Are you ready to ROCK?! No? Okay, here's what to do: throw on some Maiden, tear the sleeves off your shirt and settle in with a copy of DARK NIGHTS: METAL issue #1! My name is Whitney Moore, and I'm a host for a show you may have seen called DC All Access. I'm also a bona fide metalhead, so when the opportunity to write about this exciting new series came up, I jumped at the chance! After all, heavy metal and comic books go together like eggs and bacon, like macaroni and cheese, like cookies and milk...

Okay, I may have to reward myself with some delicious food after I write this article. So, without further ado or any more food analogies, let's crack open the newest offering from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. Talk about things that go together well, am I right??

I would definitely recommend picking up the two comics DARK DAYS: THE FORGE and DARK DAYS: THE CASTING before you begin on Dark Nights: Metal. They're both readily available, they're rad, and they'll provide some interesting backstory before you dive into Metal. And if you really want to get even more context, you'll want to read the "Court of Owls" arc of the New 52 Batman, although Snyder and Capullo have been dropping hints about this event all over the place. If issue one is an indicator for just how big, dramatic and heavy this comic is going to be, all the Easter eggs definitely are justified!

However, if you're a bit behind on your comics and want to dive straight into issue one, you'll do just fine. Metal begins with the discovery of a Dark Multiverse that appears to be hellbent on invading the Multiverse, and Batman is just as determined to find out where the mysterious Nth metal came from and what powers it contains. He uncovered that this metal was used by the Court of Owls to forge Talons that would make the wearer immortal.

Batman also discovered the journal of Carter Hall himself. In it, he warns that this powerful metal is nothing to be tampered with, and once discovered will lead the universe on a path to destruction the likes of which have never been seen. Yeah, that's metal as hell, all right!

If you've been keeping up on your comic book news, you know there's a major twist that goes down in the second half of Dark Nights: Metal #1. I won't reveal who it is because the surprise was just TOO good, but I will say that a certain character's involvement in this story changes everything we know about the DC Multiverse fundamentally. The entire concept of the Multiverse is flipped on its head (somewhat literally) in issue one, and doors will be opened to all kinds of exciting possibilities. Too vague for you? Too bad, go read the comic!

Something I'm particularly looking forward to in Dark Nights: Metal is all of the baddies the Justice League will be facing. With names like The Red Death, The Murder Machine, The Dawnbreaker, The Drowned, The Merciless, The Devastator and The Batman Who Laughs, you can tell this series is going to be just as metal spiritually as it will literally. Let's face it, each of these would make an excellent name for a metal band in their own right.

Side note: if you happen to be a fan of metal music, you'll probably get a kick out of hearing phrases like "the metal is coursing through my veins" and "the power of metal" as much as I did.

I digress. The point is that the idea of an evil Batman is something I can't wait to sink my teeth into.

I, like so many of my friends, love to put on some music while I read comics to add to the atmosphere. If you're looking to try something new while you check out this issue, why not put on something fun and classic like King Diamond? It's the perfect complement to the premiere issue of Dark Nights: Metal—fun, spooky and shrouded in mystery and darkness. I imagine that each issue will get subsequently darker and heavier, and you can bet my music of choice will be doing the same. Happy reading, and be sure to hit me up on Twitter (@TweetneyMoore) to tell me what you think of this issue!



DARK NIGHTS: METAL #1 by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion and FCO Plascencia is now available in print and as a digital download.