The end is nigh for the DC universe, but Wonder Woman and the Justice League have one more chance to save all of creation. Spoilers for Dark Nights: Death Metal #5 follow.
So far in Death Metal, everything about it has been a cosmically ridiculous story that manages to somehow make its very nature work incredibly well, making it a very fun read. Sure, there are a bit too many tie-in issues, some of which are really good, some of which aren’t, but the main series has been very consistent. It’s a ridiculous story about the end of the DC multiverse and it embraces its nature with aplomb and that continues in this issue.
While this series has been very crazy in nature, this doesn’t mean that it hasn’t had serious character moments though, most of which have been with Wonder Woman. And, once again in this issue, we have another great Wonder Woman moment, this time shared with Batman and Superman. They all know that this will be their final fight and it’s a great moment for the trinity to have together.
But where this issue really shines in being as comic-booky as possible. It’s insane and ridiculous in all the best ways, which make it immensely fun to read. Does it make the most sense at times? Not really no, but given that the series is attempting to tie the entirety of the DC universe together amidst all the reboots and continuity changes, that’s okay. For as seriously as the series is taking itself, it is very self-aware in everything that it’s doing, which is what makes it an enjoyable read. It’s cosmic, it’s crazy, and it’s bombastic and it doesn’t pretend like it’s anything else.
What is weird about this issue is that it almost feels like it’s a new #1. This is neither a good or a bad thing, but there’s definitely set-up for a new/final plan in this issue, which makes it feel like something a first issue would do. Given the nature of constantly pivoting and making plans go awry, it’s not surprising that this issue feels this way though.
There’s definitely the vibe that, creatively, the series is split into two stories. Story 1 contains Death Metal #1-4, Speed Metal, Trinity Crisis, plus a couple of other tie-ins, while Story 2 is Death Metal #5-7 and others yet to be released yet. It’s an interesting way to tell a story like this and it’s working, for the most part at least.
As for the art, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, and FCO Plascenia once again kill it on this issue. Nearly every panel of this issue is a gorgeous piece that effectively conveys multiple things. The art effectively tells the story with near pitch-perfect pacing, captures emotion incredibly well, and conveys the scope of the battle that is happening and is yet to come. It’s not an easy for any artist, let alone an art team, to convey each and every one of those things so well and yet, they do see incredibly well once again in this issue.
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