The new DC crossover event, Dark Nights: Metal, has been quite a wild ride. This month we saw the release of the Batman tie-in comic: Batman Lost. This issue takes place between issues three and four of the main six issue event, and serves as an exploration of the dark multiverse. The comic was written by Scott Snyder (the man heading this crossover event), James Tynion IV, and Joshua Williamson.
The tie-in issue starts with an elderly Bruce Wayne and his Granddaughter. He begins to read her a Batman story, but something is clearly amiss. The story Bruce is reading does not seem to be the way he remembered it, leading the audience to realize this normal storytelling trope is soon to be subverted. The comic then features Bruce traveling through different layers of the dark multiverse. Although aware that he is outside of the realms of normal reality, our hero cannot seem to escape.
This comic is essentially told through a stream of consciousness approach. There are several different interweaving stories which don’t show one particular linear story arc, but instead present us with insight on Bruce Wayne’s psyche. We see the personal torment our protagonist constantly deals with, and how his self-doubt / self-pity is his biggest weakness. While drifting through the dark multiverse we learn that,
“You see the dark empty truth of yourself”
Evidently Batman Lost is an appropriate title for this tie-in issue.
As for the artwork, I found it to be exceptional. Particularly the two splash pages near the end of the issue. I would recommend this one-off for anyone who is enjoying the Dark Nights event, although I don’t think knowledge of the larger crossover event would be necessary to enjoy this comic.
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