Review: Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Secret Origin #1
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Geoff Johns, Scott Snyder
Artist: Jerry Ordway, Ryan Benjamin, Paul Pelletier, Francis Manapul
Letters: Rob Leigh
Colors: Hi Fi, Ian Herring, Rain Beredo, Adriano Lucas
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
Summary
“Maybe you should go out for a walk too!” – Clark Kent/Superboy Prime
The DCU’s darkest secrets are explored while Perpetua and the Batman Who Laughs clash! The heroes search for a way to defeat the Darkest Knight through the universe’s past, while Superboy Prime faces down the demonic Batman!
Positives
Jerry Ordway and Geoff Johns had me from page one! Transporting a child from the 80’s in seeing the drug store comic book rack adorned with new issues and having a powerless Clark Kent (aka a future Superboy Prime) being needled by local bullies took every comic book loving fan back to their childhood.
The art and stories of that time resonated to where you recognized immediately whose writing and pencils were at work. Scott Snyder’s best attribute in his work with DC is that he pays homage to the past while keeping true to his vision and working new fans into the mix.
From a comics perspective, he is to comics what Jon Favreau is to the Star Wars and Marvel Universe in cinema.
Despite Greg Capullo not being involved in the art (love those blue highlights on Wonder Woman’s brunette locks and her optimistic eyes……), this was by far one of the best Death Metal issues he has produced.
Rivaled only by his Robin King work and when he first introduced The Batman Who Laughs, Snyder provides the optimism and the redemption that Superboy Prime demanded.
A boy….A dog….his girlfriend…and a fight to have that future. I dare not give one spoiler away, but this is a happy ending to a story that needed to be told.
Albeit, it was getting really really dark lately in the Death Metal series. Here Snyder and Johns pull us out of this mire with the optimistic story we all needed. Maybe it’s holiday like…maybe its biblical at times in terms of temptation… but it resonates.
Negatives
Snyder’s slow march to the end of this story line was wearing thin. This self-sacrificing story like Superboy Prime’s was so needed to infuse that fourth quarter spurt I needed I am sure that when Snyder envisioned this entire Death Metal series, he did not envision the world situation of a pandemic. Given the power of his pen, his work with Geoff Johns comes right on time for the holidays.
Verdict
This one is a love letter to all comic book readers. It stands on its own without having to invest so much in the history of Death Metal. It rivals Superman’s origin story and as a lover of dogs, you will simply love Krypto in this issue. A dog truly can see into the soul! Well done Mr. Snyder and Mr. Johns…. Happy Holidays!
