Batch cmd closes with ascii art?

I'm trying to make a ascii skull in batch, yet the cmd doesn't show my art OR text when opened

start cmd.exe
@echo off
color a
cls
echo ^_________-----_____^
echo ^____------ __ ----_^
echo^___---- ___------ \^
echo ^----________ ---- \^
echo ^ -----__ | _____)^
echo ^__- / \^
echo ^_______----- ___-- \ /)\^
echo ^------_______ ---____ \__/ /^
echo ^-----__ \ -- _ /\^
echo ^--__--__ \_____/ \_/\^
echo ^----| / |^
echo ^| |___________|^
echo ^| | ((_(_)| )_)^
echo ^| \_((_(_)|/(_)^
echo ^\ (^
echo ^\_____________)^
echo !OVER-PRICED COMPUTER ALERT!
echo !TERMINATE!

yet again, when I open my file NOTHING shows up. any help?

1 Answer

You hadn't escaped command character i.e. " | " with " ^ " in your script.

Here is the corrected & modified version of your script

@echo off
color a
cls
echo _________-----_____
echo ____------ __ ----_
echo ___---- ___------ \
echo ----________ ---- \
echo -----__ ^| _____)
echo __- / \
echo _______----- ___-- \ /)\
echo ------_______ ---____ \__/ /
echo -----__ \ -- _ /\
echo --__--__ \_____/ \_/\
echo ---^| / ^|
echo ^| ^|___________^|
echo ^| ^| ((_(_)^| )_)
echo ^| \_((_(_)^|/(_)
echo \ (
echo \_____________)
echo !OVER-PRICED COMPUTER ALERT!
echo !TERMINATE!
pause>nul

Removed start cmd.exe as pointed out by @DanielB and made it to pause with no comment by adding pause>nul