Dark Nights Death Metal The Secret Origin #1 Review

by Carlos R. on December 22, 2020

Dark Nights Death Metal The Secret Origin #1 Cover Image
Written by: Scott Snyder & Geoff Johns
Art by: Jerry Ordway, Francis Manapul, Ryan Benjamin & Richard Friend, Paul Pelletier & Norm Rapmund
Colors by: Hi-Fi, Ian Herring, Rain Beredo, Adriano Lucas
Lettered by: Rob Leigh
Publisher: DC Comics

This has to be my favorite tie-in to Death Metal so far. There’s so much to love in this issue and if you were as excited to hear about Superboy Prime’s appearance as I was, this one-shot will not let you down.

Snyder and Johns exceeded all the high expectations I had set for this issue. Framing this story with Superboy Prime’s life before Crisis on Infinite Earths was a great choice and after so many years of him presented as a villain, I loved getting back to his innocent beginnings. While the major threat here is the Batman Who Laughs, Snyder and Johns go deeper to have the Batman Who Laughs represent the conflicts Superboy Prime has been plagued with ever since Infinite Crisis: the loss of his universe and the perception and judgement of others.

There is some incredible talent to be found in this book. The wonder, awe, and hopefulness of Superman could be found throughout the book, but it blends scenery reminiscent of Superboy Prime’s most influential moments. I love how he’s presented here, the portions set on Earth Prime were magnificent and Ordway’s pages were so reminiscent of Gary Frank’s work. Adriano Lucas does a fantastic job making Superboy’s armor come off more heroic than terrifying while still keeping the shading. The colors are so vibrant here, especially on the splash pages. Manapul does not shy away when he jumps on, creating a splash page evocative of Jim Lee’s Infinite Crisis #6 cover.  One would think having all these creators on one book would jolt readers when the artistic shifts occur, but they blend seamlessly, and have the shifts happen at distinct points of Superboy’s arc in this issue.

Snyder and Johns have wrriten a can’t miss issue for Dark Nights Death Metal. The art is gorgeous all the way through and is essential reading if you’ve ever been a fan Superboy Prime.

 

Our Score:

10/10

A Look Inside