Sunday 3 November 2019

Dark Nights: Metal: The Resistance TPB 1

June 2018

The alternate, twisted versions of Batman—the Seven Dark Knights of the Dark Multiverse—are hunting the Justice League as the Leaguers attempt to locate artefacts that might protect Earth. One by one, Flash and Steel, Wonder Woman and Doctor Fate, Green Lantern and Mister Terrific, Aquaman and Deathstroke must face the Nightmare Batmen.

Elsewhere, Dick Grayson issues an S.O.S., summoning Robin, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Black Canary and Green Arrow to prevent the transformation and terra-forming of Gotham City into a twisted mosaic of monsters, magic and doom. When they are trapped in a Riddler-designed maze, all hope may be lost.

And where is Batman during all this? He’s trapped in his own private nightmare, reliving portions of his life while confronting Barbatos, the leader of the evil Batmen and the demon that has haunted his dreams...




Foreword, the trade tells you to read Dark Nights: Metal #1-2 first, but when have YOU ever followed rules?

So - what's happening here and is it worth all the hype?
Well, it's got a lot of artists so there's Harley parading around in a few different outfits (consistency, thy name is not Harley) some weird spiky fusion version of Batman and Joker, spiky zombie Robins, magic metal cards give to the usual Arkham assortment to create their own realms.. 
Yeah, it's not too different from the average DC event. 


Opening on Barbatos giving Riddler a card to create a doom maze and divvying out more cards to his cohorts Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, The Mad Hatter, Bane and... Firefly, maybe? Eh, I dunno. Probably. Anyway they all get cards to make their own realms to ensnare our intrepid heroes. I am personally a big fan of how the evil speech is still inspirational, and how everyone who gets one looks excited (well, Hatter and Freeze definitely, the rest are a bit unclear) about the possibilities, Poison Ivy is doing the teeth test to check hers is real but Bane's still like 'What is this card, puny demon? I do not play. Messing with ME is gambling, you got a problem!'

Damian - headstrong as always has gone on a gargoyle-back ride to Gotham which is... a little different.



You know, I don't really mind Damian. Not a fan of him when he's pushed into every narrative but I like that he's different to the other Robins even if he is a bit of a jerk. He reminds me of Huntress on a revenge trip - not afraid to do what's needed even if it ostracises them from the other good guys. Especially here, as much as he thinks he's better than everyone else and above all the petty emotions they feel, he still rushes into this weird ass place to save his Dad by himself.



He enters the Riddler's labyrinth and boy oh boy is he the wrong person to face Riddler. Smart enough to answer his riddles, yes, but patient enough to wait him out and deal with his games? Nope.
Damian storms in and demands Riddler fight him, not understanding that Riddler doesn't deal in common fisticuffs but rather elaborate mazes. Riddler gets the upper hand and Damian is washed away in what's either a tribute to the elevator in The Shining or the Riddler's excess cranberry juice. 



Green Arrow saves the day much to Robin's chagrin. They have a sass off where Green Arrow is deftly reminded why he doesn't always get along with Batman. Still, they make a good team. Green Arrow was leaving pointy breadcrumbs around his path but Robin points out effortlessly that there was a magnetic charge moving the trail and Arrow is lost as all hell. Arrow is quick to react when Robin pauses at the sight of a zombie Batman in the maze. No doubt Damian was not taken in by the imitation but I think it helped him to have someone else to yell at instead of discuss feelings.



Like a distraction in the form of Harley and Killer Croc.


Harley's hair loses colour and the shading level rises and drops between panels but her outfit stays pretty consistent, which is surprising considering how many straps and things she has. It kinds looks like she was coming from a circus themed burlesque party when the whole Dark Knights thing started happening and she just rolled with it. I kind of like the mix of her most common outfits. Alternating red/black and diamonds, her corset filled New52 time and her random roller derber choker with stockings days all smooshed together, yet it kinda works.

Okay - so obviously red, black and diamonds - yes - collar is in yet tied into a cage bra style for her corset so it's not just hanging there, but the corset is more like a swimsuit really... then she has one full leg of pants, like Sarah Rainmaker from Gen13 and the other side is like a booty short. I am absolutely digging the rave garter bag. Reminds me of how classic Harley used to carry a handbag around because let's be real - how else are you gonna get back into your secret hideout if you haven't got anywhere to keep your keys?


As always the giant let down of her outfit is the mismatched blue and pink. I really don't understand why this is such an important thing for DC people to include every time Harley appears. Sure, the Suicide Squad look was popular, but doesn't make a lick of sense. Neither does red/black/blue/pink.

Also, side note... are we supposed to believe her mallet clips onto and is held by her garter? Because it sure wasn't there in the previous panel.

Anyway - they're off to see the Riddler, the surprisingly emo Riddler of Gotham.

No one wants to hear your edgy poetry, man.

His butt is easily kicked.. and I guess he dissolved or something because no one cares anymore.
The new Scooby Gang run out through the open door behind them. That I guess no one saw before?
Robin still gets a load of crap from everyone even though he single handedly took down the robo-Ridder both physically and mentally.

That's rough, but it could be worse. Damian could be the bastard love child of Joker and Batman like this guy.




This is what happens when you let your kid dress themselves. It never turns out good until they're old and sane enough to get some style and afford quality dentistry.

There's some sort of backstory about a magnetic pull which doesn't make much sense - in the way Harley talks about how she should have wore her woollen thong.. instead of like.. pants? - until Nightwing dramatically bursts onto the scene being chased by some frozen demon.

What else is dramatic? Oh yes, Harley managed to colour flip her whole outfit, while keeping her eyelid colours the same side, hair colour the same sides and her mallet on the same side.

I'm also still shocked at the woollen thong business. Like... that's gotta feel weird, it's gotta be hard to keep clean.. why wouldn't you just say thermal? But then a thermal thong is kind of an oxymoron, isn't it? Yes, a bit redundant. Maybe she meant she wanted some Ugg boots.

I mean, who can predict what she wants?



BECAUSE THIS IS THE NEXT TIME SHE APPEARS AND SHE'S ALREADY CHANGED COLOURS AND OUTFITS.




So now we have flappy boot tassels that weren't... well, actually they were visible in a few shots earlier on, but for the most part Harley was clearly shown with straight up ordinary boots. Boot cut? Whatever. She's changed her plain black half booty short half long pants to what looks like underroos over a black legging that has several diamonds printed on it. There are some loud diamonds on her top straps now that were only vaguely hinted at earlier, and looked more like metal studs.

Plus I think she's managed to turn one of her arms in a bit of an unnatural way.


Eh, um, anyway.. plotwise, Nightwing's head is still bleeding from a wound he received earlier, Robin's ticked Nightwing is searching for Batman without involving him, everyone chips in to kill an ice demon, several Arkham inmates are let loose (Oh, is it Tuesday already?) and the gang go off to chase a metal ball down.

Meanwhile, the Suicide Squad meet up with the Teen Titans for their playdate. Bit of posturing there, Evil Robin looks on from the shadows like a loner.

Back over in the other ballpit, Croc sneezes and unearths an owl statue. Nightwing tells Harley to look at it and she squeals "Ooh! Court of Owls!"
A few points here.

First - when was Harley ever involved with the Court of Owls?
Second - Why would Nightwing tell her to look instead of Robin?
Third - What's the point of having a secret society if everyone knows about it?





Over on the not as cool side of town, the Teen Titans are having a pose off with half of the Suicide Squad. Then they get attached by a bunch of crow-Robins?

Then Harley goes from criss-cross back, to no back, to diamond back all the while her right shoulder is desperately trying to meet up with the rest of her arm and one of her calves appear to be missing in action.

The plucky gang escape and enter a cachement of weapons which means... you
guessed it! Another wardrobe change for Harley! And for some reason - a haircut and domino mask?


Wait, she got 'em alllll cut.... what sort of time frame are we talking that everyone else just picked up swords and shields but Harley went and changed her entire outfit AND had time to not only cut her pigtails but shave the underside of her head? This is the same person who complained her butthole was cold, yes? Well apparently she missed the memo because not only is she the only person who lost clothing (no surprise there) she's also the one person who didn't grab fur pelts or cloaks. Even CROC is wearing more than her!

I do like Damien wearing his metal shards like demon horns.




 We get a really nice cover for the next issue (see Bonus Panel! below) but the very first page is a flash back to the first outfit we had Harley in. Then when we flash forward, she's in a similar but different outfit to the weapons cache wardrobe.

Granted, this is yet another artist but still... this one is the most consistent so far and that's worrying! Especially since we jump into a scene right out of Mad Max complete with armoured American-style school bus and attacks in the desert. Somehow Harley is allowed to drive and she immediately plunges off a cliff while breaking the fourth wall.
.......because what else was she gonna do?



They land in some vines and it takes them soooo long to click that it's Poison Ivy and even longer to figure out she's evil. Like,  more evil than usual anyway. Luckily, possessed Starfire turns up and sets fire to everything, causing Ivy to attack the possessed Squad and the possessed Titans. Nightwing tries to sacrifice himself to stop evil Robin but Croc stays instead. Harley complains about having feelings and in a move of solidarity, one of her pig tails turns grey.

They encounter Mad Hatter in his domain...which to be honest just looks like his usual M.O.

This isn't even half of the Wonderland themed criminals in Gotham. 

Looks like they finally found a use for White Rabbit! I like that they just walk right past the party after this, like it doesn't even matter yet somehow the majority of the gang look more un-nerved by this then the giant killer plants.



Harley has a dramatic moment reflecting on her memories with her Puddin'. A bit on the nose but makes more sense than the 'but we're friends!' plea she wasted on Ivy. Anyway, Mister Terrific appears on the scene and manages to bust out his introduction and catchphrase AND a Wonderland pun in no time at all. Then he ruins it by spouting pure exposition about collecting all the Yugioh cards in time to d-d-d-d-duel the skinhead Bat-Joker or something.

Then Nightwing has HIS dramatic moment when he has metal poisoning visions that are basically also exposition. So, we've gone from not knowing anything to supposedly knowing a lot of things very fast... well, in theory. I took one look at that info dump and turned the page. When we say 'show, don't tell' - we aren't saying use ten million speech bubbles to get around it!

Anyway, now there's a spider machine.



Forget about that though because Harley has YET ANOTHER WARDROBE AMENDMENT.

Now, I'm just going to say that I'm trying not to bag out any of the artists because for the most part, this trade is pretty visually tasty... BUT this one is so far my least favourite. Everyone in this image just looks like the strung out junkie counterpart to themselves. Harley looks like she's about to eat someone's liver after gouging it out with her extended claws of fingernails... the only good thing about this outfit change is that she's now joined the hoodie club but her's has cute jester extensions.



Apart from that, she's now in thigh highs but with some random rope that has just entirely taken over one leg. Is this a Poison Ivy throwback or does it serve any actual purpose? How did her metal skirt thing manage to GROW like a Creeping Crystal? What happened to all the chains she would around her arm? Her sleeves? Her gloves? Her mask/face paint is now red again randomly? Her mallet is now her sledgehammer from the New52 Suicide Squad?

EVERYONE ELSE has come out unscathed by change.. well, unless you count Mister Terrific managing to grow some shirt back and Green Arrow braiding his purdy hair. When in Rome I guess.

So the gang comes across the aforementioned spider machine.. and it doesn't make spiders - although that WOULD be terrifying. They probably explained this better in the giant info dump I mentioned earlier,  but the gist of this is that all the captured people are strapped to this mobile spider machine while it sucks out their life juices and simultaneously turns them into spiky demon things.
Business as usual in DC, I guess.

Speaking of, the Dark Batman or whatever he is, shows up loudly and starts babbling. Visually we go from ordinary panels or splash panels to a literal million of small panels all crammed in together. Is this supposed to represent the chaos or did the artist/writer realise they were running out of time? Who knows? All I know is that it's a pain to read. Plus I've obviously missed something here between this Batman and Harley, because she's standing there spaced out while fang boy tries to snake tongue her and possible head hunt her for a new therapist position?



Harley gets captured like a dumb ass and is chucked onto the spider machine so quick you'd think it was DC/WB green lighting another movie headlined by her.
Meanwhile Robin fights with his own evil and slightly spikier brother from another dimension. Hmm... fighting with versions of yourself. I feel like that's another Harley joke waiting to be written.

It all culminates in a really weird twist - literally - where Green Arrow shoots... well, an arrow. What else does he shoot? Come on guys. ANYWAY - Evil Damien has time to hiss at the incoming arrow, and then turn back to regular-formerly-known-as-evil-Damien and then pull him bodily in front of him before Damien gets hit. I mean, it was a really good, menacing, black cat in the alley on Halloween sort of hiss but I call bull crap on the logistics of manhandling a little ninja like that and then going on about how Damien's friends all turn on him... but like, they didn't shoot at Damien. I mean, if they did, why did Evil Damien have to play leap frog with him to get out of harm's way.
Do pay attention, Evil Damien.

Damien gets his revenge by stabbing the arrow through himself and into Evil Damien so he's got that going for him, which is nice. I'm thankful that he shut off the infernal monologue spewing from Evil Damien. Kid's got a mouth on him alright. All this crap about being happier.. well you won't be once you get your dentistry bill, Sonny Jim so yuck it up while you can.

Let's just take a moment to savour this face, shall we?

The wrestling announcer that hangs out with Bane is upset (wait, is he Didio? Is this an actual cameo with bad writing?) and Bane decides he wants to fight Damien to prove his superiority over the wounded kid. Geez, Bane. One minute you're a mindless drone, the next you're a monologuing know-it-all and after that you're just a jerk. Get it together!


Not going to lie, I've completely lost track of what's happening and why but I jsust wanted to point out that Batgirl/Batwoman looks FULLY SICK. I don't exactly know why one Batman's turned up with half a cornfield stuck to his arms but sure, you do you buddy.

Doctor Fate (yes the same man that Injustice tells me is not a doctor who can save monkeys) appears and saves the remaining members of the team. This is now just Damien - wounded, Nightwing - wounded, Mr. Terrific and Green Arrow. Nightwing has a breakdown about losing their team, and then goes on to specifically call out Harley and Croc. Was he referring to a different team then or do the writers get ad revenue if they mention Harley?

Anyway, they feel empowered enough to feel they can win this war with one nth metal arrow and various bleeding and unbandaged wounds, just in time for the comic to end.
Sort of. There's a bunch of random short stories thrown in at the end, including Grandpa Bruce freaking out about Evil Batmen in windows, including a scene where he ditches Harley in a spaceship because... something, Flash can't run, Aquaman learns (and so do I, by association) that the woman i thought was Batgirl/Batwoman earlier is actually Mera, which explains the trident I guess. Cyborg has some adventure, so does Green Lantern, Wonder Woman is also there, but doesn't get to move much from her stock pose. Hawkman falls and becomes some eagle-like gold covered purple Thanos thing. I may have skimmed most of this last part, because there was nothing interesting in there apart from maybe the Batman Grandpa story.

Heh heh, oh you and your convoluted history!



The Short End of the Jester Schtick


Well, this trade was a thing. The story didn't grab me, but at least the art was consistent and the humour was nice. To me, it just didn't feel like there would be any consequences to anything, like it wasn't a world or game changing event, just another day in Gotham.
Again the constantly changing outfit and hair stylings of one Harley Quinn didn't help this at all. It's like they gave the basic plot to a bunch of different artists who hadn't been able to see the previous instalment and they said have at it!
Which is fine that they all did it in their own unique style, but at the same time they're hiding behind the shield of "It's just a comic" to hide their lack of consistency.
How many IMDB and movie fact/bloopers have we seen tear into a movie because an actor's hand changed places or an actress's hair fell a different way than a split second ago?
If you're gonna drastically change someone's look without reason, at least write in some stupid plothole saver like "this is how I look in the world the Riddler created!" or in that cache of weapons, someone could have said "great, here's some armour - I'm gonna change!"

That said I did like Harley and Croc's relationship, and Damien has definitely transitioned from the little prick he was to a prickly ninja with a heart of gold. Nightwing didn't get much to do, but it was cool that lesser used heroes like Doctor Fate and Mr Terrific showed up.


Wotta Comedian!


Raven: He's concerned for his city. and whatever invaded our world and began transforming it clearly has something to do with Batman. Robin has had no contact from him. 
Beast Boy: Hey, I lost my parents, too, you know.

Beast Boy: (transformed into a rhino) The trick to negotiating traffic in Gotham? Use your horn!

Damien: Well, keep trying. I don't need help from a second stringer like you. 
Green Arrow: With that warm and snuggly attitude -- I bet you've got a lot of friends. 

Harley: You comin'?
Green Arrow: We're not accepting advice or help from you freaks. 
Damien: *tt* Don't ever speak on my behalf again.... .......but I concur. 

Harley: Brrr. Should've worn my wool thong. How ya doing, Croc pot? Not easy being cold-blooded in a place like this, huh?
Killer Croc: Hate snow. Want to kill it. 

Nightwing: Not how I would have chosen to spend a long weekend, honestly. Ice and tights do not mix.

Nightwing: Glad I stopped by the Batcave and picked up this thermal armour Bruce had made for me. It's his version of an ugly sweater.... he just wants me to stay warm. 

Harley: Yay! He rolled a natural twenty!
Green Arrow: I'm going to pretend I don't get that reference. 

Green Arrow: Touche. It'll be good to have an adult around, Nightwing. 
Harley: Wattaya mean--HEY!

Beast Boy: We'd have been better off with Damian. At least you know when He's going to be a jerk - which is always. I can't tell who's a looter and who's a lootee anymore. 

Deadshot: You can say a lot about super villains... ...but at least we don't send friggin' kids to do our job for us.
Boomerang: Nice work Enchantress. They'd run faster if their pants weren't so full of crap.

Deadshot: Put it away you little monsters. We're not here to fight it out with the Justice League Jr. Fan Club.

Green Arrow: Hope you saved your high scores.
Damien: *tt* Of course I did.

Harley: You okay, Crocky? You sound like my grandma's cat. You got a scale ball or somethin'?

Enchantress: Your beast is wonderful. What's his name?
Raven: Goliath is not mine. But do me a favour and back off, Elder Goth. 

Starfire: The Teen Titans do not associate with criminals and assassins.
Deadshot: And I don't normally hang out with grade-schoolers...

Harley: It's the Bat Mitzvah of my murder dreams!

Green Arrow: Man, Gotham does do weirdos better than anybody. 

Waller: Gotham has become hell on earth. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I have no idea how any of this is possible, and neither do the fifty people I pay to know how anything is possible.

Harley: She made us the Suicide Squad. And with a name like that, you have to look on the bright side. 

Poison Ivy: Who dares enter my green realm of death? Prepare to be consumed and transformed into bio-organic fuel for the glory of the Green.
Killer Croc: Croc is green. 
Green Arrow: So am I!
Nightwing: I don't think that counts, Green Arrow!

Poison Ivy: This is my realm.... ....and the Green will not be harmed!
Harley: (thinking) I forgot to water her plants once. She got man then, too. 

Harley: Croc's gotta get a more family-friendly battle cry...

Harley: On that happy note, I say we skedaddle and give Waller a ring. Let her send some other lucky inmates here to finish the mission. 

Damien: In Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll says "Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality." The Rogues have imagined their realms. Let's imagine their destruction. ...and I know exactly how to do it...

Harley: Like crazy cancels out crazy? That's some maths I can get behind.

Mr. Terrific: Move fast! Our objective: stop the machine before it reaches the mountain!
Green Arrow: Sure, easy for the decathlon runner to say. 

Mr. Terrific: If we destroy the machine, we could kill them.
Harley: You sure are cautious for somebody who's got balls of steel, Mr. T...

 Janet: You're messing up the story, Grandpa.
Grandpa Bruce: Like hell I am. 

Bonus Panels! 







When that DERP hits




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