a Batman who laughs is a Batman who always wins.  But in my opinion, a Batman who laughs is a Batman who always overstays his welcome.

Death Metal #4 is confusing.  I’ve never seen an issue with such a clear intent of action crammed with so much exposition.  I want off this ride.

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