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Metal: An epic ten years in the making

Art by Greg Capullo

"With every step forward, your story cooled and hardened. Pulling you inexorably towards a singular ending. An ending you can no longer choose. An ending that chooses you."

 Scott Snyder began his Batman run in 2010 with The Black Mirror, one of the grittiest and most hard-hitting Dark Knight stories ever published. A decade later, with more critically-acclaimed books under his utility belt, Snyder unleashed the apex of his Batman saga. In Dark Knights: Metal, Snyder's voice as a writer is as distinct as a reality-rending roar and complemented perfectly by the unique art of the great Greg Capullo.

Barbatos first appeared in Grant Morrison's Batman run

Metal is more than just a Batman story. It's the tale of the multiverse's darkest secret and the awakening a fearless man's greatest fears. When investigating the world's many magic and mystical materials, Bruce Wayne opens the door to one of the greatest threats he and the Justice League have ever faced. All corners of DC continuity are touched by the creeping shadows of Snyder's vision, so if you're a superhero fan, you should be interested.

As all cataclysmic event books should be, Metal is super fast-paced and packed full of compelling world-building. Each page is bursting with insane reveals about the DCU and the characters who inhabit it, all of which serve to drive the plot forward. Much of the story focuses on how Hawkman and Hawkgirl are tied to the the world's mysteries, which will delight fans of the feathered fighters and hopefully introduce a whole new legion of fans to their mythos.

The Hawks feature prominently

Metal doesn't quite dodge the criticisms that many event books face, however. New readers might have a hard time keeping up with all the characters due to its nature as a multiverse-spanning epic. More seasoned readers, on the other hand, might find Metal to be a little repetitive when placed on the same shelf DC's Crisis books, as the multiverse is yet again at threat from an evil god.

That being said, the clear inspiration Metal draws from those classic books may actually enhance the reader's experience if they're a bit of a continuity junkie - many will definitely be pleased to see how the events of Final Crisis are still reverberating throughout the worlds of DC. By the looks of it, Metal will continue to have pretty massive consequences too.

Capullo's amazing depiction of the Justice League

In each of Metal's panels, artist Greg Capullo is on absolute top form. The Justice League, particularly Wonder Woman, look amazing in his inimitable style. Every page is insanely dynamic, wacky and exciting - you'll be torn between turning the page to follow Snyder's story, or staying on that one panel for a bit just to take in all the detail.

Of course, it's impossible to talk about this story without mentioning the Dark Knights. Metal gives us seven compelling villains, each a twisted mash-up of Batman and another Leaguer. The stand-out new addition to the Caped Crusader's unparalleled rouges gallery is the Batman Who Laughs, a chilling combination of Bruce Wayne and you-know-who. Lines like "The truth is, the darkest stories? They're never lost. They're alive and well and just waiting to come get you." remind us of Snyder's roots as a horror writer and complement Capullo's unsettling design for this brilliant antagonist.

The Dark Knights and Barbatos

The villains each have origin stories in a separate book, Dark Knights Rising, which features some of the best Batman one-shots of the century. Some of the events in this companion tome overlap with the main book, but it works well enough to read it beforehand to provide some context behind why the Knights are wreaking havoc.

Whether you decide to supplement it with Dark Knights Rising or not, be sure to give Metal a read. Due to how large-scale event books are, there will likely be some things you don't like about it, but definitely some that you love. It's one hell of an adventure that fans of Batman and the wider DC universe will greatly enjoy.

Rating: 8.5/10

 The core story of Metal is collected in one hardback volume with an awesome shiny cover. You can also get the digital edition on Comixology, or wait for the paperback to hit shelves in January. It's also worth checking out the official soundtrack, available on Spotify.

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