If anything, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s highly anticipated reunion that’s come in the form of the event series Dark Nights: Metal has handily knocked the comic book community on its collective bum. Not only does it mark their return to the character of Batman, but they now have the entire wealth of the DC Universe at their disposal – and they’ve certainly wasted no time in telling the biggest story possible.
As is to be expected from a tale as grandiose and far-reaching as this, it’ll spill over into a number of one-shots orbiting the mainline series, with some of the publisher’s ongoings also serving as tie-ins. Thus, DC fans are in for one enriching reading experience should they elect to consume these other books.
Not long ago, we got a look at various evil Batmen emanating from the Dark Multiverse, each of which will soon star in their own separate one-shots. Unfortunately, one was missing from the the original reveal, that of the Batman Who Laughs. Well, we can now present our first substantial looks at him – and the images are downright terrifying.
First up in the gallery is some concept art by way of Riccardo Federici, depicting just what a Batman-Joker hybrid looks like. Apparently, it’s not far off from one of Hellraiser’s Cenobites, so I’m going to have a very hard time deciding on whether to hear the voice of Mark Hamill or Doug Bradley when reading these comics.
Next up, we have the actual cover – albeit uncolored – to The Batman Who Laughs one-shot that’ll arrive in comic shops on November 15. The cover art having been illustrated by the incomparable Jason Fabok depicts this foe being surrounded by his dark Robins.
Finally, we come to some of Mirka Andolfo’s interior art from this fall’s Teen Titans #12, which will serve as part of the “Gotham Resistance” crossover. Here, we see the crazed Batman and his sidekicks yet again, only with some color put to them this time.
For more on Dark Nights: Metal, be sure to check out our five-star review of the first issue.