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[LordOfLore]

Link.

Evil versions of the Dark Knight are coming to terrorize Earth this September, as DC teased early details on a series of seven one-shot comics that tie into the upcoming DARK NIGHTS: METAL event. Each one-shot story spotlights a different, corrupted version of Batman spawned from the Dark Multiverse to wreak havoc on Earth.

“With names like The Red Death, The Murder Machine, The Dawnbreaker, The Drowned, The Merciless, The Devastator and The Batman Who Laughs, it’s pretty clear that these creatures mean business and prove just how dangerous the Dark Multiverse will be for DC’s heroes,” said Patrick McCallum, DC Entertainment Executive Editor.

The terror begins on September 20 with BATMAN: THE RED DEATH #1, by Joshua Williamson (writer) Carmine Di Giandomenico (artist), followed by BATMAN: THE MURDER MACHINE #1, written by Frank Tieri with art by Ricardo Federici on September 27. Writer Sam Humphries and artist Ethan Van Sciver will team up on BATMAN: THE DAWNBREAKER #1, on sale October 4, with Dan Abnett and artist Philip Tan collaborating on BATMAN: THE DROWNED #1 October 18. The month concludes with Peter J. Tomasi and Francis Manapul on BATMAN: THE MERCILESS #1, on sale October 25.

November features two additional one-shot titles, BATMAN: THE DEVASTATOR #1 (on sale November 1) and THE BATMAN WHO LAUGHS #1 (on sale November 15).

The presence of these malevolent characters infects some of DC’s deadliest Super-Villains, who are ready to take down Gotham City once and for all. But rest assured, DC’s bravest heroes aren’t rolling over for anybody and are ready to fight for the city’s very soul in “Gotham Resistance,” a series of crossover stories beginning with TEEN TITANS #12 written by Benjamin Percy with art by MIrka Andolfo (on sale September 13), NIGHTWING #29 by Tim Seeley and Paul Pelletier (on sale September 20) and SUICIDE SQUAD #26 by Rob Williams and Stjepan Sejic (on sale September 27).

”With the combination of an event comic helmed by two of the most talented creators in comic history a legion of evil Batmen and crossover titles that show just how deeply this event impacts the DCU, fans will know now more than ever that DARK NIGHTS: METAL is something not to be missed,” said McCallum.

Each $3.99 BATMAN one-shot ships with a special foil stamped cover featuring a protective UV coating, with art by fan-favorite creator Jason Fabok (JUSTICE LEAGUE: DARKSEID WAR, SUICIDE SQUAD: THE BLACK VAULT, BATMAN ETERNAL). Issue #1 of DARK NIGHTS: METAL hits comic book stores and digital retailers on Wednesday, August 16. For more information on DC, visit the DC website, www.dcomics.com, or download the DC All Access app, available for both Apple and Android devices.

Some of the teaser covers, more at the link:

Time to see how dangerous evil Batmen are since we've seen evil Supermen quite a few times.

 

[Bit-Bit]

The batman who laughs? So a joker batman combo. Lame.

 

[HStallion]

Those names are terrible. I mean "The Murder Machine"? Come on now

 

[joe2187]

Did I travel back to the 90s?

 

[VeeP]

Events been pretty good so far. But only one issue in. So I'm willing to give it a shot and hopefully it turns out solid.

I'm also wondering how long it'll take in this thread until I see "this is why I don't read comics."


Edit: oh, I see Ben Percy is writing the Teen Titans tie-in. I wonder how much of a dick Damian will be this time?

 

[BobTheFork]

It will be an inferior Red Death

 

[The Elite]

Did I travel back to the 90s?

Only if you want a copy sealed in plastic for collection purposes.

 

[Slayven]

Shit like this is why I don't read comics.

 

[Escape Goat]

Could be fun but the premise sounds banal if all they're doing is switching some heroes/villains around.

 

[MisterHero]

I hope this asks important questions such as: Why doesn't Batman steal the Speed Force for himself?

 

[ChubbyHuggs]

What is up with those names? lol

 

[Pandora012]

Eh I'm in. Rebirth has been good so far.

 

[Slayven]

Alan Scott one of the most powerful beings on earth lives in Gotham, but you still feel the need to recruit Harly Queen, Manbat, and Killer Croc

 

[The Illiterati]

Please tell me one of them is the Batman from the Arkham Asylum games, who leaves everyone a quadriplegic. People will be wondering why they didn't change anything...and then it dawns on them....

 

[GuitarAtomik]

Was intrigued until I realized these are all probably Batman + X.

Red Death = Batman + Flash

Dawnbreaker = Batman + Green Lantern

Devastator = Batman + Doomsday

Batman Who Laughs = Batman + Joker

Kind of lame.

 

[LordOfLore]

I hope this asks important questions such as: Why doesn't Batman steal the Speed Force for himself?

Deathstroke did that a few issues ago:

 

[Not]

An invasion of evil Batmans?

I've heard of few things dumber.

Here's hoping they pull it off

 

[Kard8p3]

Is that a.. Flash batman?

 

[MisterHero]

Deathstroke did that a few issues ago:

Okay that's awesome

I need to read this

 

[LordOfLore]

Alan Scott one of the most powerful beings on earth lives in Gotham, but you still feel the need to recruit Harly Queen, Manbat, and Killer Croc

He's probably "missing" like the JSA.

 

[ShadowSwordmaster]

Alan Scott one of the most powerful beings on earth lives in Gotham, but you still feel the need to recruit Harly Queen, Manbat, and Killer Croc

Alan Scott is still MIA.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

Owlman?

 

[Slayven]

Is that a.. Flash batman?

Don't be shocked, the Flash who was a Green Lantern was more shocking

 

[Gleethor]

Honestly shocked and impressed at the lack of BvS jokes itt

 

[Leks]

Owlman?

Justice League #50 spoiler:

Spoiler

He's dead.

 

[SpaceWolf]

Have the Batman titles still not got around to tackling that three Jokers storyline?

 

[LordRaptor]

Dark multiverse?
Is this just the regular multiverse but they wanted it to sound more menacing, or did they add a whole new multiverse

Spoiler

to stuff the dceu into lolololololololol

?

 

[LordOfLore]

Have the Batman titles still not got around to tackling that three Jokers storyline?

That's a Johns story so the main books won't be dealing much with it

Spoiler

but one Joker showed up in the first issue of this event

 

[VeeP]

Dark multiverse?
Is this just the regular multiverse but they wanted it to sound more menacing, or did they add a whole new multiverse

Spoiler

to stuff the dceu into lolololololololol

?

It's a new story line, Multiverse is far bigger than anyone thought. First issue is out, and it's extremely solid. Don't know what lolololololol means.

 

[Keym]

Wouldn't an evil Batman technically take every single hero (and villain) down since it's, well, Batman? Let alone like 4 evil versions of him.

 

[Afrodium]

This seems dumb but The Forge was super dope so I'm cautiously optimistic

 

[Andodalf]

Important to know these are just for kicks one shots that are side stories to the actual event.

 

[Dalek]

 

[Johndoey]

Wouldn't an evil Batman technically take every single hero (and villain) down since it's, well, Batman? Let alone like 4 evil versions of him.

Batman's ability is vastly overstated.

 

[Slayven]

Best "Evil" Batman. What if Lil Bruce Wayne took the gun from Joe Chill and lit him up?

 

[DeathyBoy]

They should have a Batman who acts just like Affleck does. Then all the other evil Batman ask why he thinks he's evil and then they draw the scene from BvS where he's destroying cars, showing the bloody aftermath as the people in said cars die in agony.

 

[SpaceWolf]

Best "Evil" Batman. What if Lil Bruce Wayne took the gun from Joe Chill and lit him up?

Most painfully generic, you mean.

 

[LordRaptor]

It's a new story line, Multiverse is far bigger than anyone thought.

Well the multiverse used to be infinite, but Dc hated that so they scrapped the multiverse completely, then they hated that so they brought it back to exactly 52 different universes.

I'm fine with there being as many as there need to be, the weird thing is to keep numbering and labelling them.

 

[VeeP]

Well the multiverse used to be infinite, but Dc hated that so they scrapped the multiverse completely, then they hated that so they brought it back to exactly 52 different universes.

I'm fine with there being as many as there need to be, the weird thing is to keep numbering and labelling them.

Snyder is simply building upon what Morrison established in the Multiversity. There are still 52 multiverses, but this title is Batman and the other heroes learning that there are things lying beyond that.

The Dark Multiverse essentially exists as this ocean that our Multiverse floats on, the same way our universe essentially is, like, foam floating on an ocean of dark Matter and dark Energy.

I became really fascinated though. I got really into this idea - it was pretty terrifying to me, this notion that in the last 10 years, we've discovered that essentially everything we see and perceive in the universe - all matter, positive and negative, anti-matter and positive matter - comprises less than, like, 15 percent of the actual matter and energy in our universe.

And what they've discovered is that there's dark matter and dark energy which we literally cannot perceive around us. We don't know what it is, but we can see its effects in holding galaxies and star clusters together and all these kinds of strange things.

So I started thinking, what if the Multiverse is that way? What if the Multiverse essentially has these 52 universes, but has almost this ocean of possibility, this ocean of almost reactive matter beneath it that's like a Dark Multiverse. - Scott Snyder

Ultimately as a reader, this event as whole seems really interesting. With the first issue itself, we've seen tie ins to the Court of Owls, Dr. Fate, Hawkman, Nth Metal, etc. Snyder seems to be expanding the DC Universe in a great, natural way. So I guess that's why the numbering thing doesn't bother me.

 

[Ogodei]

Evil Batman could be so much subtler than any of this crap, you just have it that Bruce Wayne decides to effectively conquer Gotham City as his revenge for his parents. By day Wayne operates as a ruthless plutocrat, operating mostly legit (if nasty) like Lex Luthor, by night he's Batman, intimidating or killing anyone who dares stand in Wayne's way.

Evil Batman, done right, would be an anarcho-capitalist or objectivist fantasy, the ubermensch who transcends the bonds of society to crush the inferiors who dare get in his way to further his greed and ambition.

 

[Slayven]

Most painfully generic, you mean.

His JLA was one of the best lineups ever

 

[LordRaptor]

Snyder is simply building upon what Morrison established in the Multiversity. There are still 52 multiverses, but this title is Batman and the other heroes learning that there are things lying beyond that.

So.... The Bleed is no longer a thing? Because he's describing The Bleed.

 

[BoogieWoogie]

The best alternate Batman was Superman Batman:

 

[Ross61]

Shit like this is why I don't read comics.

Alan Scott one of the most powerful beings on earth lives in Gotham, but you still feel the need to recruit Harly Queen, Manbat, and Killer Croc

Doesn't exist on this earth.

Spoiler

Yet.

 

[Not]

Best "Evil" Batman. What if Lil Bruce Wayne took the gun from Joe Chill and lit him up?

That's just Punisher in a worse costume

 

[VeeP]

So.... The Bleed is no longer a thing? Because he's describing The Bleed.

The Map is from Morrison's Multiversity, which is pretty much the closest thing we have to a map of the DC multiverse. So the Bleed seems to exist. I guess Snyder wanted to take it further?

It's only been one issue so far, but how I look at the Dark Universe is basically the other side of this map, or if you flip over this map it's what lies underneath the universe. Hopefully in future issues we get a better understanding of it. Snyder said it's supposed to tie in to various comic books DC has released in previous years.

 

[Slayven]

The best alternate Batman was Superman Batman:

 

[ReiGun]

Wouldn't an evil Batman technically take every single hero (and villain) down since it's, well, Batman? Let alone like 4 evil versions of him.

Hahahaha no.

The only reason Batman's ability to prepare seems impressive is because no one else prepares for him because they're not paranoid sociopaths like he is. He goes rogue and gives the other heroes reason to take him down, they'll trash his ass.

 

[CryptiK]

Hahahaha no.

The only reason Batman's ability to prepare seems impressive is because no one else prepares for him because they're not paranoid sociopaths like he is. He goes rogue and gives the other heroes reason to take him down, they'll trash his ass.

Thats the problem its been shown multiple times that if he goes rogue he wont let them have a chance to do it. Batman is OP as fuck.

 

[SliceSabre]

Holy shit this looks like the coolest alternative Batman I've seen.