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Dark Knights: Death Metal #1
Publisher: DC
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo
Colors: FCO Plascencia
Inks: Jonathan Glapion
Letters: Tom Napolitano
Cover: Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia

Snyder and Capullo return with their sequel to Dark Knights: Metal and it looks as if the stakes are raised even higher and all of it has hit the fan! The issue kicks off with a wild introduction from Sgt. Rock right before the creative team sends us to Hell aka “the real DCU”. Where Wonder Woman is the warden and receives a mysterious new prisoner. From here things get crazier as plans are laid out and the Batman Who Laughs is as unpredictable as ever.

For any new reader coming into this story you might be a little confused with Snyder’s tale as it pulls from Dark Knights: Metal, Doomsday Clock, and his most recent run on Justice League. However, even though having read some of these would help with greater context, Snyder does find some time to give us what we’ll need for this issue. Whether or not it’s enough though will be up to you. Snyder also has several shining moments of dialogue throughout but one of the best is when he lets Wonder Woman’s petty shine when she confronts the T-Rex Batman! And yes, that is exactly what it sounds like.

What can be said about Capullo’s art that hasn’t been said already? The guy’s visual storytelling is some of the best in comics and paired with Glapion’s inks and Plascencia’s colors it makes for a fantastic looking issue. From the creepy Dead Beats sequence to the redesign for Batman Who Laughs the art team just fills each panel with greatness.

Overall, this is a nice entry back into this world but those who have read most of those previous titles associated with this will get more out of it. However, Dark Knights: Death Metal #1 is worth checking out to see if you want to stick around for the ride! 3.5/5

The Flash Annual #3
Publisher: DC
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Stephen Segovia, Brandon Peterson, Carlo Pagulayan
Inks: Brandon Peterson & Jason Paz
Colors: Hi-Fi
Letters: Steve Wands
Cover: David Marquez & Alejandro Sanchez

Flash Annual #3 features a team-up with Flash, Captain Boomerang, and the new Suicide Squad. That might sound like a lot but Williamson delivers on a story that doesn’t require you know too much about anyone here to enjoy yourself. He throws you into the mix and immediately cements you in this adventure mostly told by Captain Boomerang. And if you’re unfamiliar with the new Squad there’s enough here to pique your interest as he lets them show off some of their skills as well. I will say that it refreshing to see Flash use some common sense to help solve the problem here instead of escalating things and giving us the usual chain of events. He really does show why Barry is the heart of the Justice League here. And Seeing how things played out made another character’s appearance even more exciting and was the cherry on top.

As far as the art is concerned, there was some worry when I noticed how many people were on this. However, the entire team hit this one right out the park with their styles complimenting each other so the visual shifts weren’t so jarring. Flash’s intro was great along the many action sequences that filled these pages. 4/5

Batman and the Outsiders #13
Publisher: DC
Writer: Bryan Hill
Artist: Gleb Melinkov
Colors: Ivan Plascencia
Letters: Clayton Cowles
Cover: Tyler Kirkham & Arif Prianto

This issue went in a totally different direction than expected and for the most part, I’m good with that. Hill slows things down a bit and has Batman do what he does best and that’s form the strategic blueprints to win the day. In another meeting of the minds between the Dark Knight and Black Lightning, Hill shows once again how great the two of these characters are. These moments throughout the series have been some of the best (outside of anything with Cassie) and shows how well Hill’s characterization really is. Their conflict and dynamic have been great under his pen but the meat of this issue are the moments that focus on Cassie and Duke. The young heroes are beginning to follow their own path and though Batman might disagree it’s what he has done to his own teammates when he makes moves in their best interests. When Shiva mocks Cassie’s title of “Orphan” it hits different because you know she might be offended and too cool to overreact but just petty enough to let you know she’s not here for it.

The visuals are provided by Gleb Melinkov and Ivan Plascencia this time around and they do a solid job of enhancing the narrative. Their opening sequence between Batman and Black Lighting is moody and a strong tone setter. Now with all of the good artwork we did get there was one moment that took place off panel between Lady Shiva and Katana that I wish we would would have had the pleasure of seeing. This was probably the only time in the issue that I was a little disappointed.

Hill has elevated these characters to new heights and made this line-up of The Outsiders a group worth reading about every month! Now all they have to to is get their act together before Ra’s Al Ghul completes his plans. 3/5

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