Review: Batman: The Red Death

Quick Summary

Pros: The concept here is well thought out and executed. This Batman origin story is appropriately tragic. The hints for the future are tantalizing. The artwork looks great.

Cons: The issue feels a little short, possibly because it details two thematically different stories.

Overall: This is an explosive start to the Dark Knights tie-ins that is great on its own and serves as a solid jumping off point for the rest of the issues. It features a thrilling and tragic origin story for one of the “Dark Batmen” while also showing some of his first actions in this world. With an entertaining story and beautiful art, this issue is a serious success. If all of the Dark Knights tie-in issues are this good then readers are in for a treat.

Story

Batman: The Red Death is the first of seven one-shot issues seeking to explore origins behind each of the “Dark Batmen” who have invaded the main DC Universe. As such, it is roughly split into two distinct sections: one showing the Red Death’s origin story in his universe and the other showing the Red Death’s first foray into this universe. Both stories are dark and interesting, and do a great job in helping to further the lore behind the Metal event as a whole while also standing on their own.

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The first half of the book is completely dedicated to showing the Red Death’s origin. It is an incredibly dark and twisted tale involving Batman going crazy and stealing the Flash’s access to the Speed Force. After doing so, he goes on a killing spree, certain that this is the best way to deal with crime in Gotham. It is pretty brutal for any normal villain but seeing Batman do it, even a different version, somehow makes it even worse.

Then, the issue connects itself back to the Metal event as a whole. The Batman Who Laughs shows up as the dark Earth-52 is falling apart. He offers the Red Death a way out: help Barbatos invade Earth-0 and he will be able to live. This explains where these dark versions of Batman are coming from and indicates that they each have a specific reason for being there. It also implies that The Batman Who Laughs is the group’s leader, second only to Barbatos. All of this is extremely interesting and a good background upon which to set the rest of the event.

Readers then get to see the Red Death’s invasion into the normal DC Universe. He immediately targets Wally and Iris, doing something to them that doesn’t kill them but also seems to be painful. He also easily dispatches the Flash, who only manages to survive because he is saved by Dr. Fate. The Red Death’s first few moments on this Earth are as gruesome as his last moments on his Earth, something that does not bode well for the heroes.

Outside of the main story, it also needs to be said that the entire concept behind this issue has been extremely well executed. It pays homage to The Dark Knight Returns while also being somewhat of a return to the Elseworld stories that DC used to do. These aren’t necessarily things that all fans will appreciate or even notice but is something that longtime readers will definitely appreciate.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The art and colors for this book are done by Carmine Di Giandomenico and Ivan Plascencia respectively. These are the same two people who put forth the fantastic artwork in The Flash Vol. 1: Lightning Strikes Twice, and the result is just as beautiful (see our review here for a longer description of why we liked it). Giandomenico provides a visual style that perfectly demonstrates the power of the Speed Force and how Barry channels it into everything he does. Then Plascencia adds a color pallet that is dark and foreboding while also being incredibly varied; he don’t just stick to black and grey. The end product looks great and is just the right combination of Batman and the Flash to make this work.

Continuity

Batman: The Red Death is part of a series of seven one-shots designed as tie-ins to Dark Nights: Metal. The beginning of the issue stands completely on its own as a story in an alternate universe. The end of the issue flows out of the events of Metal #2 (Review).

For more information on the timeline of the Metal event see our “Metal Timeline” right here.

This issue also references the stories from other comic books, all of which are detailed below:

• The entirety of this new dark Earth-52 seems to be based on Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns.
  • The Batmobile is nearly identical, Bruce’s character design is similar, and the criminals in Gotham wear the same eyewear.
• Iris makes a reference to the events of The Flash #27, which will be collected in The Flash Vol. 4: Running Scared.
• The events of Metal #1 (Review) and Metal #2 (Review) are both referenced.
• Dr. Fate’s last appearance was in Metal #1 (Review)