DC Comics 2017
Written by Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV
Pencils by Jim Lee, Andy Kubert & John Romita Jr.
Inks by Scott Williams, Klaus Johnson & Danny Miki
Colours by Alex Sinclair & Jeremiah Skipper
To be honest I wasn’t going to read this as I’ve become so sick and jaded by the continuous “Summer Events” that the big two have been putting out like clockwork. All they seem to do is muck up what’s been previously established trying to retroactively fix what is deemed as wrong or unacceptable, though who decided upon that should be removed as all this mucking about is the problem that needs fixing. That being said I did see the “Metal” cover at the shoppe and decided to take a peek and it was enough to pique my curiosity.
So essentially Metal is all about Nth Metal and why it’s so prevalent in Earth’s crust or mantle. Batman saw this and it’s properties and has become obsessed with it and coincidentally between all his reincarnations Carter Hall has discovered it as well and in his own line of inquiry, see investigation, running parallel to Bruce’s seems to be reaching similar conclusions. So already with this the boys have made it less an Earth shattering change the status quo and made it a mystery that involves time, space and the origin of the species and that fact sets it apart from what we’ve come to expect.
The interiors here is alright with three separate artists working on this there is bound to be some disconnect between the work. I still am of the opinion that Jr, Jr is well past his prime and his work is so unpleasant to look at. The use of page layouts through their angles and perspective are well utilised. The attention to detail could be a bit sharper considering the supposed Big Names involved here. But it really does take a back seat to the story which is what I’m reading this for.
As someone who isn’t up to date on these characters I found it interesting to see how some of DC’s secondary big names were involved in this. From Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) with the Guardians, to the young man guarding the cave, with Aquaman, Superman, Mister Miracle, Hawkman and the revelations of other lesser known classic heroes being mentioned the mystery that surrounds this story has been crafted in such a way that even the most intelligent of readers can get a grip on. Though I have to say the multiverse coming into play and Mister Terrific being Bruce’s second set of eyes was indeed a stroke of genius.
The interior artwork aside it’s really the level of storytelling here through words, actions, and revelations that make this what is is. I mean c’mon there is so much thrown at us this issue that i’m amazed at how well paced it was. There wasn’t anything about this that felt like everything and the kitchen sink wasn’t enough and the room in which it took to tell was spectacularly utilised.
The multiple endings the way we see so much about the DCU coming back in terms of characters and scenarios makes me both happy and weary. I mean after all i’d rather Batman not be the crazy psycho sob that Iron Man turned into but that almost seems inevitable. Still there’s more intelligence in this one story than we’ve seen from DC in years.