Dark Nights Death Metal #2 Review

by Wes Greer on July 14, 2020

Writer – Scott Snyder
Pencils – Greg Capullo
Ink – Jonathan Glapion
Colors – FCO
Publisher – DC Comics




Well, it’s a new month which means a new issue of Dark Nights Death Metal! Hard to believe it’s already been almost a month since issue one was released but I’m not complaining because that means we’re getting an incredible new addition to the first issue that took us right down the rabbit hole and introduced us to the world our heroes are currently living in after the events of Snyder’s run on Justice League. If you thought that the first issue was intense, you have no idea what’s about to happen and this issue turns the entire DC Universe upside down bringing us one of the most terrifying new villains into the Death Metal story line.

Death Metal #2 takes all the fast paced excitement we enjoyed in issue one and turns that all upside down by hooking is into the issue in the opening chapter with a fun and unfortunate event for one of our new evil Batman characters and Snyder hooks is from that moment on. With this issue Snyder really opens up the gas and changes gears a little bit now that we are all introduced to the way things are now and uses this issue to explore the characters a bit more and to set up what is for sure to be one of the most terrifying battles our heroes have ever faced in a world that already seems doomed. One of the things I love most about what Snyder has been doing lately in his stories is setting up for our heroes to fail over and over. When I was reviewing Justice League, I couldn’t believe that no matter what the heroes tried, they just couldn’t get a win and when you thought it couldn’t get any worse for them it did. Now Snyder has thrown them into a world where it feels like they are forever suffering because of that failure and finding new ways to make it feel exciting while keeping the impending doom in the horizon still. Even though it feels grim for these heroes all the time though, they continue to fight and find new ways to try to survive and ultimately win which is what keeps me coming back. It really inspires me reading these stories and just watching these heroes get loss after loss but regrouping and coming up with new ways to fight back and it’s such an emotional roller coaster and just a brilliant way to write these stories. This issue is another prime example of that trend. After issue one we felt like they might have a chance after watching Diana chainsaw the Batman Who Laughs but one this issue we see there is an even worse consequence now for the League because if that and Snyder introduces one of the most dangerous foes yet. Overall the writing of this issue is some of the most entertaining and dramatic we have gotten from Snyder and fans across the DC Universe are going to be talking about it for weeks to come as we meet the Darkest Knight.

I don’t even know where to begin with the art of this issue. This is probably one of the best creative teams in comics right now and they have been working together for years now which means that they have all figured out how to become one fluid and incredible team. You can see just how incredible the art of this issue is as soon as you open to the very first page. The pencils and designs of Greg Capullo easily too anything he has ever done before and are one of the biggest things that help separate this story from any other story out there. It’s just such an incredible design and look that really feels like the story brought to life visually. The art and writing of this story both feel one in the same and that’s such an incredible thing to find in comics today. When we read this issue, we really feel like we are in the dark multiverse almost as if we are in a nightmare of our own but one that is so much fun and so beautiful that we don’t want to wake up from it. Adding to Capullo’s pencils is Jonathan Glapion who is easily one of the best bikers out there right now. Glapion is able to really make Capullo’s work pop off the pages and really helps create that dark and detailed world this story exists in. Everything is smooth and does not take away from any of the pencils and really just gives it that Metal tone. The final piece of the puzzle comes from the colors of FCO who makes it look so easy. The colors of this issue also bring the emotions and feelings of the story to life visually for the reader giving us that feeling of being right there in the grim world with these heroes. The colors all are very vivid and bright and pop off the pages while blending with incredible darks and shadows and details that bring everything else together. If you look at this issue, you really feel like it was all done by one artist because it all ties together in such an incredible way which really speaks so highly of this creative team. 

This issue overall is a fantastic addition to a story that already has gone from zero to sixty in no time and continues to be loud and in our face while opening new doors into terror o in the DC Universe. If you have been a long time DC reader, you will see a lot of payoffs to older stories that are being referenced which is awesome and celebrates that. If you are a new DC reader or haven’t read any of the tie ins referenced in this story you too still enjoy a payoff as this story does an excellent job informing readers of the current situation and keeping you informed as the story goes on which is not usually something we see in stories like this. Snyder and company have just been doing an incredible job with this story so far and it’s great that fans old and new can still enjoy it without anything being taken away from them. Death Metal #2 is available right now at your local shop so jump on your Bat-Choppers or hop in your Batmobeasts and pick it up ASAP! Be sure you guys let me know what you thought of this issue by commenting down below in the comment section!

-Wes Greer
 

Our Score:

10/10

A Look Inside