Dark Nights: Metal - Atop the Fourth Wall

[@AT4W]

In this episode, I referred to Grant Morrison with "He/Him" Pronouns and that was a mistake. Grant Morrison is non-binary and goes by "They/Them." Was an honest mistake, meant no harm by it - just slipped my mind about them. My sincere apologies to them and the audience.

[@Gr4veM1nd]

Wait, for real? Since when did that happen?

[@zemox2534]

That's ok Link. Everyone makes mistakes.

[@jayjoshuasolomon]

@@Gr4veM1nd It's been a good while.

[@professionalhimbo]

Good on ya for catching it and speaking on it, even if it's something that others wouldn't catch.

[@jayjoshuasolomon]

I make this mistake all the time too.

[@L1701]

My God…I just had a realization. Batman Who Laughs…is the ultimate evolution of Crazy Steve. This was a way to bring Crazy Steve into the main “canon”.

[@michaeliv284]

Nah, they thought Steve was too bonkers

[@jordanloux3883]

And you know he feeds all those Robins rats...

[@jgshowtime9184]

This needs more thumbs up

[@lkotro21]

None of those Robins looked like Dick Grayson Age 12. Buuuut I don't actually know if those were in fact Robins. And not some random orphans that Steve collected off the street.

[@phantomslay5612]

Not really. Because Batman Who Laughs is actually smart.

[@thomaspalazzolo5902]

There IS an alternate universe where Bruce Wayne's parents were killed by a falling tree, and a young heartbroken Bruce swore vengence on trees, mastered the lathe, and made a fortune turning out sports equipment. He became known throughout Gotham as, "the bat man who lathes."

[@bthsr7113]

So the Simpson's comic Whittler joke got made real.

[@AllMight6]

Unjoke Version: In a alternative universe Bruce Wayne’s Parents are killed in forest fire Bruce Wayne Traumatised Bruce Wayne sworn to destroy the Green that killed his parents like the fire that Burned the Forest after working with the dr Pamela “Poison Ivy” Isley after a Accident Bruce Wayne became linked with the Rot Bruce Wayne became a zombie like being who only wanted destruction after killing all hero’s on his earth except swamp thing in his final battle with swamp thing he assimilate swamp thing into himself absorbed, he merged green and the rot together until his universe was destroyed.

[@xgray2012]

So, are falling trees yet another one of Batman's arch-enemies next to One-Face, poodles, and Rock and Roll?!

[@autobotstarscream765]

Let me guess, that's the Dark Knight that fights Swamp Thing?

[@bthsr7113]

@@AllMight6 Okay, but that doesn't even make sense. He should be trying to fight fires and looking into Dr. Fries' cryotech breakthroughs. Like, maybe extend that hatred to climate change, only to freeze the world into a thimblwinter that is never followed by a proper ragnarok? Blaming trees to the point of becoming an avatar for the rot.... they just wanted evil bat swamp thing and didn't care how they got it. That's the vibe I'm picking up on.

[@AdderMoray]

The best thing about The Batman Who Laughs is Owlman finding self worth in the fact there are dozens of evil Batmans, but in the end *he's* the one that always comes back.

[@michaeliv284]

Not sure if it helps or not that Owlman is not a patron of Edgy McEdgelord's Edgelordium of Lording Over Edges

[@dlausactor6373]

The Batman who Laughs is William Afton???

[@miguelgarcia6170]

​@@dlausactor6373 Owlman is the William Afton because he always comes back

[@MoonbeamPony]

So, if "tenth metal" is also called "Element X", does that mean that "Chemical X" is just that stuff in liquid form and the Powerpuff Girls have the power to defeat Barbados all on their own? That's my headcanon now.

[@johnnygyro2295]

Funny enough, that's the idea Roysovitch's Earth 27 went with.

[@MoonbeamPony]

@@johnnygyro2295 I don't think that's "10th metal" though. I think it's just some random alien metal Utonium found. And honestly, I'm not really a big fan of it, it's really over complicated and messy.

[@johnnygyro2295]

@@MoonbeamPony I like the concept, taking ideas from different interpretations to make a new canon/universe, but I'll agree that there are so many characters it's been getting hard to follow.

[@RRVCrinale]

Hey, if they can pummel HIM, their knuckles probably don't discriminate.

[@AnimatedIdiotGuide]

If the PPGs still had a comic line with DC they totally would’ve done that 😂

[@johnsanko4136]

Naming a metal "Batmanium" is absolutely awesome, and totally something that nerdy scientists would do in real life. For example, there is an intercellular signaling protein necessary for healthy fetal development, and when it was discovered, the scientists named it "SHH" for "Sonic HedgeHog." There's also Pikachurin, named after Pikachu, which is a protein vital to the function of photoreceptor signaling in our eyes.

[@bthsr7113]

Yeah, it makes sense and is cute... up until they use it as part of 5 EVILLL metals for dark ritual.

[@willmangrum3686]

Don't forget Xenomorph wasps.

[@mediabaron2416]

A molecule was later discovered that could potentially inhibit the "Sonic HedgeHog" gene. It was appropriately named "Robotnikinin".

[@redjirachi1]

@@willmangrum3686 There are wasps that basically act like xenomorphs

[@Calmoose415]

There's even a dinosaur named after Thanos. Yeah, the mad titan from Marvel.

[@MrGBH]

"When was it decided that the universe is held together by bad dreams?" In the Relic comic, where his previous universe died from atoms not loving each other enough.

[@L1701]

Honestly, the easiest way to retcon that is to show that Relic is insane. It’s a theory that only makes sense in his crazy head, and he’s too crazy to listen to anyone that points out just how nonsensical it is. It’s also how I see MCU Thanos. The only “overpopulation” issue was the one in his brain.

[@undeadhound3402]

“What the hell was wrong with just having some asshole from another universe who wanted to kill us all!?” I just love that sentence.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

I blame on writers thinking "a person who wants to kill others because just because is boring, childish, and very unrealistic. we must give the villains a complicated backstory of why they behave like villains but they aren't villains just complex characters" and that sentiment spreading like wildfire everywhere And i just think "No.... just because a character's motivations are simple, doesnt mean they are boring an unappealing."

[@cartooncritic7045]

@@ianr.navahuber2195 I think it's more a problem with nerd culture constantly wanting everything to have a backstory, not even just the villains. Everything needs a wiki page now, you can't just have something or someone exist because they serve a purpose for the plot or themes of a story. "There is no theme, only lore."

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@cartooncritic7045 yeah..... that's a reason why i hated boom studios' power rangers comics.... (the few i read) so much lore.... and somehow all of that feels empty. like the go go power rangers arc that as A plot featured jason and trini swapping colors and powers and as subplot a very unnecessary origin to rita getting the green candle and the dragon shield from what i skimmed i get that people hate the "generic doomsday villain" type of villain, but sometimes the motivation doesn't matter as long as the villains are enjoyable to watch. you could give them a very stupid petty reason for why they do it and as long as it is a good punchline to a joke or in consistent with the characterization, it can work

[@Bezaliel13]

+Undead Hound Because that is Marvel's thing. Seriously, if I say "ancient evil being of primordial darkness that is older than the universe," you probably could list like five characters that could apply to. @@ianr.navahuber2195 This seems like a completely unrelated complaint. Seriously, BarBATos, the Anti-monitor, Perpetua, etc. *ARE* just evil and Linkara's complaint was about them being convoluted and really important to the lore, and you complain "they aren't villains just complex characters."

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@Bezaliel13 Perpetua is somehow both a "genéric Doomsday villain" and somehow also "overcomplication of the lore" when You think about it

[@zeroryoko999]

1:02:51 Linkara then realizes... that this comes full circle... back to Countdown... so who is under the hood of Barbatos... GRANNY GOODNESS!!!

[@TevyaSmolka]

Lol 😂 indeed

[@chs9999]

And even worse it turns out that Granny goodness is from ancient Egypt

[@KhanhNguyen-mh5ec]

Granny goodness: And I would have got away with it too

[@Rabbitlord108]

Now I want a scene where the original Monitor merges with the 52 monitors from Countdown to regain all his lost strength (Yeah. Take the part where Hawkman merged with the other versions of himself in Zero Hour. And crank it up to 11).

[@EmperorSeth]

Wait, so if the Anti-Monitor had a mother, would that make her ... the Anti-Momitor?

[@BobLogical]

Superboy-Prime is about to punch reality to retcon this comment out of existence.

[@michaeliv284]

"Puns were better on MY Earth!"

[@gracekim1998]

🤣

[@EmperorSeth]

I would like to add that since I originally made this post, I now regret making it. Because I should have followed it up with the fact that her sister would be the Auntie Momitor, and now the moment has passed.

[@gracekim1998]

i do one better: ANTI-MOTHER!

[@michaeliv284]

ASBAR Batman was approached by the Dark Knights as a potential member, but they decided against it because they thought he was too messed up

[@garrettfrench5574]

TBWL & barbatos: we be evil but that guy .... just woah

[@HenryGray-sy4pu]

He Who Laughs: So, I'm thinking a bunch of us Batmen join up to kill the Prime JLA- Crazy Steve: Killing those goddamn superheroes?! GODDAMN EXCELLENT! I'll get my goddamn rats! He Who Laughs: I'm sorry, your what? Crazy Steve: My goddamn rats! In case I get goddamn hungry on the goddamn trip! How many goddamn rats you got?! He Who Laughs: You know what? I'll call you. Crazy Steve: I AM THE GODDAMN BATMAN!

[@troin3925]

@@HenryGray-sy4pu Don't forget about him _emphasizing_ every other _word_ in each _sentence_ like _THIS!_

[@perrilewis180]

Well they do have the robin gremlins and Crazy Steve isn't allowed near children

[@DinoDave150]

Ah, Dark Knights: Metal. The storyline that introduced us to the Batman Who Laughs, AKA DC marketing department's wet dream come true.

[@danubeisreallypeculiarrive7944]

He still creeps me out. I mean I expected something scary from Batman that listens to Rock and roll, but Jesus Christ! (I am trying to kill Batman Rock and roll joke and I will succeed! I will be killing joke! Wait! No. Just forget about it.)

[@AJSZodiac]

I do love how the Batman Who Laughs has already been out a few years and they've already been overdone to hell and back.

[@somethingclever4297]

The DC marketing department when they first saw the batman who laughs:we are going to c*m money.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@AJSZodiac yeahp...... yet sadly other cooler stuff from Scott Snyder's runs on Batman, Justice League and related events (like Jarro, Kull (evil daughter of batman and wonder woman from another universe), the original dark knights of this METAL event, or B-Rex) were just left forgotten

[@Bezaliel13]

@@AJSZodiac I personally hope they purposefully made people sick of him so as to kill him permanently, for you know they would bring him back if fans demanded it. Note: Any hate you have for BWL justifies my idea.

[@dionysustheaceson3457]

The scariest part of Metal were the teases of "BENDIS IS COMING" that this comic advertised for Superman

[@DrPluton]

Especially the ads that showed Superman's body and hair with Bendis' face. Gross.

[@anthonyeldridge4358]

Man, who's scarier: Barbatos wanting to drag everything into darkness or Bendis warping the DCU into his own fanfic and making us pay for it?

[@kingofthegundam7974]

Surprising, given how much I liked Bendis' run.

[@DrPluton]

@@kingofthegundam7974 It wasn't the worst run of Superman, but some of his ideas (especially aging up Jon) were not well received.

[@tomthespaceknerd5396]

Yeah it was kind of funny seeing DC celebrating getting Bendis and Marvel readers being like "Should we warn them, or stay quiet?". I mean he's not terrible, but he has a very specific style that only really works for specific character types. And also he has zero respect for continuity. Legion of Superheroes demonstrated the problem perfectly. 30 odd Teen heroes all with the same 'quippy' dialogue, and a long build up to nothing. I'm still trying with The Legion vs Justice League but I tapped out of Young Justice about 7 issues in.

[@CJPV1701]

Y'know what bugs me most about this whole thing. The Batman Who Laughs NEVER ACTUALLY FRIGGIN LAUGHS. He's just regular Batman in a stupid coat. There's no Joker to him at all. He's just still Batman.

[@tonycorona8501]

The Batman who Smirks

[@mcpics4448]

Wally west said it best Batman who try too hard

[@Shinigami13133]

What's funny is that I've heard the opposite as criticism too, that he's just joker with the same level of bad writing as bat god.

[@tonycorona8501]

@@Shinigami13133 "A Batman who laughs is a Batman who always wins!"

[@atiredfloridian777]

Exactly! He's the edge of 90s comics turned up to 20.

[@Cow-Moth-With-A-CRT-Head]

42:46 can we talk about "The one called Killing Machine infected Detroit with nano-Alfreds" combined with that art? The mental image of an absurd number of Alfreds spawning in overwhelming numbers, all of them politely asking if they can help you is amazing.

[@thatonedude977]

It's the murder machine but I agree

[@ciphergacha9100]

NANO-ALFREDS?!?!?!

[@Dreadjaws]

You know, never having read all of these events and just going by marketing and fan response I genuinely thought that "The Batman who laughs" was not just the main villain of the event but actually a much more important and prominent character. Turns out he's the Boba Fett of this story: someone whose importance and appeal were overblown by the fandom based purely on his looks.

[@42Caio]

He gets a bigger part in the follow up. He's not the main villain but acts as their right hand man.

[@CesarDaSalad]

Also, hate to be "that guy" but the tie-ins and the material before (and after) EXTENSIVELY makes use of him.

[@Dreadjaws]

@@CesarDaSalad A pointless difference. His role in the main story is still minimal.

[@bthsr7113]

@@CesarDaSalad At least you know you're being "that guy."

[@L1701]

Except Boba Fett got a TV series that was fun and made him an actual interesting character.

[@ruby7951]

If nothing else it's nice to see an event that treats Wonder Woman with respect and has the trinity actually being close friends and allies. Enjoy your time off! I really appreciate the hard work you put into this channel.

[@bthsr7113]

A shame such respect for the trinity as friends and a solid team is a rare thing.

[@dragonrune081]

This may be the first comic Linkara has covered in a while that actually makes Diana act and feel like she's supposed to

[@nono9543]

That's the thing. I have problems with the whole Metal series in general but one thing I did not complain about was Wonder Woman's importance.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@nono9543 My only complain about that is that in theory, diana should have been more relevant overall in snyder's run. See, if we see Scott Snyder's Batman run as the beginning, and then we include Scott's All-Star Batman, Dark Nights METAL, No Justice, his Justice League Run, the main stuff involving Batman Who Laughs (his own mini series, the first arc of rebirth's Batman/Superman run, and his fight with luthor in hell arisen) all culminating in DEATH METAL, you would think the main characters of all that are Batman, Lex Luthor, Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, and to a degree Superman with other characters like Jarro and Wonder Woman as main secondary characters with batman who laughs and perpetua as main villains... but instead it comes as scott snyder got bored of his own main characters and suddenly in the conclusion said "wonder woman is the protagonist main character".... because reasons. I get why he would do that (possible reference to how the multiverse started in DC in a wonder woman story; and the lasso of truth bein a good explanation to have the characters be aware of all their previous continuities), but just feels sudden. Like he could have started establishing her as one of the main players very early in his justice league run or in no justice but forgot about that. sure she is a prominent recurring character, getting a big heroic climatic moment at least once every 1 or 2 arcs but not THE TRUE PROTAGONIST that scott snyder tries to sell

[@KurganMacLeod]

So, fun fact I looked up after reading this comment - for most of the time the Dark Nights Metal miniseries was published (October 2017 to May 2018) the main Wonder Woman book was being written by James Robinson, the writer of the critically acclaimed Starman... but also Cry for Justice (his run on Wondy started November 2017 and wouldn't wrap up until September 2018). You may recall Robinson's run as the one that introduced Jason, Diana's twin brother who stole most of her pagespace, had all of her superpowers AND could control weather AND was given a special suit of armour that had the powers of all the Greek gods in it AND was characterised mainly as an unlikeable, misogynistic jackass because that's something you definitely want to see when you're reading Wonder Woman. What I'm saying is, we're in the incredibly weird situation where Wondy was actually treated better and with more respect in an EVENT than in her OWN DAMN COMIC. Linkara made the Upside Down joke in the review, but I genuinely feel I might be living in it after this realisation.

[@lorddrayvon1426]

"Even Deathstroke coming to join because of reasons." I mean, he's a mercenary with a chip on his shoulder the size of Disney's marketshare. This post-apocalyptic thing severely interferes with business and revenge.

[@DWP102589]

Kingpin: “There’s no profit to be made in the end of the world”

[@Yusufqxq]

Not to mention his armor is a mixture of Nth metal , Titanium , Prothemium etc.

[@DaveMiller6042]

This comment reminded me of a moment in joker war where Deathstroke realizes that he is likely not going to paid for his work and does a complete 180 and teams up with batman.

[@Zenn_Chan]

@@DWP102589 beat me to it

[@Yusufqxq]

@@DaveMiller6042 and turns out he got his reward before the job and they were playing with Batman the whole time.

[@GdoubleWB]

Fun fact: “Lore” is actually an acronym for “Long, Overcomplicated, Retcons Everywhere.”

[@Silver_Chivalry]

DC Comics in a nutshell. 😅 lol

[@ForrestFox626]

So comics?

[@TheOpinionator1610]

Maybe a new catchphrase for DC Comics should just be “Lore Galore,” lol. 😂

[@tyrxian6452]

Linkara's reaction to the Monitor is maybe one of the funniest AT4W moments ever??

[@TevyaSmolka]

Lol indeed it was really funny 😄

[@amiablereaper]

Linkara's very own joker moment

[@androzani84productions85]

One clever thing about this event is that all the Dark Knights killed their rogues galleries and their universes fell apart. Basically saying that there’s no way an evil Batman or one who kills can support ongoing stories

[@jamesmason7979]

I really dig Linkara's voice for The Batman Who Laughs. Also, "pants to be brightened" made me smile.

[@jadenbryant9283]

i really like it its kinda a mixture of Linkaras Batman voice when he doesent do the cristain Bale Batman voice and his Joker voice

[@jakarnilson]

I really wish that the Ss got lengthened. And given that he went around to other worldsss killing everything, one hasss to wonder if he felt that their crime wasss life, and that the only judgment wasss death.

[@sebastianevangelista4921]

I really dig the voice as well.

[@EnsignRicky011]

Pretty sure its the same voice he used for Batclone in Bearded Idiot at Earth’s End. Something about the delivery of “ClaAark”

[@McSomething15]

I love how Linkara's cat just shows up halfway through for scritches.

[@exceedcharge1]

I think they could have gotten away with the whole “the dark matter universe is made of nightmares” thing if they went all the way, that all the multiverse is made of “ideas”, with heros made specifically of “hopes”, they could have gone really meta with it, with nightmares eventually being forgotten and hopes living on forever. If they really wanted to have fun with continuity they could have had the dark universe existed forever but it didn’t exist forever “yesterday”

[@Pineappolis]

Is that last line a deliberate reference to a Discworld novel? If so, which one? I know it was one of the Watch characters that said it but I have a strong feeling it wasn't a Watch book and it's kind of driving me mad. Also, while I love the concept you built off the back of the idea that the nightmares will pass but hope will endure (heck, my entire upper back is a phoenix bathed in blue light with "hope burns bright," under it), weirdly, I think I prefer my fiction to reflect the idea that _fear_ is the enduring one, that it's always ready to consume you while hope can be snatched away from you in an instant and takes real work to maintain. While that might sound grimdark, to me at least, it recontextualises the state of being hopeful as a conscious act of courage and resolve, far removed from the naiveté that grimdark fiction so often presents it as. Some of the best Superman books are obvious exemplars of this (e.g. 'What's so funny...?') and it's at the heart of why he's such a compelling character, but it also means that some pretty horrifying settings can give rise to some of the most surprisingly inspirational storytelling moments I've experienced. Stormlight Archives, the first two thirds or thereabouts of the Galactica remake, Christ, the setting of Fullmetal Alchemist (manga/Brotherhood anime) can be pretty damn horrifying at times. All stories where our heroes get knocked down hard (in some cases repeatedly) and it's not always in them to bounce right back but the glory is in watching them rise again anyway.

[@exceedcharge1]

@@Pineappolis Im a big fan of discworld so i either paraphrased or was in a discworld headspace at the time

[@Pineappolis]

@@exceedcharge1 Pratchett's turns of phrase have a way of sticking in your brain, right enough. I don't know how many times I've referred to myself as, "a man of little pictures."

[@XanthinZarda]

This comic just makes me wish for the simpler times of the golden age, instead of getting occasionally reminded of the times that the Joker took off his own face.

[@BobLogical]

He took his face...off.

[@williammorahan4907]

@@BobLogical Pretty sure he had Dollmaker cut his face off with a hacksaw.

[@BobLogical]

@@williammorahan4907 No, Amanda Waller took off both their faces with the super secret government face swapping machine.

[@williammorahan4907]

@@BobLogical pretty sure Dollmaker’s face is already a stitched together patch work

[@thomaspalazzolo5902]

"WHATCHYA GONNA DO WHEN BATMANIUM RUNS WILD ALL OVER YOU?!"

[@Mobysimo]

I do like they gave a little scene of Damian and Jon together despite the over-the-top stuff that happens in this story I loved the friendship those two had and seeing them having fun together is always awesome

[@donb7519]

before the dark days of bendis and aged up jon

[@lorzon]

@@donb7519 That's not Jon, that's some alternate timeline clone. The real Jon is still out there somewhere getting up to hyjinks.

[@derangel9143]

@@donb7519 As much as I hate a lot of what Bendis did to Superman and Jon, I have to admit that I like Jon taking up the mantel of Superman.

[@donb7519]

@@derangel9143 maybe but 1. It could of waited for it to naturally happen and 2. I hate jons new series and 3. It definitely feels so forced with this dark crisis bs

[@kingofthegundam7974]

@@donb7519 You're talking about superhero comics, no one will ever grow up unless artificially aged through convoluted means. Besides, Aged Up Jon is good.

[@sineado.mcdevitt4353]

"People assume that continuity is a strict progression from cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff." - Comic writers adding more retcons into their event comics to make it DA MOST IMPORT4NT THIN EVARR!!!

[@Evilgenius122]

The Dark Multiverse DID kind of work for me on a Meta Level. The idea that there is a cosmic 'Recycling Bin' where every 'edgy' hero turned villain story ends up. Destined to fade into nothing because it LITERALLY CANT EXIST. The Knights representing the lengths people go to trying to justify Batman Turning Evil, sometimes forcing Other Heroes to go Evil in the Process. At their Head being the Batman Who Laughs, the ultimate wet dream of "If Batman had no moral code he'd be UNSTOPPABLE!" Except he isn't, because he's just the jester on top of Barbatos' garbage court, who can't hold a candle to the real thing. (Atleast in this event) I cant speak much for other parts of the comic, but the Dark Multiverse...I kinda get it. It's a bit of Jungian Psychology mixed in with narratives, and pulls from the real world's subconscious as much as it does the DC Universe's.

[@bthsr7113]

.... Interesting take.

[@michaeliv284]

Like how that place with the infinite page book from Final Crisis (forgot what it's called) is a storage bin/locker?

[@brandonc5061]

Yeah. I feel that this idea of waking nightmares has been done before, but aside from a certain gacha game I play and a series like Kingdom Hearts having theses sorts of out there metaphysical concepts, I can't tell you where else it has been used. Anyway, I like the overall idea, but some parts of the execution seems messy and confused. Which is probably to be expected since theses are, once again, nightmares and thus trying to have a detailed explanation would probably be a bad idea, but there are questions at the back of my mind

[@evansageser6943]

My issue with it is that it seems to think it’s making a point about edgy stuff but it also positively revels in it. It’s like that whole quote that parody requires clarity of purpose lest it be mistaken for sincerity. Like despite your take of Laughs as Jester of Barbatos’s Garbage Court, Metal still treats him like a badass that Batman literally requires both the composite parts of to defeat, and the later stories go even harder down that route until he’s a multiversal threat sporting Doctor Manhattan’s powers (sorry Batmanhattan… ugh) and fighting the creator of the multiverse itself for supremacy. Honestly the fact that he has so many unironic fans who seem to love his whole pizza cutter (all edge, no point) gimmick seems to prove that Metal failed in any attempt at parody it might be making.

[@Evilgenius122]

@@evansageser6943 Obviously each person's milage will vary, and yea maybe my takeaway doesn't work for everyone, which is totally valid as well. Honestly, I'm not surprised at all that DC marketed the bejeezus out of Laughs, regardless of his intended story use.

[@NSG0079]

Thank you, Linkara. You are the first person on the Internet I've found who doesn't immediately fall to his knees in worship of "Batman is the Center of DC Universe" trend.

[@thomasraines1396]

The utter silence (and slow turn) followed by the several yells of “WHAT?!” is one of the best bits of the episode.

[@Rabbitlord108]

It's probably one of my favorite AT4W moments.

[@Savagewolver]

That breakdown over the antimonitor was priceless. Utterly hilarious.

[@williammorahan4907]

Monitor/Overmonitor

[@SilverHairedFreak25]

Especially with the buildup; his head slowly turning as he realized what he just said.

[@troin3925]

@@SilverHairedFreak25 That was the Monitor, not the Anti-Monitor.

[@altejoh]

I mean, considering that canonically the DC multiverse is held together by Emotions, Life Force, gods, imagination, consciousness, faith, and going really really fast, the idea that dreams are somehow a part of that superstructure doesn't seem as far-fetched.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

i thought that was canonized since the days of Morrison's DOOM PATROL

[@Savagewolver]

I mean, Sandman is a thing. Has been since the silver age.

[@brandonc5061]

Yeah. I understand his point, but I personally love abstract and mystical things like this. In concept, at least. DC being DC let their worst tendencies loose since some aspects of the dark multiverse seen in Tales from the Dark Multiverse are head tilting

[@EkoBahamut]

I mean, I can't understand his dislike for this concept... The Dark Multiverse seems to be the universe where all the bad ends go to die. It's taking the idea of "making a new universe every time you take a decision" and just add the caveat of "Where everything went wrong".

[@JohnnyElRed]

I'm starting to think the DC multiverse is located in some part of the Warp from Warhammer.

[@calsh14]

I will say, this event and Death Metal were the best events for Wonder Woman. It was DC finally giving Diana the respect/role she deserves as a member of the Trinity Also, this event setting up The Terrifics, will always be another highlight of this event

[@joshuaingobo1559]

Along with Silencer, New Challengers, Sideways, Immortal Men, Curse of Brimstone, and Damage. Most of which were cancelled and the characters being reduced as cameos in other books.

[@calsh14]

@@joshuaingobo1559 which sucks 😭🥺 They all deserved a longer stay

[@auratheva]

You can't just drop that Superman recognizes Batman by his heartbeat. There is NO heterosexual explanation for this

[@undead923]

That’s been canon since Final Crisis. Knowing that Bruce’s heartbeat is gone made Superman fly STRAIGHT DOWN to where he is.

[@rmsgrey]

Unless he recognises all ten billion or so human(ish) heartbeats on the planet...

[@anotherdude5974]

Fun fact: The Batman Who Laughs Is currently trapped in Fortnite... That's not even a joke, he is LITERALLY trapped in Fortnite.

[@hannabelphaege3774]

That's the best joke he's ever been a prt of

[@darnorgames3318]

@@hannabelphaege3774 It isn't, there is a comic from DC showcasing it

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@darnorgames3318 could you explain exactly how the batman who laughs was left trapped there?

[@darnorgames3318]

@@ianr.navahuber2195 Read Batman/Fortnite: Foundation - it will explain everything.

[@Eques_Umbra]

@@darnorgames3318 I think he means the idea itself is a joke, not the existance of it.

[@tombarker4611]

The best part about the batman who laughs imo is in death metal where Owlman from earth 3 turns on the villains cos he thinks he is the proper evil batman compared to TBWL, cementing even the dc multiverse was sick of him

[@depreseo]

I loved that tie-in. By that point the whole "dark multiverse bat-people" was being written as a dellibarate joke, what with the whole evil bat-baby and what not, and seeing Owl-man turn on the dark multiverse and allow earth-3 to get destroyed again to f**k the dark bat-people over because Earth-3, the Crime Syndicate and Owlman are always restored into the multiverse after a Crisis because they're a good idea while the other "evil" bat-people will never be revived. I thought it was great meta-writing, especially given the scope and insanity of Heavy Metal, but also (if I remeber correctly) it had Guy Gardner and Captain Carrot team-up to beat-up Overman an the Nazi characters of Earth-X.

[@tombarker4611]

@@depreseo Sounds about right, though I'm not sure if it even counts as a tie in lol. Death Metal is such a mess when it comes to what is important to the story outside of the numbered issues I think Heavy Metal is as important to the story as Trinity Crisis is. God knows what Linkara makes of it if he only covers the numbered issues of that event

[@ToaArcan]

@@tombarker4611 Remember when they put a huge focus on Superboy-Prime's redemption but only the first half of it was in the main book, and the absolutely pivotal thing he does to give the heroes a fighting chance is just relegated to a tie-in? It's a really good tie-in, but it's still fucking wild that after they put all that effort into having Diana recruit him, he just disappears between issues and the main book never really establishes why the Last 52 Earths disappear.

[@WhiteDarkness3113]

Serioulsy why isn't the crime syndicate (mirror world justice league) or the injustice universe involved with the metal event's ?

[@BobLogical]

@@WhiteDarkness3113 Kind of blew their load on all that with Forever Evil a while ago.

[@DoomMomDot]

I give the comics props for being a hopeful story, which is kind of rare these days. if it had been a bit less of a mess, or maybe given more issues to breathe, it might have been awesome.

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

If there's one thing Grant Morrison seems to genuinely understand about comics, it's that superheroes are hopeful. Morrison may be a strange and unhinged writer a lot of the time but their stories always seem to have an underlying love for comics, superheroes, and the optimistic sense of hope they bring.

[@daltonwilliams1723]

I read all the tie ins, so I think it didn’t feel as over compressed to me. Seeing just the main story issues here, I can see why it might be a lot for a single read through though

[@loganwendigo937]

That's what all the tie-ins were for

[@danielbrant6740]

Good Lord, The Transformers franchise had simpler & better understanding of how multiverses work. And _that_ is franchise where *every. Single. Piece.* of official fiction ranging from films to children's novels can have its own universal designation!

[@williammorahan4907]

Elaborate?

[@Eques_Umbra]

@@williammorahan4907 Basically, any series, whether animated, written, drawn, or made as a videogame is its own universe within the greater Transformers multiverse, so you could technically have Prime Megatron meet with Beast Wars Megatron, if they hopped universes.

[@johnnygyro2295]

​@Mike Dubo Plus, it's technically connected to some other multiverses via crossovers and whatnot. Some examples include Marvel, Ghostbusters, and possibly Ben 10. And that's just a few examples.

[@Rabbitlord108]

​@@Eques_Umbra This reminds me of how they threw the OG plans for Vector Prime out the window.

[@Eques_Umbra]

@@Rabbitlord108 You mean him being a multiversal being that exists in several realities at once?

[@WraithTDK]

Hawkman. Never. Fully. Makes. Sense. EVER. It's the law. Kids liking the taste of applejacks even though it doesn't taste like apples makes more sense than Hawkman. The genie from alladin added a fourth wishing rule when someone wished for an explanation for Hawkman. The Cosmic Cube can do anything except fully make sense of Hawkman.

[@TheFormidibleDan]

I'll give The Batman Who Never Shuts the Hell Up one thing: he managed to deliver a more insane climactic character appearance then Robo Knight at the end of Megaforce.

[@TheMaestroMizerous]

I expect BWL or Batkek to show up unexplained in a crossover book then.

[@dylansharp8471]

@@TheMaestroMizerous Who?

[@TheMaestroMizerous]

Batman Who Laughs@@dylansharp8471

[@mightygregdoge]

Daniel/Dream also showed during an early part of Grant Morrison's JLA run, which is one of my favorite moments because of the recontextualisation of Starro, and the interaction he has with Kyle Raynor.

[@OnDavidsBrain]

Quick questions, why is Starro acting like Bill Cypher now? And what's up with the little Starro that was hanging out with the JLA?

[@johnnygyro2295]

@@OnDavidsBrain I'll try to make a long story short: Starro died during an event called No Justice but a fragment regenerated into a new, smaller Starro. Said Starro grew up under Batman's care, seeing him as his father, and became an ally to the Justice League, even declaring himself as another Robin. Also, people tend to call him Jarro because he was originally kept in a jar. There might be more I'm missing but, like I said earlier, this is the short version.

[@OnDavidsBrain]

@@johnnygyro2295 Sounds about right. So does that mean that Starro is Damian's stepbrother now?

[@johnnygyro2295]

@@OnDavidsBrain I guess? I don't know if the two have interacted or not, though I heard Jarro met Dick/Nightwing...

[@bthsr7113]

I think i broke my thinking thingy!

[@PanicChain767]

The over complication of batman’s history reminds me a bit of spider-man, where instead of just being some kid who got bit by a radioactive spider it now has to be like a totem of the multiversal spider god. Its like the big 2 saw how people just naturally gravitated toward more grounded heroes than cosmic and decided the natural conclusion was to make the cosmic. See venom just being an alien to becoming/slaying a god and green goblin, mehpisto’s 4th most successful client

[@Gojiragon]

At least Venom works up to it and earns it rather than having it retconned later.

[@cartoonishidealism582]

Same thing with the Hulk. He used to be just some guy who mutated with gamma rays but now he’s like… given his powers by The One Below All or something

[@thomasraines1396]

They also tied Cletus Kasady/Carnage to Knull somehow.

[@dylansharp8471]

Well do they make it work?

[@williammorahan4907]

@@Gojiragon I actually do like “Series/Franchise Escalation” so I do appreciate when it’s written smarter.

[@sophisticautistic5453]

Event Comic month technically started on March 11th... So Linkara has given us a true event comic month despite the latest of these episodes. GOOS JOB!

[@EmperorSeth]

Ah, technically correct, the best kind of correct.

[@tyrongkojy]

While Dream being a big part of this is... really weird, I WOULD like to see more of Death. Not as a talking character, mind. Just like a "Where's Waldo" or Stan Lee cameo, where she's in the background of a scene once in a while. It's established she just walks around sometimes. Be a fun thing. Random crowd scene, and there's Death.

[@bthsr7113]

Next time the black lanterns show up, I'd like to see her lay down the law.

[@tyrongkojy]

@@bthsr7113 Fun. But she doesn't seem to care about UNdeath. Hell, she's willing to just let someone not die, every once in a while.

[@setsunatenma9467]

@@tyrongkojy yeah because in the end she will claim them

[@tyrongkojy]

@@setsunatenma9467 Eventually, but there's no reason she'd get outright involved with the BLs. As you said, they'll come to her eventually, so why hurry?

[@bthsr7113]

@@tyrongkojy But wasn't she running all over to keep the souls released..... well I guess I just answered my own question. The Black Lanterns are just puppets of their rings.

[@PaxtheDreamer]

"Why are we taking simple, easy to understand concepts and trying to shove in so many more THINGS in them?!" Kingdom Hearts fans: "First time?"

[@goodpeople25]

They're all Xehanort what would they know?

[@EmrysMerlin8807]

@@goodpeople25 The Batman Who Laughs is a Xehanort confirmed!

[@troin3925]

Also, Call of Duty Zombies and Five Nights at Freddy's.

[@joju997]

I don't think this comic is "edgelordy" as much as it's utterly unhinged. I like Metal because so many parts of it just refuse to follow logic and are unapologetically insane.

[@Pikachu2Ash]

"follow logic and are unapologetically insane." So we should glorify stupidity?

[@vcom741]

@@Pikachu2Ash Ignoring logic and insanity =/= stupidity. Completely giving a middle finger to suspension of disbelief should be done more often. That’s why wrestling can be as cool as it is at times.

[@watchm4ker]

@@vcom741 It also nearly killed it. Professional Wrestling is a *shadow* of its former glory, and a pale shadow at that. It was nationwide and wildly popular for decades, but while the WWF and WCW drove it to incredible heights... It did so at the cost of sustainability, and tanked its reputation, forever

[@Pikachu2Ash]

@@vcom741 Like with Linkara in the video, I can't decide what clip I should use so I'll all of them. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6rXk3eQp9xkoMU kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6HYg5ajhdOGiq8 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKS1hGSarKiiqtk kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6vEl3xjo99-o6s kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWXFl6eHad2rfMU kzbin.info/www/bejne/noDFZmiDlqqhl5I

[@vcom741]

@@watchm4ker Wrestling became a shadow because of the internet, and streaming content honestly. Rather than randomly tuning in into a weekly tv show with storylines that might take a while to understand and find backup to episodes to, I could just tune into a random completed show on Netflix. Wrestling has the comic book problem to the smaller scale. That and no star to really match Hogan or Austin’s charisma from attitude era, even if wrestlers now are better from in-ring standpoint. I really don’t think a guy trying to kill his boss on live tv is what hurt wrestling’s reputation and sustainability.

[@1wayroad935]

I absolutely love Wonder Woman's redesign in Death Metal. The blue highlights in her hair did so much for her.

[@sebastianevangelista4921]

Giving Wonder Woman blue highlights was one of the best creative decisions ever!

[@jaredohlstein7355]

Agreed I dug that design

[@psychogunner7062]

Batman Who Laughs truly is from the darkest nightmare possible Fucker doesn't crack a single joke at any point. Truly, the most nightmarish of Jokers Also, there's probably another Darkverse out there where Crazy Steve fused with Parallax so he could permanently be yellow like he tried before

[@VincentMariethe4th]

23:07 Now, the idea of a dark entity from another universe making its way into our world through nightmarish thoughts COULD make for an interesting story concept. Like I think Lovecraft kinda did it with "Call of Cthulu," but what I have in mind is like an entity that tries to enter our realm through negative thoughts caused by trauma. Intrusive thoughts, nightmares, really bad bouts of depression & anxiety. The entity doesn't cause those problems, but it takes advantage of them. Like bugs getting inside the house through a roof in need of repair.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

I really hope one day Linkara reviews MILK WARS. One of the most "out there" event comics that is technically made out of the tie-ins and its effects are somehow both "well that did absolutely nothing" and "was this a crisis we all forgot" ? The same could be said about Convergence

[@georgeandrews1394]

I misread that as 'MLK WARS' for one brief, terrifying moment of 'DC, what did you do!?'

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@georgeandrews1394 Let's just say, that MILK WARS event involves the DOOM PATROL..... and other Young Animal comics at the moment going against a villain full of DOOM PATROL glory.... that for example, made a character called Milkman-Man that delivers milk that "homogenizes" characters into set roles but turn into creepy things: like batman being turned into an evil priest from the 50s or wonder woman into a stereotypical suburban housewife of the 1950s who creepily treats that magic milk as a child.....

[@vesperlord4342]

@@ianr.navahuber2195 oh my god this sounds amazing and I love it

[@georgeandrews1394]

@@ianr.navahuber2195 Fair point.

[@BobLogical]

Any excuse to talk about Shade is welcome.

[@JacksonJinn]

From what I can tell, the "Dark Multiverse as *Subconscious* realm" thing reminds me of Persona. That series has the "Sea of Consciousness," a kind of collective conscious realm that, the deeper you go, is structured based on the thoughts and feelings of those living in reality. So if you're just below the surface, it looks like a slightly fantasy version of reality, you go deeper it's like a twisted nightmare scenario, and at the very bottom are gods and manifestations of culturally, universally believed thoughts. In that context, I can understand the Dark Multiverse concept here as exactly that, a literal "What If?" dimension of fears people had. ...Still weird how it ended up tho.

[@jayarby8494]

Remember when this was supposed to end last month so that Linkara could have a month off working on HOPR? It wouldn’t be AT4W without things spiraling out of control every once in a while.

[@AshuraH]

I blame the space bacteria. Stupid UHF-altering monsters!

[@RabblesTheBinx]

yeah, as much as I was looking forward to this episode, I kinda wish he'd have cancelled it so that he could be less burnt out.

[@ForrestFox626]

@@RabblesTheBinx Lewis isn't that kind of guy. If he promised something he usually sees it through (with exceptions here and there).

[@MegamanNG]

Life is like a river, it always flows in a certain way.

[@thetruewisegamer]

@@AshuraH personally I think it was more co opted by penguins

[@aaronwilder2775]

The Dark Multiverse...an infinite, twisted expanse for all DC heroes to grapple with...that just seems to focus in on evil Batmen

[@ArachCobra]

This feels like a story where the writer had envisioned all these cool moments of the heroes triumphing or the villains revealing a twisted ace up their sleeve, and then decided not to worry too much about how to connect those together.

[@repulser93]

…so like Bleach when Aizen was the main villain?

[@lordharliquin]

Good thing the continuity alarm wasn't active while Linkara was reading this. Damn thing would've been like the Batman Who Laughs...constantly making noise.

[@Rabbitlord108]

I wonder if he still uses it to let him know when his popcorn is ready.

[@XX-sp3tt]

27:43 Ironically Sandman showing up was a RELIEF for me. Finally, the heroes had a powerful cosmic entity not knowing for going down like a house of cards whenever the newest cosmic threat shows up, who is actually on their side! While Sandman is the god of dreams, and can't interfere with physical reality, he's still in the heroes' corner and able to help them however he can.

[@stevenhedge2850]

I just find it weird, that if the threat would eventulaly kill the Dreaming, shouldn't Dream do something a bit more than just teleporting people around? the guy is the SOURCE of Stories, which should include the what could have been stories the Metal verse is., he shoudl have some kind of power to help them out. His previous reincarnation had done much more when it was in danger.

[@bthsr7113]

@@stevenhedge2850 Even psyching people up and providing hope/tactics in dreams would be helpful.

[@setsunatenma9467]

The Endless aren't gods they are much more than that. Dream is dream not a representation of it

[@DuelaDent52]

Yeah, I don’t necessarily see what’s wrong with Sandman being part of things considering it is a shared universe and all.

[@TheMamaluigi300]

51:01 Replace “personal” with “complex”, and suddenly it becomes an OP excuse

[@kamenriderspider5292]

27:43 I think the reason that Daniel is here is because this event reintroduced his grandfather, Carter Hall, to the DCU. Even though his birth happened in the Sandman book, he was conceived in the Infinity Inc. book

[@RabblesTheBinx]

I mean, why wouldn't they bring Hector into the story, as well, then? I don't remember Dream ever referencing their relation or even interacting with Carter in this story, though I could be wrong.

[@MaskedMask920]

'I knew this was a nightmare, how else could I be happy about my son playing rock and Roll?!' Legit laughed for a good...40 seconds at that. Good line.

[@FNGLHR]

So after three terrible events we end on one that actually isn't terrible at all, it's just too much, too fast and all at once. And certainly not something you want to introduce to a new reader or someone who is not read for overcomplicated lore heavy insanity. Homer: Marge I'm confused, is this a happy ending or a bad ending? Marge: It's an ending, that's enough.

[@L1701]

3 terrible events and one that is basically the result of Scott Snyder snorting an Everest-sized pile of cocaine and pulped DC comic books.

[@NoahDaArk]

@@L1701 And yet the drug crazed Snyder still remebered the most important thing about superheroes: they're HEROES!

[@L1701]

@@NoahDaArk I didn't say Metal was bad. But it is everything I hate about current DC. Continuity confusion, all the Bat-wanking, and just makes me want the Pre-Flashpoint DCU back.

[@NoahDaArk]

@@L1701 Yeah that is true, and if I got the chance to write a DC comic the first thing I’d do is have The Joker humiliate the Batman Who Laughs, non-existence be damned. But in comparison to the OTHER event comics seen in Event Comics Month 4… Dark Nights Metal remembers that it’s heroes and heroes and they should DO heroic things! And I think that’s worth praising

[@the4thwallkid132]

"Looks at the title card" Man, Linkara's new ranger form looks really Shiny

[@Future_Vantas]

Secret Rare 1st Edition Linkara

[@KenshiImmortalWolf]

You know damien is right, he was already winning, how many 13 year olds would of considered getting to do what he did to be the most badass victory in their lives?

[@LaydiNite]

That line made me crack up. It's true, that is an absolute win in the eyes of a teen boy.

[@KenshiImmortalWolf]

@@LaydiNite Hell it's a win for bruce cause damien is thinking like a proper teen boy and not a blood thirsty assassin that his mother and grandpa tried to make him.

[@MrSGZone]

While I agree with a lot of the criticisms I still get a little smile while watching him read this comic. It's kind of like the original Broly It's so dumb but it's so damn cool.

[@killerzombie2171]

I kinda feel…like that’s the EXACT reason it was made…”this is idea is dumb…but fuck this will be cool for the creative ideals”

[@L1701]

@@killerzombie2171 DC Comics: “WE *DO* COCAIIIIIIIIIIINE!”

[@jacklovejoy5290]

DC really needs the editorial and writing teams to sit down and write a big book of lore so they can all stick to one continuity. I think this is their biggest problem, they need to decide: Who is in their modern multiverse What shape the multiverse takes Who knows about who Where everyone is What everyone is doing Limits on everyone's powers (looking at you literally all the DC magic users) Fundamental laws of their multiverse And when they've done that they need to plot out where the multiverse is going so that they can time the events to stop interrupting things and get some semblence of a continuity because currently DC's continuity is an etch-a-sketch that they change whenever an author has a cool idea that they then have to retcon to try and get it to fit back together. I know we all complain about editorial mandates but the editorial staff should have some form of coordinating role to make the multiverse fucking work and not be afraid to tell people to stop when they start rewriting things on a whim

[@jacklovejoy5290]

Also, make an introduction book about the characters so we can stop using the fucking wikis and blogs to work out how the characters differ from the various animated versions that new readers are all more familiar with. Like Zatanna Zatara, she's in the medium power range in the animated stuff and then in the comics she's literally rewriting the multiverse with a thought and they made her speaking backwards gimmick "just a concentration mechanism" rather than the defining part of her powers.

[@bthsr7113]

I do agree that they need to just sit down together and figure this out. Mind you, some of these writers and editors would make a mess out of it, but it's just chaos.

[@L1701]

That would actually require work and effort on their part, so we know they won’t do it.

[@NoahDaArk]

Wait... so what Marvel Studios does at their summits? Where everyone gets together and figures out the plot *before* making their movies? Why is Marvel Studios making better comic book stories then ACTUAL comic books?

[@Mask0fFate]

40:20 What makes it better, or possibly worse, is that DC was fully aware of how unpopular the Batman Who Laughs was becoming, so when you first see him in “Dark Nights: Death Metal”, his first line is essentially him talking to the audience about how he knows they’re sick of him and want him to go away.

[@101Mant]

I was sick of him before he was created, the whole Batman tired is the smartest person ever and can beat anyone turned up to 11, the least interesting take on Batman, with the least interesting parts of the Joker tacked on. Batman becoming jokerfied wasn't even an original concept. He feels so 90s and pointlessly edgy (as well as generally pointless).

[@autobotstarscream765]

So basically, instead of shelving him, they milked him for heel heat. 😂

[@maddiewettach4954]

I choose to assume the Challengers of the Unknown were created to give scientists prone to accidentally getting superpowers a way to avoid the default of becoming supervillains.

[@mikegates8993]

That is a brilliant idea.

[@omarsalem1219]

The fantastic four?

[@jakarnilson]

@@omarsalem1219 It should be noted that Challengers not only predates Marvel's First Family, but they were also created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.

[@TheEman11910]

And those poor bastards without a phd get shipped off to the Doom Patrol

[@maddiewettach4954]

Mr. Fantastic: (sits down on a chair backwards like Captain America): So, you’re a scientist in a superhero universe. You may be thinking of turning evil, but there’s another way.

[@PosthumanHeresy]

23:10 Well... since Dream is here, it _was_ always mystical. The Endless define their inverse as much as they define what they are, as Destruction says. The inverse of them can only exist through it's mirror of them. Destruction defines Peace, Despair defines Hope, Desire defines Apathy, Delirium defines Sanity, Destiny defines Free Will, and Dream defines Reality. Now consider Dream of 1000 Cats. The Dark Multiverse does actually follow the logic presented when Dream is canon. Their fears, their nightmares spawning universes via The Dreaming would fit here perfectly.

[@colinvandenberg3446]

The emotional spectrum Lantern Corps is the only example I can think of an over-complicated retcon that actually worked. It opened avenues for new stories and characters without sacrificing what made the stories good in the first place.

[@michaelrhett4958]

34:20-34:27 Honestly, I don’t think that plan is even in the top *5* most insane things Batman has planned or did in comic book history.

[@baddealdude807]

A lot of the evil batmen have some of the most insane backstories and names I have read in recent comics. Seriously, Red Death, murder machine, dawn breaker and Devastater are fucking crazy

[@Ashurman666]

Murder Machine is especially nuts because his backstory doesn't just affect Bruce but also Alfred. He was literally born from the most innocent thing.

[@MegamanNG]

All the evil Batmen also represent Batman's various fears and insecurities.

[@atiredfloridian777]

Insane in a good way, they're so metal

[@sebastianevangelista4921]

The comic store I go to sold pins of the dark Batmen's symbols when the series was being released and I still have all 6

[@MegamanNG]

@@sebastianevangelista4921 That's awesome.

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

"It complicates the multiverse!" How do you even do that?

[@trash-heap3989]

1:06:34 That is so "last fight of Earthbound" and I love it.

[@UltimateMayhemVX]

At least Carter wasn't a hockey puck here

[@DarkfireTaimatsu]

My favourite part of this event were actually the tie-ins that explain the backstories of all these alternate evil Batmans. I just really kinda dig that stuff~

[@kramermariav]

Same!

[@jaredohlstein7355]

Yeah I enjoyed those tie-ins, especially The DawnBreaker one (teenage corrupted Batman /Green Lantern)

[@0ctothorp]

That's great tie in material too!

[@TevyaSmolka]

Same here and honestly my favorite devestator mostly because well he turned Lois lane into a monster but also made my boy Jonathan Samuel Kent superboy as his 10 year old self watch his own mom turn into a monster which was really mess up but also sad and depressing.

[@DuelaDent52]

I really liked the Merciless and the Drowned, their stories were cool.

[@charlieseen]

Man, I love the idea of a story exploring Batman's fear of what death turns him into; manifesting his worst case image of what he could become if he killed, what grief could drive him to do, into an actual Evil Version Of Himself he had to fight. Sure wish it was in a comic that focused on that alone instead of a convoluted Crisis event!

[@Mask0fFate]

15:03 Honestly, to go on a slight tangent, one of the reasons I love Dark Nights Death Metal, the sequel to this event, is because it tried to be the counter to this. Yeah, in-universe, the whole “everyone remembers everything from every past iteration/reboot” would probably screw with people… But by the end of the story, it felt that, by accepting everything about their pasts, for better and for worse, it COULD allow them to move on, to grow, to expand, and hopefully not repeat the same mistakes. And honestly, it gave me hope. Hope that things would genuinely improve and change for the better. But that hope was tainted. Because I knew, despite all their talks of “not repeating mistakes”, I knew that after the book, they were just gonna slip back into the status quo, with maybe a few changes here and there, and just keep pulling the same BS they were doing before. And, from what I’ve heard, I was right.

[@ZannacrossG1]

Don't they already have a " Dark Crises" going on that's suppose to be even more extreme after Death Metal? They sure used up that good will rather fast.

[@FireTrainer92]

@@ZannacrossG1 the solicits of Dark Crisis isnt really that

[@FireTrainer92]

nah things have been pretty solid.

[@bazzjedimaster]

The Batman who laughs is one of those characters who was completely fine within their original event but DC started to almost inmediatly to overuse the moment the character became popular, efectivelly oversaturating fans with it to the point no one wanted to see them anymore, Marvel fans might find this familiar, since this exact thing happened with Knull the symbiote god.

[@hydestreet251]

Pretty sure that the original Batman 66 Theme was on an electric guitar too. Havn't watched a lot of that show, so maybe I just think so because I associate it with electric guitar versions. Its kind of a surf rock standard at this point. Also, i think this is my first comment so just wanna say I love your channel. Your righteous fury is an inspiration to us all.

[@coreylineberry8557]

28:35 The thing is... This is unironically true. Notably, after Final Crisis, once Bruce Wayne returned, he publicly announced that be funded Batman and founded Batman, Incorporated, where he would find and recruit people to wear the Symbol of the Bat.

[@kingsadvisor18]

Hot Take: Of all the Event Comics this year, Dark Knights Metal has the best art, fight me. A++ to Greg Capullo

[@benwasserman8223]

I mean I give it an A just for The Batman Who Laughs’ look. That mouth and barbed visor over the eyes- that’s just disturbing as hell.

[@danubeisreallypeculiarrive7944]

@@benwasserman8223 He probably listens to Rock and roll! It's truly the most twisted version of Batman!

[@ForrestFox626]

I can see it

[@tomthespaceknerd5396]

I have to agree. While I have my issues with the story, the art is just brilliant throughout.

[@ObsidianOx-GM]

1:02:45 I was expecting combine harvester, I am not even a little disappointed by what Linkara did instead.

[@o76923]

I wonder if that's one of the things he can't do anymore because of copyright strikes.

[@DeisFortuna]

@@o76923 I hope he can still do combine harvester moments and we now just have an alternate break for things that cause EVEN THE COMBINE HARVESTER to break.

[@richardfernandes880]

I started giggling maniacally when he started slow turning his head; slowly at first then build up

[@undead923]

19:23 1:02:48 1:07:50 Moments like this makes me love the show. Also, points to the JLU style intro theme

[@Polycomical]

Massive bonus points for the Look Around You clip in an already fab video. Thanks Linkara. Thankara.

[@FlashNeko417]

As a Genshin Impact player, having the main villain named "Barbatos" just makes me imagine the Justice League getting endlessly smacked around by a small bard with a drinking problem.

[@jsb6975.ah.crapbaskets]

When I first heard the name I immediately thought it would be that guy from Futurama coming to limbo the DCU into submission.

[@mitchfletcher2386]

@@jsb6975.ah.crapbaskets You mean... BARBADOS SLIM?!?

[@genesismultiverse4896]

*1:02:58* already can't stop laughing since I can see the overreaction shock even if I don't know why

[@myriadmediamusings]

Much as I like the Marvel events covered because of my familarity and fondness for it, its always the DC events in these Event Comics Months that really pique my interest because I genuinely dont know whats happening and want to see how it plays out in the review. Also I noticed how a lot of these DC events tend to be world-shattering or epic in one scope or another.

[@RabblesTheBinx]

it kinda has to be, DC characters are so OP that if it ISN'T a universal/multiversal threat, any one of them could handle the whole event by themselves.

[@KertaDrake]

I feel like DC tends to do events better, even though they tend towards ridiculous scales and default to "Entire universe is about to be destroyed" and killing off Titans by the dozen too often. Marvel feels like it can only make an event by making a few characters act wildly stupid to make the plot happen, but often has better ideas at the core of the events.

[@ZatchZXman]

It helps that the heroes are all buddy buddy with each other and we don't have to consistently worry about baggage just to justify heroes fighting heroes. Think about it, the majority of Marvel events are heroes fighting heroes because of petty reasons and refusing to talk it out. Or Tony being a giant DICK. Then heroes fight each other for one reason or another. DC events? Some asshole is wrecking shit so bad that the entire DC universe needs to help.

[@cartoonkelly7924]

Yeah, so Winter of ‘83 made me sleep with the lights on for a week. Well done sir.

[@jagnestormskull3178]

I feel like your Lovecraftian concept of the Dark Multiverse and the one we got could be combined - a Batman seemingly made up of a sentient fog coordinating an army of monsters with crystalline eyes, sarlac mouths, and other mismatched appendages. Ghosts of alien races that don't exist anymore. Homunculi assembling themselves from mud. Rather than Joker-headed dragons, dragons who have different heads depending on who is looking at them and what angle. Or we could keep Joket-headed dragons, whichever is cooler. P.S. I understand that people might be hesitant to read comics that are loaded with obscure lore, but it also gives people like me who love worldbuilding a chance to look for that lore.

[@COMICSAREAWESOME]

Great video as always!!! As for this story... 1. Dark Nights Metal is frustrating but somehow manages to keep the reader hooked. Which is honestly my thoughts on most of Scott Snyder's DC work. It's like admiring a scenic outdoors location...while you're running for your life because a tiger is on your heels. 2. This is also one of the few DC events that has the Justice League as the main protagonists. They're in the background of COIE and Final Crisis, disbanded during Infinite Crisis, in disarray during Forever Evil and Blackest Night, and in Zero Hour...well, everybody was in the League at that time so I don't think that should count. 3. As a follow-up to my previous point, it is disappointing to see Hal here as opposed to Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz - who were the Lanterns of the League at the time. It felt like DC didn't have enough faith in them, and they got written out of the title soon after. Jessica at least became part of Justice League Odyssey, while Simon despite being on Earth ended up giving his spot to John Stewart. He literally got demoted to reserve status.

[@TevyaSmolka]

I love viga's title card with you in the 10th metal armor and batman who laughs saying shiny because it looks so cute ;).

[@BlueJaguarRanger]

My biggest issue with Metal honestly was that I think it was…….I’ll-timed. At this point Doomsday Clock was supposed to be starting soon and theoretically fix continuity, or at least the DC Universe was supposed to start tying into directly. That when the book started it would be taking place a year into the future of the DCU, and that over the year it was supposed to take, the DCU would move towards the status quo of Clock. Kinda like how Secret Wars I and One Year Later/52 functioned, but in reverse. Now, admittedly, Clock got delayed repeatedly so that wouldn’t have played out even without Metal, but it feels like to me that Metal disrupted things especially with all its aftermath that I was kinda frustrated. But by the end, I was all in.

[@mttylerdurden9]

Scott Snyder's DC work and Jonathan Hickman's work on X-Men shows how much influence Grant Morrison has had on writers.

[@TheVegeta67]

We've reach the generation where people are trying to imitate Grant Morrison instead of Alan Moore.

[@rainspectre3153]

@@TheVegeta67 Morrison actually commented on this in one of their blog posts, worth noting.

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

@@TheVegeta67 honestly, Moore just seems so cynical and jaded towards superheroes and comics in general that I don't mind this. Don't get me wrong, Moore is great but I just wouldn't mind having a bit more of Morrison's abject love for the medium and superheroes. Morrison's a lot but I can do with a bit less cynicism personally and for all Morrison is a lot in his writing, he's not cynical.

[@armandotorres8962]

@@TheVegeta67 Nice

[@johnathonhaney8291]

@@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat Morrison is always at their best when they write superheroes...period. Otherwise, their big ideas go off the rails and wreck the story. Moore...well, whatever has been eating at him all these years finally got the better of him.

[@ZatchZXman]

This comic feels less of a parody of 90s comics, but a song. Like those prog rock songs where the whole album tells a story. It doesn't entirely make sense and is a ride that will shake you and send you on a trip. Going from hell and back and valkyries sing. It's not a perfect masterpiece, but it is one helluva ride!

[@keirgomcginlay2044]

So what you're saying is that Dark Nights: Metal is not about death, but life? I'm really happy you did this one. This seemed so much to me an event that was just going to cement DC's spiral into edge and blood and GRRR BATMAN that it made me despair. To see its flaws laid out, but more importantly, its hopeful virtues praised, even if the over all product is a clumsy duck of a book, was really good and uplifting. Hope you enjoy your rest!

[@Robin0928]

I find DNM to be one of the dumbest but most fun events DC has done in a while. But the fallout of the silly dumb event where DC saw money for stuff like Batman who Laughs and have tried their damndest to ruin what made this event fun. I totally get why people hate event comics and this one in particular, but this is my kinda stupid nonsense. The best Event comics to me are the ones that feel like the writers and artists at Marvel and DC smashing all the toys in the toy box together and getting to let loose with weird ideas that wouldn't make sense any other time.

[@Bezaliel13]

Personally, I prefer this truly big, all-encompassing event over Marvel's "here's yet another older than the universe being of primordial darkness," like Chaos King, Nyx, Null, The One Below All, etc.

[@rainspectre3153]

One good thing DC has started doing starting with Death Metal (especially since Didio's firing) is separating events from the rest of the books in favour of one-shots that act as additional chapters. Williamson has confirmed as much for Dark Crisis, meaning readers won't have stories hijacked.

[@rainspectre3153]

@@Bezaliel13 It's kinda amazing how samey Marvel events since Secret Empire have been. They're still coming out on a yearly basis, but now they're virtually identical and seem to just exist to conclude the story of one popular ongoing at the time.

[@Bezaliel13]

@@rainspectre3153 At least that did not introduce yet another one... is what I would say if not for the little girl Cosmic Cube. I still am annoyed at the time Hulk dismissed Knull, an ancient evil embodiment of primordial darkness that was older than the universe, because he was busy with the OBA, another ancient evil of primordial darkness that was older than the universe. I do not even know who Nyx was in the comics!

[@ZatchZXman]

@@Bezaliel13 Maximum Carnage and King in Black was very fun to read. It was balls to the walls insane.

[@Dynaman21]

I feel like the Justice League Megazord is supposed to just be an example of the story’s tone, big, loud, and exciting. That’s the goal anyway. Then again I won’t complain about DC finally giving an answer to the Shogun Warriors toys and Red Ronin.

[@dominiqueodom3099]

This comic mightve given us The Batman who laughs but for me it will be remembered as the Redemption of Superboy Prime.

[@PosthumanHeresy]

27:00 Ngl, as someone who was actively reading when this came out, I was so excited to see Daniel. Why? Because Daniel can only exist if New Earth still happened. Daniel is a paradox in the N52. Daniel was the first sign of the death of the New 52. Because if he's here, all of New Earth still happened. The Hawks being involved in the event made it even more apparent. They're actively drawing your attention to the paradox. This was the first promise it would finally die. I don't feel it cheapens him because it's the perfect moment to pull him in. They establish that nightmares spawn universes, invoking Dream defines Reality. They establish N52 Hawks. And then they scream the paradox. It doesn't make them part of the reboots, it weakens the reboots. Daniel here is the same as Wally later: proof that the N52 is an aberration in-universe, that it is a violation of reality, not the set reality. Him being reboot-proof means that everything that happened in New Earth happened. If it had been Morpheus, that would have been cheapening.

[@ztyran]

33:02 I think it comes from the Marvel Concept developed in "What If?" where later books like the Spider-Verse showed that each of these stories are their own universe. Even the evil Batmen are basically this concept, what if Batman became the Joker, etc.