Comic Review: Dark Nights: Death Metal Guidebook #1 (DC Comics)

DC Comics releases a crossover comic between the Justice League and Harley Quinn in a Batman Universe in Dark Knights Death Metal Guidebook.

It’s been a while to review a DC Comic since like the last 6 months or more? I don’t know, but here’s a comic which makes the Batman Universe look much darker than the other Dark Knight comics that I’ve read. This is one of the various comics that was split into different stories between different writers and authors, it’s much like the other collaboration short comics that were made from independent writer and authors who worked on a different publishing company, but with DC Comics, it makes more to have so many writers and comics work every DC Universe superhero comic that they admired on. But anyway the crossover is much different than any other DC Comic you’ve ever read.

The front cover shows a series of DC characters as Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn dressed up too badass. Wonder woman is almost dressed like a gladiator, but one thing that is confusing is that instead of her sword, now she’s wielding a chainsaw which has nothing to do with the story so far, Harley Quinn is dressed like a female jester, had a haircut not too long ago, and for some reason, she just dyed her hair into black. And Aquaman is almost dressed as a vampire hunter wielding Neptune’s trident which makes him turn into Odin or something. And for some reason you’ll see a hyena on the background, so what does that have to do with the story? Well, THIS is a Death Metal Guidebook which every part of the series will become very dark for young adults to read and makes every Dark Knight crossover comics to become more intimidating as ever. For the starting pages, you’ll see the setting of the story which involves when the Earth has turned upside down and transformed into the new age of darkness, now there are a few villains the Justice League would face-off which is The Batman Who Laughs, the same comic when every character became too creepy for a Batman series, they and the other heroes need to fight to survive this new world. Creating a guidebook makes it have more advantages for the villains to wreak havoc, just until the heroes will come and fight for justice.

Now there are a few stories coming from this comic that focuses on every DC Universe superheroes and Harley Quinn to know how their journey goes to them, but this time, I’m gonna focus on the main story which is “The Fall of Earth.” And one more thing, what I really like about the comic is the world map that is included on the starting pages. I can relate to any other JRPGs who can design a world map which is more abnormal, coming from another dimension, one of these maps that can combine into one, this map is actually named after The Batman Who Laughs which is the “Metalverse.” Apparently there’s one map that reminded me of this one is the Famicom game of Dragon Ball Z Plan to Eradicate the Sayains, which the world map is almost like that. Anyway, the story starts when the narration just shrouded in darkness when he talks about the heroes who are keeping the world in peace, next the comic turned over by some sage in a black robe narrating from outer space saying about the memories of the justice and peace remained of the world that was. When the world fell in darkness, who could anyone expect that to happen? And then the gang of Batman Who Laughs came out from out of nowhere to attack the city, while the Justice League jumped into some portal and claimed that they were losing by the cosmic universe goddess, Perpetua. It’s really ironic of how the world turned that way much worse than Covid19, even though, the Justice League and the other heroes are fighting against the Batmen of darkness which are darker and evil personalities of Batman, like I said, really creepy wasn’t it? So how will the heroes fight off and protect the world as it is right now?

Now the story seems to have more in detail and wondering how the evil batmen are trying to take over the world as they created. The world map is shaped like the Batman insignia, the horde of Batmen is attacking the townspeople, and the Justice League brought Batman along with them. It’s too random, to begin with. But making a side story of The Batman Who Laughs is probably made from the Joker to transform him into a laughing lunatic. It’s creepy, but this is one of the Batman universes. So, Dark Knights Dark Metal Guidebook is more of a story to have, having one of the most lunatic villains in comic book history.