Dark Days: The Road To Metal Review By Deffinition

Scott Snyder has once again been gifted his own Batman Title and rightly so. The work the writer produced in his New 52 series and recent All-Star run has been incredible. Arguably one of the greatest comic book writers of all time, I am extremely excited to see what he can produce and cannot wait to dive into the newly released graphic novel to let you know whether it’s worth picking up.

This could be the start of something special!

Be Warned! This review will contain spoilers so it may be best skipping to the score and checking out this review once you’ve had time to read the book if you want to remain unspoiled.

With that out the way let’s kick start The Road To Metal!

Mystery Of The Metal

From the off the book is enveloped in mystery. There are twists and turns on every page, tie backs to the lore of the DCU and a feeling instantaneously that something is amiss in the world.

Snyder uses this to great effect and readers will be turning page after page desperate to learn the truth of what is going on. If I have one criticism of the graphic novel it is that it could be viewed as jarring and slightly incoherent for new readers. You have to be completely up to speed with Snyder’s New 52 Batman Run and for a book that takes place during rebirth (though the continuity of whether it actually is during it or separate is unclear), it seems to be heavily tied into an aesthetic that DC have expressed is no longer canon.

This is quite minor nitpicking though and those who are already in love and invested with the DC Universe will fall head over heels with the enigma at the book’s core. It should be noted that the building blocks that came before this storyline are not only necessary to enjoy it, they also elevate and enhance it to the level of phenomenon straight away and I found myself instantly intertwined with the story, craving to learn more as it developed.

‘A Cruel Joke’

A massive twist comes early on when we discover that in order to unearth the mystery of the metal, Batman has been working in collusion with his greatest foe. This throws a massive spanner in the works early on and will no doubt raise many questions.

‘Every Question Leads To More Questions’

Some readers may deem this unsatisfying and frustrating. However, in a ‘road to’ storyline one can only expect setup. I’m pleased to say that unlike the majority of prelude books that follow this motif, Snyder’s work feels like it has very little padding. There is a wealth of substance and impact to the work that will have most desperate to pick up the main storyline after it cataclysmic cliffhanger.

This showcases Snyder’s expertise in storytelling and whilst the book feels like it’s over just as it’s getting started, it adequately accomplishes its goal of getting each and everyone who reads it invested in the main storyline that will follow: Batman: Metal!

The Verdict

Dark Days: The Road To Metal does an outstanding job of piquing my interest once more in the DC Universe after Rebirth derailed it. Snyder does an incredible job of not only revitalising several of the most overlooked aspects of the comic publisher’s rich history but also developing them in a way that will appeal to modern audiences. This has the potential to bring several readers on board that will grow to love the storyline and become invested enough to go back and discover the origins of every plot device that comes into play here.

The Graphic Novel’s epilogue contains several chapters from books like Batman: The Return Of Bruce Wayne, Final Crisis and more and these will help educate those who are either not caught up or need a quick refresher course on what is at play here and how it came to be.

This makes the book great value for money and well worth your time.

That’s why I’m giving it a great…

8.5/10