Death Metal aims to give 'new legs' to Lobo, Sgt. Rock, Jonah Hex, more

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.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)