It’s not like we’ve known this for a while, but Bruce Timm’s return to DC animation, Justice League: Gods and Monsters, wastes no time in getting down to the grim and gritty. See it in action in this first episode from the prequel web series, as new Batman, Kirk Langstrom, hunts down a psychotic Harley Quinn.

I guess it’s right there in the title, “Twisted”, but this opening episode of Gods and Monsters Chronicles, Machinima and DC’s three-part prequel series to the Gods and Monsters animated movie, really does deliver a messed up alternate take on the DC universe. Focusing on the new (and vampiric) Batman, the short episode sees the Dark Knight investigate Harley Quinn’s hideout, complete with gruesome body bits and corpse displays. And yet, things evidently get worse!

To whet your appetite for non-Batman shenanigans, here’s a few pictures sent along giving a sneak peak as to what Wonder Woman and Superman will be up to in the series:

It’s cool to see Bruce Timm back on DC animation, but I almost wish he was doing something a little more lighter in tone than this. Still, Gods and Monsters is setting up a relatively interesting world for these darker takes on the Justice League to inhabit, so it’ll be cool to see how it all plays out over the next few weeks.

Gods and Monsters Chronicles will air weekly on Machinima’s youtube page ahead of the full movie’s release on Blu-Ray and digitally July 28th.