Dark Nights: Metal #3 Review

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By John Saavedra

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo bring on the monsters in the latest issue of Dark Nights: Metal, which is an issue with a bit of a time jump if you haven’t been following the “Dark Knights” tie-in issues. Long story short, Barbatos and his nightmare Batman from the Dark Multiverse are winning, having kicked Justice League butt for the past few weeks and taken over virtually every major city on Earth. There isn’t even much a resurgent Superman can do when he wakes up from the terrible nightmare he was dropped into at the end of issue #2.

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The opening of Dark Nights: Metal #3 is spectacular, with a nice twist set up by Snyder that’s very rock ‘n’ roll. Capullo also gets to draw one of his most gruesome Batman scenes ever in this issue that you won’t see coming. The blood and gore reminded me of the work the artist did on “Superheavy,” which featured plenty of panels of Bloom impaling people. But, in keeping with the tone of this over-the-top book, the mess is much bigger this time around and to Superman’s absolute horror.

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Snyder also introduces tons of deep cuts from the DC bench. Many of his inclusions throughout the issue will definitely surprise you. And from listening to the man talk during an NYCC panel about what’s to come in Dark Nights: Metal, at least one of these B-listers will play an important role in what’s to come.

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FCO Plascencia, whose color work is always on point, gets to play with a completely different palette in Metal that we’ve not seen in his Batman work before. While his colors in the New 52 tended to be bright, almost ultraviolet, especially during the “Zero Year” arc, Plascencia gets to play with an overwhelming darkness in this issue. There is a lot of contrasting light and dark, mixed with a tinge of purple.

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Dark Nights: Metal finally feels like it’s done setting things up, too. Snyder fleshes out the nightmare alternate multiverse concept a bit more in this issue, and even let’s us into another hero’s nightmare universe. Basically, the Dark Multiverse is created by people’s own fears. The Dark Knights are the embodiment of Batman’s greatest trepidations about what he may become if he were ever to lose control. The “Dark Knights” tie-in issues have shown how each alternate version of Batman has slowly succumbed to hatred or despair and become an uncontrollable monster who has killed all of his friends.

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It’s interesting that Snyder opened the series with Batman working against his friends in an attempt to stop the Dark Multiverse from ever invading Earth because it shows that it would be so easy for the Dark Knight to fall and become a hell of a lot harder to stop. Fortunately for the remaining members of the Justice League, the Batman we know and love is still fighting the good fight. At least we hope so.

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This is more of a Justice League story than a Batman story, but that’s not been a handicap for this incredible creative team. Batman’s not the focus of this issue, which means that Snyder, Capullo et al get to play with all of DC’s other toys. Can’t wait to see what crazy, gruesome concept they come up with next issue.

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