Dark Nights: Death Metal: Speed Metal #1

Writer: Joshua Williamson Artist: Eddy Barrows Publisher: DC Comics Release Date: September 23, 2020 Cover Price: $5.99 Critic Reviews: 17 User Reviews: 47
8.6Critic Rating
8.2User Rating

It's the drag race from hell in this one-shot tie-in to Dark Nights: Death Metal! Taking place after the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal #3, the Darkest Knight is after Wally West and his Dr. Manhattan powers. Thankfully, Wally has backup in the form of Barry Allen, Jay Garrick, and Wallace West! It's a knockdown, drag-out race through the Wastelands as the Flash Family tries to stay steps ahead of the Darkest Knight and his Lightning Knights!

  • 10
    Dark Knight News - Steve J Ray Sep 24, 2020

    If you're a Flash fan, a DC fan, or a comics fan in general...heck even if you're not, I highly recommend picking up this comic. Read Full Review

  • 10
    Lyles Movie Files - Jeffrey Lyles Sep 22, 2020

    Don't miss this issue as it's a key Death Metal issue and a tremendous read for Flash fans. Read Full Review

  • 10
    Impulse Gamer - Andrew Bistak Sep 22, 2020

    All in all, Dark Knights Death Metal Speed Metal #1 was a spectacular issue thanks to writer Joshua Williamson with some stunning art by Eddy Barrows. Williamson successfully returns The Flash family to the DCU (hopefully) and Barrows brings it all to life. There's also a great moment between Wally and Barry in an almost passing of the torch scene. Definitely one for Flash fans and is a great side book of Dark Knights Death Metal! Read Full Review

  • 10
    DC Comics News - Derek McNeil Sep 25, 2020

    Dark Nights: Death Metal Speed Metal #1 was a beautiful epilogue to Williamson's epic Flash saga. While “Finish Line” nicely finished off his Barry Allen story, Speed Metal brought that story full circle. Williamson's epic tale both begins and ends with a focus on the strong bond of friendship between Wally and Barry. As a fan of Williamson's run on The Flash, this week has made me extremely happy, but also saddened that he has reached the end of his time as caretaker of the Flash mythos. Read Full Review

  • 10
    But Why Tho? - CJ Sep 22, 2020

    Dark Nights: Death Metal-Speed Metal #1 is the perfect love letter to Wally West, and a great stand alone tale that readers who aren't invested in the Death Metal story can enjoy. Flash fans definitely have to pick this book up. Read Full Review

  • 9.6
    Forces Of Geek - Lenny Schwartz Sep 23, 2020

    The last page is simply awesome. This is the perfect place for Wally to be. It's great. Read Full Review

  • 9.5
    Geek Dad - Ray Goldfield Sep 22, 2020

    It's a two-for-one Flash-fest by Josh Williamson this week, as he says goodbye to his extended run on the main book and writes this oversized Death Metal tie-in. So does he have anything else to say on the Flash Family? It turns out the answer is yes, as he hasn't been able to give Wally West the focus " until now. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    Newsarama - Oscar Maltby Sep 22, 2020

    Dark Nights: Death Metal: Speed Metal #1 ultimately ends on a win for the good guys, balancing out the unrelenting bleakness of Trinity Crisis and offering at least a little hope as we move ever closer to October's Death Metal #4. This is a tidy little one-shot that mostly serves as a celebration of all things Flash and adds an important building block to the overarching Death Metal fortress. There is an emotional buy-in to the Flash necessary to enjoy this at its fullest, but there's enough eye candy here for anyone invested in Death Metal to enjoy. An essential for Flash fans. Read Full Review

  • 8.6
    Monkeys Fighting Robots - Matthew Brake Sep 22, 2020

    The Flashes outrun the Darkest Knight, and Wally West reminds everyone that he is still worthy of being The Flash! Read Full Review

  • 8.5
    AIPT - David Brooke Sep 22, 2020

    Dark Nights: Death Metal Speed Metal is another good one-shot in an event that has taken a month off to let side stories percolate. Speed Metal is a wholesome superhero tale with a believable Flash family capable of defeating the worst evil imaginable. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    Multiversity Comics - Gregory Ellner Sep 29, 2020

    Despite being part of a far larger story, 'Speed Metal' shows the heart in the development of the Flash family's post-Rebirth status quo. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    ComicBook.com - Jenna Anderson Sep 23, 2020

    The art from Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira keeps the energy you'd expect from a Flash book, but gives it a bodacious, rock-and-roll flair. Wally West fans"and fans of just good comic storytelling"won't want to miss this. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    GWW - Nick Friar Sep 22, 2020

    Still an important read with a good Wally-Barry dynamic. But, the aforementioned issue didn't sit well with me. Read Full Review

  • 7.7
    Comic Watch - Matt Meyer Sep 22, 2020

    Dark Nights: Death Metal - Speed Metal #1 isn't the most jaw-dropping comic you'll ever read, but it's a meat-and-potatoes race against time that at last brings Wally West's Rebirth-era comeback to a satisfying conclusion. Flash fans, you dare not miss this comic! Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Weird Science - Eric Shea Sep 22, 2020

    The Flash Family are on the run of their lives and that's what they're going to do here...... run back and forth to achieve their goals, while arguing about what their goals are, but eventually they're going to find their footing and they're going to be who they should have been throughout this story, instead of having drama that seemed unwarranted for the time and place. This is a mixed bag of a story for me, but the art looks great throughout and the story feels important so ultimately if you're a Flash fan and a Death Metal fan you'll want to check this out. Read Full Review

  • 6.3
    Major Spoilers - Matthew Peterson Sep 26, 2020

    This issue works on an emotional level, and I'm happy to see them trying to return Wally West's Flash to a place of prominence, but it's one long high-speed chase without a lot of context. It's good to see characters like Jay and Max again, but there's not a lot of heft to the issue. Read Full Review

  • 5.5
    Batman-News - Nicholas Finch Sep 23, 2020

    If there's anything I've said in this review that was inaccurate, I am happy to defer to the knowledge of those heavily invested in Williamson's Flash saga. I am only able to review this as a casual reader: one who is familiar with everything in Death Metal, but less so with some character arcs operating at the fringes. As it stands, it's perfectly readable, and might have greater value for those with more of a stake in the story! Hell, even I might like this more if I come back to it in the future. For now, however, I remain worried about if the promises of this issue hold any weight: or if, like Rebirth, they're unable to make it to the finish line. Read Full Review

Reviews for the Week of...

May

1st

April

March

More