DARK KNIGHTS RISING: THE WILD HUNT #1/ Written by SCOTT SNYDER, GRANT MORRISON, JAMES TYNION IV & JOSHUA WILLIAMSON/ Art by HOWARD PORTER, JORGE JIMENEZ, DOUG MAHNKE & JAMIE MENDOZA/ Colors by HI-FI, ALEJANDRO SANCHEZ & WIL QUINTANA/ Letters by CLAYTON COWLES/ Published by DC COMICS

Review by MATT MORRISON

A textbook case of too many cooks spoiling the broth, the latest chapter of the Dark Nights: Metal saga can be easily skipped. While the opening chapter detailing the origin of Detective Chimp is amusing enough as a prelude and the bits with The Flash, Cyborg and Raven fighting the Dark Knights are engaging enough, most of this issue will prove completely incomprehensible to anyone who isn’t intimately familiar with Grant Morrison’s Multiversity. The constant shifts in art style do little to enhance the narrative, which explains very little of itself, such as who all the scientists working with Detective Chimp are and what the heck they’re all doing.

DETECTIVE COMICS #974/ Written by JAMES TYNION IV/ Art by PHILIPPE BRIONES/ Colors by ALLEN PASSALAQUA/ Letters by SAL CIPRIANO/ Published by DC COMICS

Review by MATT MORRISON

A Knight falls in the wake of Batwoman’s breaking ranks with Batman, in a move that could spell the end of everything Tim Drake has worked to build. There’s no easy way to sum up this issue and little point as the cover is one big spoiler for the story so far. Suffice it to say that if you’ve been reading this series, this one will hit you hard with a strong story and amazing artwork. And if you haven’t been reading this series, go pick up the first volume. I stand firm in my belief that this is the best Batman book on the stands today, but this one is not a good issue to start with.

THE FLASH #40/ Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON/ Art by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO/ Colors by IVAN PLASCENCIA/ Letters by STEVE WANDS/ Published by DC COMICS

Review by MATT MORRISON

Gorilla Grodd stands revealed as the mastermind behind The Black Hole – the super-science cabal out to steal the secrets of The Speed Force. Can Barry Allen give him the run-around?

Granting that Carmine Di Giandomenico’s stylistic choice to make the artwork around the speedster characters “juttery” is usually a strong choice, that choice results in one sloppy looking book when all of your cast have super-speed in some form or fashion. Still, the revelation that Grodd is behind The Black Hole explains quite a few things that have bothered me since the start of this series and give me hope that Fasttrack/Negative Flash might be redeemed. This isn’t a bad issue of The Flash but it will offer very little to interest new readers .

Buy these comics at your local comic book store (don’t know where that is? here you go) or digitally via comixology.com!