Dark Nights: Metal #6 Review

All Roads Lead to...

Written by: Scott Snyder
Art by: Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, and FCO Plascencia
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: March 28, 2018

This is the issue we've all been waiting for, right?  Through all the delays and tie-ins, I have been waiting to see what Scott Snyder will do to stick the landing in his bigger than big story.  I know that there are a ton of things this issue will need to wrap up to please everyone, but me...I just need some good old-fashioned fun.  Does issue do everything for everyone and make the world a better place?  Probably not (that really is a tall order and something a comic book may not really be capable of), but was it at least a good and fun read?  Let's find out...

The issue opens with the Batman Who Laughs throwing shade at his yet to be revealed prisoner as we see all the craziness going on with our heroes.  Wonder Woman and Kendra keep fighting, trying to make their way to Batman and Superman even though as Kendra reminds us, the Earth has already fallen into the Dark.  That's when we get a call to arms that is a bit out of nowhere but gets the rest of the good guys inspired to keep up the good fight.

That is going to be a bit of a theme with my review, by the way.  Depending on what you want out of this book, you are either going to agree with my score below or probably laugh, point at me and throw plenty of insults at our site in other site's comments sections (I'm looking at you Bri10!).  I want fun!!!  My favorite scene of the entire event was from issue #1 when the League fought the Mechas for Mongul.  Yea, we got away from that (unfortunately) and while I can't entirely overlook things being tossed aside in this finale if it's in the name of action-packed fun and adventure I can be easily distracted.

Speaking of fun, if you have read the first issue of The Terrifics, you may be a bit surprised to see Plastic Man enter the fray and give Wonder Woman some direction and hope.  After leaving Kendra behind, Diana dives into the darkness and is joined by Kendra who risks everything to save the one she loves.  Meanwhile, Earth 53 joins the party with a few other friends and we got ourselves an old-fashioned donnybrook!

With Carter remembering he is not the Dragon, the Forge lights up and...well, the Trinity appear in bright Metal outfits ready to kick-ass!  This is another one of those moments that can be scrutinized under the "no fun microscope" and questioned from a bunch of different angles, but you can't say it isn't big, fun and heroic.  It also leads to how everything and everyone will be saved...the Tenth Metal.

We then get a couple of wow moments (Batman riding a Joker Dragon!), new costumes for the League and some cool, familiar faces.  While this is going on, we get a narration from Carter's Journal telling the reader how all this will end in a shriek of anti-music...until it doesn't!  Not yet, that is.

We then find out the ultimate plan of Barbatos and get a pretty awesome battle between the Batman Who Laughs and the OG Batman.  It gets even better when a certain someone else joins in and if you have been reading Batman since at least the New 52 started, you'll get a bit of a chuckle here.

We then get a quick exit to the Dark Knights, a circle of friends and an ending.  Snyder ties it into everyone...you, me, him and even Dancing Mike, wherever he may be.  After all the setup, buildup, delays and everything else, it was very, very abrupt.

We then get an epilogue that would have been better of the New Age of Heroes hadn't already started or certain other books hadn't been announced yet.  Even with that, it is one of those endings that I think takes away from the entire story as it makes it all seem like just a setup for other things and not a contained event in and of itself.  I know nothing happens in a vacuum, but sometimes I like the illusion that it does...even if it is for just a little bit.

I said I wanted fun and adventure and this issue gave it to us.  It is really what I've wanted all along, but (and that's a big but) I can't overlook the fact that so much was pushed aside to get to this ending.  It almost felt like this was a bit of a jumping on point for anyone not interested in the minutia and just wanted their favorite heroes fighting Barbatos and then celebrating their victory. That's the conundrum here...some of the questions left unanswered didn't really interest me anyway and while some things in this issue happen just to happen, it made it the best paced issue of the series.  Still, setup needs resolution and I have to take marks off for that.

I will not be taking marks off for Greg Capullo's art.  It is fantastic throughout...heavy action and quieter scenes all look spectacular and if you just jumped on to DC Comics during Rebirth, this is a reminder that Capullo is one of the best we got!

Bits and Pieces:

After so much setup and time spent getting to this finale, I was torn with how to rate this ending.  It was rushed, but well paced.  It was fun as hell, but frustrating in its lack of answers.  It felt huge, but also like it was just a setup for more books to come.  In the end, however, it finally gave me what I thought was missing since the first issue and it looked great and can be enjoyed by anyone who wants an issue where their heroes come together to save the day against crazy odds.

7.0/10