Knight Terrors #1 is published by DC Comics and written by Joshua Williamson. Artwork is by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stefano Nesi and Caspar Wijngaard. Colours by Frank Martin and Wijngaad and letters by Troy Peteri. Main cover art (left) is by Ivan Reis and Danny Miki
Knight Terrors #1 is available now in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold.
Synopsis
Hello, ghouls and ghosts! This is Boston Brand, a.k.a. Deadman, and I’ll be your supernatural tour guide across the Knight Terrors stories! After that fancy special oversize issue you have to read first, the whole world is trapped inside their nightmares, and Batman and I are trying to figure out who Insomnia really is…and why he wants revenge on the heroes of the DC Universe!
Review
With Knight Terrors now in full swing, it’s time for event mastermind Joshua Williamson to get to the beating heart of the story. Picking up the threads which began in last week’s First Blood, this core book in the event continues to tell a captivating story of just how and why Insomnia is terrorising the DCU.
Deadman is still our guide to this nightmarish world and the book kicks off in earnest with a little recap on how he came to be in this position. Deadman has always been a character who by design can talk to an empty room. So in a DCU where 95% of our characters are unconscious, who better to keep the audience engaged with the story than someone happy metaphorically break the fourth wall. Given that the character has been out of the mainstream for some time, these opening scenes are the perfect way to establish his place.
In reality, as it were, Deadman continues to inhabit Batman’s body whilst Bruce continues to fight for dominance on the inside. His fight is, of course, two-fold as Insomnia and Deadman are both invading his mind. But more on that in my Knight Terrors: Batman review. His mission in this book is to try and uncover the truth about Insomnia’s identity. A story which Williamson cleverly uses to tie together even more of DC’s recent storytelling.
Deadman soon uncovers that Insomnia is really just an Arkham patient who was doused in Lazarus Rain during the recent Lazarus Planet event. Remarkably he isn’t a god, he’s the product of the various different events that have been plaguing our Earth in recent months. This ties the villain intrinsically back to both Batman and Damian which goes some way to explaining how the young Robin is so prominent once again.
As with each of the books in this event I’ve read so far, Williamson is toeing the line between comedy and horror. Whilst plenty of the visuals are exploring just how twisted this event can go. Deadman’s sharp wit and often caustic remarks help to keep things flowing as well as lightening the mood.
The artwork continues to be exquisite. It’s clear that for everyone working on Knight Terrors this is a chance to go crazy and push boundaries. Martin and Wijngaad’s colour palette is equally delicious, adding to the sense of horror that has spread across Gotham and the rest of the DCU. This book in particular has a number of luscious splash-pages which are as immersive as they are impactful.
Verdict
Knight Terrors continue to be one of DC’s finest non-Crisis events. Whilst its visuals are its primary method of capturing the audience, Williamson is engineering a truly original and spectacular event. Have I mentioned the covers… oh my god the covers…
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
