Review: Dark Nights: Death Metal – Infinite Hour Exxxtreme #1
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writers: Sam Humphries, Becky Cloonan, Frank Tieri
Artists: Denys Cowan, Tyler Kirkham, Rags Morales
Letters: Dave Sharpe, Rob Leigh
Colors: Arif Prianto, Andrew Dalhouse, Chris Sotomayor
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
Summary
“The head nurse spoke up
And she said leave this one alone
She could tell right away
That he was bad to the bone”
-George Thorogood singing “Bad to the Bone”
Dark Nights: Death Metal – Infinite Hour Exxxtreme #1 – Pull up a chair, ya bastiches – it’s time for Uncle Lobo’s Infinite Hour! It’s your chance to let the Main Man Lobo-tomize you with familiar yet freaky stories of the DC Universe, exactly as he remembers them: with blood and guts and EXXXTREME gratuitous violence! It’s The Batman Who Frags!
Positives
I never know what to think when Lobo is involved. This character of pure maliciousness and evil (but with a code of evil ethics mind you) could be so much more to the DC Universe.
To have an evil beast like him born to a peaceful civilization and to drive the nurse who delivered him immediately mad…that’s quite a back story. Sure, he resembles some attributes of Wolverine as Lobo can’t really be destroyed as he can regenerate his limbs. His sense of humor rivals that of Deadpool. His vocabulary? Bastiches?
The entire Death Metal defeat of Perpetual and The Batman Who Laughs seems be hanging on a long pile of cigar ash deal made between Luthor and Lobo.
The story is far fetched and rivals that of Image’s Scumbag comic. When the fate of the world is at stake, we get the person or creature that could care less about the fate of the world. Lobo appears to be the only one to save us.
Positives 2.0
Each story has its qualities and the art is exemplary. Now I am wondering why Scott Snyder had to go with the Batman Who Laughs? Why not simply cut to the chase and give everyone an infected Lobo serum and let everyone battle it out to wipe the slate clean.
The art is a tribute to Motorcycle gangs everywhere as there are Road Warrior gear homages, Spawn homages, and well….homages to every hero. However, seeing Wonder Woman with Lobo facial features and chomping a cigar? Where is Greg Capullo when you need him?
The comic is as ludicrous as one would think. At times the dialogue is a bit stilted and forced, but with Hawkman and Lobo trying to have a serious conversation, that is to be expected.
Lobo origins for every hero. I’ll pass. Between the COVID-19 virus, the Anti-Life Equation, and everyone appearing to be infected with what afflicts The Batman Who Laughs, we need a vaccine and quick!
Negatives
Virus fatigue. I get that the universe is infected with The Batman Who Laughs and now we get The Batman Who Frags. Those bastiches at DC can bite my frag! Haw Haw Haw! See….it’s not that clever is it?
Verdict
This could have been a deeper dive point for such a story that DC has invested in. And to have a Lobo that was both a clever bounty hunter and possibly getting a conscience of sorts. That would have been cool. But we are left with a male Harley Quinn. Fragg it!
