6 Reasons Why Dark Nights: Metal #1 Rocks

The story already seems to be setting up new elements to the DCU, and not rebooted or new directions for things. This is kind of new.

Normally, an event is used to shake up the status quo for a character, or more often in DC, to completely reboot the franchise to start stories fresh.

However, Metal doesn't seem to be going that way. It's taking classic concepts of the DCU and builds on them or puts them into new places to create entirely new concepts that connect to them. For example, take the connection being further built between Hawkman, Hawkgirl and the Blackhawks, or in fact Hawkman as a detective of antiquity itself. These are classic characters and concepts not put into entirely new roles, but having new concepts and ideas built into them, adding to the DCU.

Moreover, this series is already setting up towards the Dark Matter line of new titles, which will actually see brand new characters being made in the DCU, that will receive a great deal of focus and attention and, most importantly, a push from DC.

The Dark Multiverse is a disarmingly simple new concept that opens the door to so many new ideas, and it's wonderful to see this being a focus instead. Comics, after all, should be about creation, just as much as they are about reinvention.