Some thoughts about Death Metal: The Multiverse who Laughs #1

How can such Dark Multiverse exist?

Robin King is going to tell stories about the darkest corners of reality which include even such bizarre things like killer pets.

This premise is so ill-conceived that I was dreading reading this.

At this point the Dark Multiverse is such a tiring idea that anything that comes from it is eye-rolling. Hell, it was probably a poor concept to begin with ("Oh, is just the Multiverse but darker!") but I was willing to give it a few chances early on but now the whole thing should die because is all pretty repetitive and this issue doesn't prove otherwise.

Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV and poor Joshua Williamson who is once again dragged into this whole mess tell a story about Robin King who is describing the many twisted characters from the Dark Multiverse. In a moment of complete lack of self-awareness Robin King tells the reader "I know you're sick of those stories that never deviate!" refering to the classic tales of the DCU and I was like "Jesus Christ, do you realize what stories are you currently writing?!". Someone at DC needs to tell Snyder to re-read his own stuff (Tynion too while they're at it).  Juan Gedeon's bizarre and, well, dark style is fitting for the segment at least.

There's a highlight here though, Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner bring a story about the Super-Pets bringing the zombie pet Apocalypse, is just full of fun and terror, featuring obscure pet heroes like Bippo the Super Monkey, Comet the Super Horse and the lovable Bat-Cow. Chad Hardin's expressive and flexible art is really appropriate for the tale.

I was kinda excited for the story about Green Arrow and Green Lantern but I don't even understand the point of it since it ends before it even really begins, Saladin Ahmed really disappointed here. Scot Eaton's art is nice to look at at least.

Finally Brandon Thomas closes the special with a story featuring both Steel and Azrael that plays with the similarities of both heroes in this dark manner which is fine I guess but nothing memorable. Thomas Mandrake's gritty pencils were a nice choice though.

This tie-in is just not worth the money, at least not only for the Super Pets.