Dark Nights: Death Metal isn't just a showcase for Batman and the 'Big 7,' series architect Scott Snyder tells Newsarama - it's also to rejuvenate several other DC characters he (and others) have missed seeing in comics regularly.
"We're trying to re-introduce a few characters here," Snyder told Newsarama. "Jonah Hex, Sgt. Rock.... Sgt. Rock is kind of the narrator of the whole thing. He's the one giving them a pep talk in the beginning, even though he's definitely off his rocker. There's a reason he's half-crazy, as you'll see."
Sgt. Rock's pep talk, unlettered, has already surfaced in our nine-page first look at Tuesday's Dark Nights: Death Metal #1.
"Lobo is another one we're trying to bring back; to give some legs to again, but in a new way," the writer added. "Superboy-Prime and a bunch of other characters will be coming back in a way that re-frames them as well."
Superboy-Prime recently returned in Shazam! #10, and already popped up on the cover for the upcoming Dark Nights: Death Metal: Trinity Crisis.
"We're bringing back characters that fit with the idea of 'war,'" Snyder said. "[Death Metal] is about rebellion; throwing off old systems and overlords. There's even an American Revolutionary War reference in the first issue.
"We're re-framing some characters in ways that'll catch you off-guard in the way they're thinking and behaving, but while still be true to their core," the writer continued. "We want everything to be surprising and invigorating. It's a re-thinking of what these characters are capable of, without changing up who they are."
Death Metal is a sequel to 2017-2018's Dark Nights: Metal, which similarly 're-framed' characters such as Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and the Challengers of the Unknown,
Dark Nights: Death Metal #1 (of 7) goes on-sale Tuesday, June 16.