While Tom King works on his own Batman opus, “The War of Jokes and Riddles,” Scott Snyder continues to defy all expectations by penning one of the grandest comic book events in a long time. In Dark Nights: Metal #2, Snyder and his partner in art, Greg Capullo, along with Jonathan Glapion and FCO Plascencia, crank it up a notch (to 11) and prove it’s good to be bad.
After all the surprises and dinosaur-riding in Dark Nights: Metal #1, things get even crazier in this issue, as Superman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League track down Batman before he does something that he (and humanity) will regret. Naturally, the Caped Crusader doesn’t want their assistance and prefers to go at it alone, thinking only he can save the world. Typical of the Stubborn Knight, isn’t it?
What he doesn’t realize is that he’s been outfoxed by the forces of darkness and will be the sole cause for unleashing the Dark Multiverse and the evil Batmen. Yes, you guessed it: the evil Batmen mark their first appearance here and it’s as badass as you’d expect it to be. To badly paraphrase the Baywatch theme song, “some people stand in the darkness, [not] afraid to step into the light.”
Not only do we get a tantalizing teaser of what the twisted versions of the Dark Knight are capable of, but we also get to see how the Bat Family assists their fearsome leader in outsmarting the Justice League in the most ingenious way. Even more exciting is the superb tribute to Supes’ Joker kill in Injustice, as the Man of Steel puts his powerful fist through a chest here. That alone is worth the cover price of this book.
Dark Nights: Metal #2 is out now at all good comic book stores, so be sure to check it out.