The Caped Crusader is going metal this year, with the release of the comic book series Dark Nights: Metal. Batman has had a lot of adventures on the comic book page over the years, so it’s hard to pick a definitive history of the character. Still, some of these stories have served as the jumping off points for other media featuring the Dark Knight. Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, for instance, helped inform Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. It’s clear that the DCEU take on Bruce Wayne also incorporatse elements from Death in the Family and maybe even The Killing Joke, now that Batgirl is on its way.

Meanwhile, Gotham has begun adapting the Court of Owls arc, based on the event that kicked off the New 52 version of Batman; as crafted by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. The pair have gone on to tell some of the more definitive tales about the Dark Knight since then, in comic book form. While they’ve been away for awhile and DC has since relaunched things again with Rebith, the pair will be back this summer for Dark Knights: Metal - a Batman comics story that promises to turn the DC Universe’s dark past on its head.

CBR was able to attend a recent event announcing the new book. You can check out the cover below, followed by some information from the creative team involved:

Though it’s ostensibly a Batman story, Metal will delve deep into the whole DC Universe and explore a number of alternate paths and nightmarish visions of things that could have been. It will also heavily focus on the other stories Snyder and Capullo have crafted, something the former went into more detail about:

Not only will this news be exciting for Batman fans, but it’ll be a great way to reexamine and reread the stories the creative team have already written. Snyder also promised that it would’t reset things back to before Rebirth, but would rather expand on the new universe:

“I’ve been planning ‘Metal’ for as long as I’ve been writing ‘Batman,’ but this is bigger than ‘Batman.’ Greg and I started dropping clues during ‘Court of Owls,’ we continued through our Joker stories and we placed our biggest hints in the run that culminated with ‘Batman’ #50. And now we’re back to tell a story that breaks everything apart. This will be the definitive project of our careers. ‘Metal’ takes us in an entirely new direction. Greg and I will dig beneath the surface of all the stories we’ve told to find a place of terror and twisted nightmares.”

Capullo, meanwhile, offered his thoughts on the project. While he was light on details, his enthusiasm for the upcoming project is palpable:

“I want ‘Metal’ to be built upon the stories happening now in Rebirth and create new material that feels really modern and different. And above all, it’s going to be fun. Even with terror and nightmares, it won’t be grim. ‘Dark Nights: Metal’ will be celebratory, huge and crazy. I’ve said it before: I am going for out-of-control dinosaurs and lasers.”

We also learned from DC’s Dan DiDio (via Syfy Wire) that the new pseudo-event will tie into the recent death of Hawkman. That ‘death’ already seemed to be temporary - as these things are in comics - but it looks like it will factor into the nightmares and alternate realities on which Dark Nights will heavily focus.

“As you’ve probably heard by now, brother Scott and I are renewing our comic wedding vows. I’m looking forward to rock’n’ and roll’n’ together again. Fans have been loud and clear; they want more from us. You know what they say; give the people what they want. Jonathan Glapion and FCO, the original Bat team, will be riding the lightning with Scott and I once again. We’re primed and ready to blow it up.”

In the meantime, DC will be setting up the new book with a couple of prelude comics. On June 14, Dark Days: The Forge will premiere, followed by Dark Days: The Casting on July 12. Both titles will feature writing from Snyder and others, such as James Tynion IV, with art by the likes of Andy Kubert, Jim Lee, and John Romita Jr. The all-star line-up should give us an indication of how big the new story will be for DC, and the company is set to bring us more news on the project later this month.

Dark Nights: Metal debuts this August from DC Comics.

Source: CBR, Syfy Wire