Everything Goes To Hell In Dark Nights: Metal #3 Review
Like a Bat out of Hell it'll be gone when the morning comes. Literally.
Dark Nights: Metal #3 Review
Rating: ★★★★★
It's hard to think that Scott Snyder's been writing Batman for over seven years now, but what an impact the writer's left on the character. The Black Mirror, The Court of Owls, Death of the Family, All-Star Batman - the list goes on. Now, however, we have Dark Nights - the author's swan song to all things Batman, imbued with a hefty does of metal-themed iconography that makes for an aesthetic more 'Meat Loaf meets Night on Bald Mountain' than your typical Batman fare.
It's terrific, and it still surprises us how absorbing the writer's event has turned out to be. Genuinely, it's difficult to recall a time where tie-ins, preludes and crossovers all looked so appealing - literally everything about the Dark Multiverse has us hooked, and the third issue of the main series reminds us of that fact with a rhythmic strum that harkens back to the Caped Crusader's Silver Age. It's that clever.
Following on from the events of the second issue and last week's Green Arrow tie-in, Metal #3 opens up with Clark, Bruce, Diana and Lois all listening to Damian Wayne busting some tunes on his guitar. Something's clearly wrong and, before you know it, Barbatos erupts out of Bruce's chest, with Superman reeling at the thought of having to spend an entire lifetime fighting the creature.
The rest of the issue moves forward at a breakneck pace, bringing readers up to speed with the Gotham Resistance as they reconvene at the Oblivion Bar. Deaths ensue and the issue ends on a fairly grave tone. Curse the two months we'll have to wait for the follow up.
Final Thoughts
Metal #3 is everything we've come to expect of the series so far. It's fun, dark, gothic, and musically ambitious. Not only that, you're unlikely to ever find a Batman book quite like it, with it being Snyder's passion project through and through.
The way it brings together past storylines and engages with the character's history is just so fun to get involved with. Right down to the banter shared in the book's editorial notes, Dark Nights: Metal lives and breathes fun, taking a threat of Crisis proportions and condensing it into a story that's easy to understand and even easier to tally behind.
It's been made abundantly clear these past few years that Snyder and frequent collaborator Greg Capullo are the team to beat when it comes to the Dark Knight. If anything, Metal has finally given them the space to flex all their creative muscles into this brilliant, Bat-tastic bonanza that fundamentally rewrites the genetic makeup of the DC Multiverse.
It's just so incredibly enjoyable, and that - as far as we're concerned - is enough for us.
What did you think of the latest issue of Metal? Let us know in the comments below!