Dark Nights: Death Metal #2
- WRITER
- Scott Snyder
- Artist
- Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion
- Letterer
- Tom Napolitano
- Cover Artist
- Jonathan Glapion, Greg Capullo, Fco Plascencia
- Publisher
- DC Comics
- Price
- 4.99
- Release Date
- 2020-07-14
- Colorist
- FCO Plascencia
If Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Dark Nights: Death Metal #1 was a thunderous, guitar-crunching introduction, then the second issue is the next verse that starts to bring the composition together.
Death Metal #1, replete with its Bat-dinosaur, Black Lantern zombie soldiers and other gleefully over-the-top touches, was truly a thrashing, high-tempo welcome for its readers. Having found their seats -- or personal mosh pit space -- creators and audience alike can now settle in for issue #2. Snyder and Capullo have set the multiversal stage, and was no time in focusing in on the story's core.
That’s not to say there aren’t more wild and crazy surprises -- the monster truck Batmobile seen on the issue’s cover, and the revelation inside as to what that vehicle actually is -- are the kind of elements that keep the thrill level high throughout the issue. Snyder and Capullo only slow down the story enough to advance it at a plausible pace -- turning down the music, as it were, to hear the important lyrics. The creators are careful not to overload readers’ senses while carefully composing the storyline’s direction.
Amidst the heavy metal thunder, Snyder is also careful not to drown out the character-driven aspect of the story. Wonder Woman’s aggressive approach towards a solution continues to stand in contrast to Batman’s more reserved mindset, and she reaches a breaking point. This conflict not only moves the story forward but nicely balances the far-reaching scope of Snyder and Capullo’s story.
The upended nature of Perpetua’s reimagined world leaves little room for anything comfortable or familiar. Still. Snyder and Capullo find enough space to work in a welcome appearance by some of DC’s most enduring heroes. There’s also an unexpected generation-spanning reunion, which serves to further enhance the characterization and remind readers that this DC Universe and its fellow surviving realities are still populated by living, breathing characters.
It's not just the good guys who are well characterized, either. One of the most notorious villains throughout the Metal saga undergoes a macabre and surprising transformation, and the alteration not only makes the villain even creepier with his multiple new looks, but it further defines the character’s crafty and sinister nature. This change, which was teased last issue, also cleverly ties into another recent and high-profile DC event, but it's still another example of how the surprises keep coming throughout the series.
Death metal, the music genre, is known for its fast tempo, sudden changes to key and signature and its sheer volume. The music is often maligned by the uninformed as noisy, senseless and meaningless, where it’s really carefully crafted and written by its composers -- like any kind of music -- and easily appreciated by those with an ear for it.
With its own fast-paced storyline, surprises, and over-the-top nature, Dark Nights: Death Metal readily proves itself as the genre’s comic book equivalent. Snyder, Capullo and their collaborators likewise prove themselves to be true composers who are constructing a genuine, character-driven storyline, even if it spans reshaped worlds, universes, and multiverses. Dark Nights: Death Metal #2 is the kind of issue that proves how well minute details stand out and prove their importance in a reality-spanning epic.