‘Dark Knights: Metal’ Is Getting A Spin-Off–And A Sneak Peek

There is no doubt that Dark Nights: Metal was a huge success for DC and was loved by comic book fans everywhere. While the series might be over, that doesn’t mean that the Metal fallout has stopped.  DC writer Scott Snyder and artist Jock are set to release their newest Dark Nights: Metal spinoff, The Batman Who Laughs, a mini-series from the most memorable Dark Knight baddie created by Snyder and (Greg) Capullo.

Recently, new design work by Jock has been revealed on social media and shows a Batman who is “all lethal force” as described by Scott Snyder.  The picture shows the all-black, gun-toting Batman who is taking “no prisoners.”

From BATMAN WHO LAUGHS coming from @Jock4twenty and me in Nov.

Designs for our new Dark Knight. Bruce's 2nd worst fear after the BMWL. All lethal force Bruce. pic.twitter.com/tBxhTyqMyR

— Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) August 17, 2018

“What we’re doing with The Batman Who Laughs is really central to what we’re doing with Justice League and the stuff that we’re building out of Justice League.  It’s easily the darkest Batman story I’ve ever done.  I wanted to get back to my horror roots.  Especially working with Jock, who worked with me on Wytches and Black Mirror, it was a perfect fit.  It’s a story I’ve been wanting to do since I did Metal, where he comes to Gotham and he brings a new Dark Knight with him-a Dark Knight I’ve been waiting to do for a while, too; it’s kind of a Punisher Batman, because all of these are Bruce’s worst nightmares about himself.  So this is one that imagines that in the alley when Tomas and Martha are killed by Joe Chill, Joe Cill drops the gun and Bruce picks it up and does in Joe Chill-and from that point forward becomes a complete agenda of lethal force, and becomes the deadliest version of Batman-the deadliest person, almost, on Earth, because not only is he this incredible weapon master but-I love Punisher and I have an idea for a Punisher story someday, but he’s usually broke.  Bruce Wayne is a billionaire.  He has Wayne Enterprises stuff that just happens to be in the pipes and the electrical-everywhere.  So he can bet you no matter where you are; he can make your car drive off the bridge.”

Some fans have already objected to the notion of a gun-toting Batman, but Snyder says the decision to have Batman carrying firearms didn’t come easily.  Snyder says the guns play into the high concept of the twisted versions of the Dark Knights as entities.

“I gave this a lot of thought because it’s scary version of Bruce, but it’s once that I got asked about a lot when I was on Batman.  ‘Why doesn’t he kill The Joker?’ ‘What if he just killed this one person?’…This is sort of the nightmare of letting that go and saying this is who he’d be if he began killing and got worse and worse and worse.  It really is the Batman Who Laughs coming here with a really tremendous force of disruption and having a very particular plan.  You start seeing these dead Bruce Waynes popping up around Gotham, and Bruce has to autopsy them himself.  I’m really proud of it; it brings in everybody: Joker, Arkham, and all that stuff, and it just gets darker and darker.”

The Batman Who Laughs #1 will be available in stores everywhere on November 15th.