Review: ‘Dark Nights: Death Metal’ #2 Is A Delightfully Over-The-Top Blockbuster With Shocks Aplenty

Perpetua has remoulded the universe into a very dark, twisted image of what it once was, and she hasn’t even got started yet. And, standing against her is Wonder Woman and a very rag-tag bunch of heroes, as established in the debut issue of this summer blockbuster series.
It’s also a book, with this second issue, that aims to shock and surprise as much as possible as we get a ramping up of this long-running story with a number of interesting developments that come out of nowhere and will certainly have huge repercussions for this series going forward. I won’t spoil it here – we’re not that kind of site – but you may want to pick up your copy of Dark Nights: Death Metal #2 quickly to avoid spoilers. Even by Scott Snyder’s gonzo writing standards, that was a huge part of his Justice League run (go big, or go home) this is taking this epic to another level. It’s a bonkers series, after only two issues, and Greg Capullo’s art matches this adrenaline-fuelled, over-the-top book. We’ve already had a Batman dinousaur – B.Rex – and this issue were given a Batom (a Bruce Wayne who has harnessed the powers of a white dwarf star) and a Batmobeast, a talking Bat-Mobile. This should be enough evidence that while this is a series with deadly consequences for the DCU, it’s also a book aimed to be a fun read too. Anything can happen and nothing is off the table. Like the musical genre it knowingly takes it’s name from, Dark Night: Death Metal #2 is a raucous, rowdy, excessive series that isn’t taking itself too seriously, but will probably have the toy-arm at Warner Bros. scratching their heads when they’re told they have to design a Batman themed T-Rex. 

Capullo must be having field day with the amount of design work he has to do for this series. It’s good to see Wonder Woman get a good share of the spotlight when this series, and the whole concept, is so focused on Batman. In fact, Batman takes a back seat role in most of this issue while others come forward including Wally West, The Flash and more.
Of course, as only the second issue of a 6 issue series, we’ve still got a long way to go, but this particular issue was a real page-turner and one filled with enough surprises to keep the blood pumping and the reader transfixed with all the going-ons. As summer blockbusters go, this has it all and then some, harbouring a kind of anarchic spirit where anything goes and nothing os off the table. Us DC fans should be worn down by the amount of crises and restarts the DCU has had in recent years, and maybe Snyder is all too aware of this too, so he’s decided to give us an outrageously daft account to this particular crisis ahead of yet another rebooted multiverse. And, by doing so, while we can all assume where this book is heading, it’s in the rollercoaster ride of a journey to get there that the fun is to be had. I imagine it’s only going to get faster, harder, dafter before the end. Indeed, the very first page of this issue (as seen above) beautifully sums up this whole endeavour, as a serious, soliloquising Bruce Wayne is smushed under the tread of a big-ass tyre that comes out of nowhere. That’s the kind of comic this is, and I’m loving it. Embrace the daftness and you’ll love this series. It’s certainly what the creators want of their readers. So, just go with it and enjoy the ride. Hold on tight, everyone!
Dark Nights: Death Metal #2 is available now from DC Comics
You can read our review of Dark Nights: Death Metal #1 here.