Dark Nights: Death Metal: Legends of the Dark Knights #1

Horror, superheroics, fun, and fantasy" Dark Nights: Death Metal " Legends Of The Dark Knights has it all. Sometimes tie-ins and spin-offs are an unnecessary expense, not so with this book. Reading it directly after Death Metal #2 is extremely rewarding, and highly recommended. This extra issue is a must buy. Read Full Review

Legends of the Dark Knights is an excellent exercise in "What if?" if there ever was one. It's at times almost a scholarly examination of the multiverse concept and the rules that govern it and is often an unhinged flurry of possibilities following the wildest threads to their conclusions. Read Full Review

This is the best spinoff book I have seen come down the line of any It is essential if one is reading the Death Metal book. I had a lot of fun with this and I am glad I got a chance to sit down and savor this well done comic. Read Full Review

Dark Nights: Death Metal Legends of the Dark Knights (2020) #1 is a worthwhile collection for readers looking to be further immersed in the world of Dark Nights: Death Metal. Read Full Review

A feast of the unusual and bizarre, Dark Nights: Death Metal Legends of the Dark Knights #1 is at its best when deconstructing the Dark Knight. Read Full Review

Legends of the Dark Knights has all of that and more with it's bombastic, campy feel, it's stylized lettering, distinct art styles, and atmosphere coloring. I may not be a fan of comic event books, but fans of Synder should pick this one up. Read Full Review

"I shall become"" is probably the only story I didn't like, but I think there are definitely those who would. Use not for me. Read Full Review

I want to believe Garth Ennis intended this story to be funny because it was. From the first few panels by Joelle Jones, I knew this was going to be something different and unexpected and was not disappointed. A funny and interesting short that definitely lightens the mood. Read Full Review

Overall, it's a strong look into the darkest corners of the multiverse"and some bizarre ones that aren't so much dark as just strange. Read Full Review

After reading all the stories in this issue, I really do feel I have a better understanding of these characters and a few of the questions I had about them have been answered. Death Metal has truly been an exciting and fun series to get into so far and with only two issues out, I know we can expect so much more and with Snyder at the helm, I know we haven't seen anything yet! Read Full Review

Death Metal: Legends of the Dark Knights #1 gives fans the backstories of some of Death Metal's zaniest Batmen and lets readers in the Batman Who Laughs' plans for the multiverse! Read Full Review

Horrific and at times ridiculous, this anthology gives a lot of story in a small package, though with perhaps an odd conclusion even for 'Death Metal.' Read Full Review

Other stories are shorter with some fun sight gags, but little else to offer of note. Theyre not bad so much as inconsequential. And with Death Metal just getting underway Im not sure the demand was really there to explore more Batmans from the Dark Multiverse instead of the nightmarish takes on the heroes in the new Dark Earth. Read Full Review

It's an okay anthology. Most of the stuff here is lackluster and some of it is outright boring and a chore to get through. These aren't must-read stories at all and can easily be skipped. But the story about Castle Bat is a real gem, and the story about Baby Batman is a lot of fun, so at least this issue ends on a high note. Read Full Review

Please do not buy Dark Nights: Death Metal - Legends of the Dark Knights unless you have the disposable income to do so. It isn't worth your time or hard-earned money, unless you're a hardcore completist. There are moments of fun, but they're lost in the deluge. Read Full Review

Dark Nights: Death Metal: Legends of the Dark Knights #1 is an unnecessary collection of recap and uninteresting characters that I don't suggest to anyone but completists and speculators. I'd say it's a missed opportunity, but it feels like an opportunity that should have been left undone. Read Full Review

But even with the sudden jolt of absurdist wit at the end of the issue, Dark Nights: Death Metal - Legends of the Dark Knights #1 is largely skippable. Though it bears the name of the iconic anthology series, there is little within the pages of this one-shot to justify calling it essential reading for the ongoing Death Metal saga. Read Full Review

Venom

Aug 08, 2020

loved it.

Swift Planet

Jan 31, 2021

This was a lot more funny than I expected going in. The Robin King story was excellent and rightfully dark, I would say it is the standout.

K Sharath

Feb 04, 2023

Real bizarre item with variable artwork hits it out of the part compared to the mainstream dull storyline. All the flashbacks revealing the origins of different Batman's. Esepcially Robin King and Manhattan origins are hell of an exploration.

Quirky Genin

Aug 04, 2020

Due to some of the high profile shifts in creative direction for this one, plus issues caused by the pandemic, this one-shot ultimately falls short. At least that’s what I’d like to say. Outside of one or two of the stories, really not enough was divulged for this issue to matter enough. Fans are definitely getting impatient, hopefully Death Metal #3 delivers (it did).

DDJamesB

Aug 16, 2020

Some stories were better than others but overall a good read.

tonpas1989

Aug 04, 2020

Darkest Night (Snyder) - 7 Robin King (Tomasi) - 8 B. Rex (Bennett) - 6 Castle Bat (Tieri) - 8 Batmobeast (Johnson) - 7 Baby Batman (Ennis) - 6

Tony

Aug 07, 2020

I think when you want to do a massive event that shakes the status quo you need every comic counts, every story has to increase the whole narrative. The reader needs to feel what is reading. I think this chapter (one shot) of Dark Nights Death Metal fails because when you finish it...well...most of the things at least at this point feel pretty generic and unimportant. They are only there for filler.

Gorr

Aug 04, 2020

I enjoyed the first two stories of this book, however there is undeniably a great deal of issues with this book. For starters, what is the purpose of this book? Because beyond the first two stories, which are about the Darkest Knight and Robin King respectively, there is no cohesion or purpose to the book. The rest of the stories featured are about two to three pages of nonsense. They do not add much to the lore of the characters or the event itself, and when you are paying 5.99 for such a book you would feel as if you would want something of more substance and quality. While I can appreciate the first two stories, there is no denying that the "I Am Here" storyline is a massive exposition dump. I mean literally half the story are splash pages of exposition, which add nothing to anyone who is familiar with the metal/death metal storyline. The "King of Pain" storyline is by far the best in this book, though I can see some people having issues with Riley Rossmo's artwork in that story. Personally, I did not mind as I felt it added to the sinister nature the story was trying to tell. Overall, this book is cool if you want to read the Robin King storyline, but beyond that I did not see much point for this book. 6/10 more

REYNARD

Aug 04, 2020

This cover is kind of a scam because we don't get any stories with Bat-Mage or Doctor Arkham but who cares because they are just as contrived and ridiculous as the other analogues in this book anyways. -"I Am Here" (Darkest Knight) = 7 The art is great but the story is just a recap with an unnecessary origin that doesn't even make sense for Bathattan. Snyder then makes his Final Thesis on Batman about how he is a "Reactionary Idea" in an attempt to justify his batshit (see what I did there) crazy stupid stories these past three years. We also get some light hinting on what Darkest Knight's plan is what with the Multiverse Who Laughs and killing Perpetua and her kind. -"King of Pain" (Robin King) = 8 Rossmo and Tomasi are always top notch, but no real reveal as to why he's called the Robin King. -"Batmanasaurus Rex" (B-Rex) = 2 Replace piece of shit writer with piece of shit story. Ellis' take would have been leagues ahead of this, but he got clowned for being a groomer and career ruined. Art and dialogue fucking sucks. -"This Man, This City" (Castle Bat) = 8 Concept is great but the art is what carries this story. Francesco is always a delight to see, and the plot is like something out of Starlin's "The Cult". -"Road Warrior" (Batmobeast) = 6 Mad Max Batman is great, DWJ is great, but 2 pages is not enough! -"I Shall Become..." (Bat-Baby) = 7 Ennis once again trolls capeshitters by reducing Batman into a bawling infant. Just brilliant. more

Darrow

Aug 04, 2020

...

Liem Duong

Aug 07, 2020

Woo. I am very hot and cold on the whole Metal event Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo has set up for the past 3 years. Dark Nights Metal was laughable jumbled and Batman-obsessed to the point of fan-fiction, yet Death Metal was surprisingly fun and hype. This has a mixture of both. An anthology that talks about the different dark multiverse Batmans, mainly though Robin King and the Darkest Knight (BWL). The Darkest Knight, yeah shared all of the ridiculous traits and unappealing kookiness that turned people off about the Dark Nights Universe. Its super edgy to the point of cheesy, basically all exposition about the BWL, what happened so far in the Dark Nights Universe, his secret plans on what he wants to do with the universes, the Batmanha ttan (ugh the names), its was boring and a slog despite trying to play with as many elements of DC as possible. Snyder is just that type of writer, he can write a really fun and energetic story, or an over-the-top mess bombarded with obsessions of Batman. It had nice art by Greg Capullo and a cool idea about the " bullet " at the end, but it was to me, by far the weakest story out of the anthology. However, the rest of the anthologies was quite nice. Yes, it was weird and overtly crazy, but it was also fun with good writing and some cool ideas, even if they don't mean anything in the long run. Favorite being Robin King. On top of a unique take on Bruce, it flowed and was written well for a introduction, but didn't like the art. B-rex and Batman-Baby and B-mech was just icing on the cake, being quite gruesome, funny, and snazzy respectively. Outside of Robin King, Bat-mage was also a really interesting take on Bruce and Gotham. If it wasn't for some nice yet forgettable side stories, this anthology would have slumped. So far, not impressed by these tie-ins, despite Death Metal being kinda fun. I would recommend anybody who is following Metal to read this as it seems important, but still kind of weak. more

Psycamorean

Aug 04, 2020

Ugh, I hate anthologies. Why do they keep making these? Why do I keep reading them?? I Am Here is trying so hard to be cool, and it would be if the writing was better. It's expositing about another deus ex machina that Snyder needed for his Metal event. That's it. That's all. King of Pain does something I hate. Children are incompetent and easily handled. I promise you this. Child murderers are not spooky and this whole story had me rolling my eyes. Batmanasaurus Rex is stupid. This Man This City was also pretty stupid, but the art was awesome. Francesco Francavilla is a name I'll look for in the future. Road Warrior is stupid. I Shall Become is also pretty stupid, but Garth Ennis is funny so, it works better. All i n all, this is a massive waste of time. more

Spacey Medicine

Aug 11, 2020

This was largely not worth my time. I liked the Garth Ennis one, but it just made me even more sharply aware of how this anthology didn’t seem to quite know if it wanted to be funny or serious or what.

Batfan

Sep 28, 2020

Everything was pretty lackluster and the writing felt rushed in some stories. Wouldn’t really recommend this for anyone unless you want to collect everything death metal based and want a summary on the batman who laughs

Afre

Aug 06, 2020

This was... kinda bad. And pointless. There was nothing good about this. Either being over-the-top or just plain boring. Skip this, as this isn't worth your time or money.

EdNothIng

Aug 08, 2020

Okay... didnt hate it, but didnt like it either. Okay... the first 2 stories were cool tho. But thats it for me, i’m dropping the death metal for real. Really didnt liked the first two issues...so... good luck for who is continuing, and for who likes the event. Taste is taste.

Nightcrawler4

Jan 06, 2021

The ONLY reason I give this a 2 is because it has the debut/origin of Robin King. But man oh man was this the worst anthology I’ve ever read. A couple of the stories were literally two pages. Why? They served NO PURPOSE. This book was nothing but a waste of money and made me so mad I had to take a break from reading comics and switch to watching TV for a bit. The first story took up half the book. Literally went to the staples so that the other FOUR stories would all be condensed and rushed. Again. WHY?! I’ve never hated anything more than this. Save your money. Skip this book.