REVIEW: ‘Knight Terrors: Action Comics,’ Issue #1

Knight Terrors: Action Comics #1 is published by DC Comics and features two stories. “She’s Got No Strings Part One’ is written by Leah Williams, art by Vasco Georgiev, colors by Alex Guimaraes, and letters by Becca Carey. “The Stuff of Nightmares Part One” is written by Philip Kennedy Johnson, art by Mico Suayan and Fico Ossio, colors by Romulo Fajardo Jr, and letters by Dave Sharpe. This is part of the Knight Terrors event. Power Girl and the Super Family are brought into the event.

The stories included in Knight Terrors: Action Comics #1 are very different in how they are presented. The first is focused on Power Girl and is a frantic, ever-moving nightmare. It takes a procession through Kara’s life, from Krypton to her current situation, each putting her through something awful. It could be argued that the speed at which the book moves reduces the fear of the moments, but the ferocity and substance bring it back. Each dramatic part of the story slams into Power Girl, making it difficult for her and the reader to focus.

Then in Metropolis, the events are much slower. Starting with a night in with many of the supporting cast of Action Comics, the mood is set early. Superboy, Steel, and Superman are babysitting the children, watching a horror movie before a terrifying premonition unnerves them all. The tension builds as the story focuses on one of the kids, brilliantly setting an expectation before obliterating them. The pace ramps up extremely high for a minute with intoxicating suspense before coming back down again. The waves in which the issue unfolds wreck emotions. And for the whole time, it is kept within the house, penning the characters in.

The characters of the Knight Terrors are crucial to the tone and general feel, and this issue is the same. Power Girl’s reaction to the events in her nightmare is extremely interesting. Trying to figure out what is happening is difficult when you have so much trauma being inflicted using every single person that is close to you. The notion of Power Girls’ immense power and the damage it can do seems to be a figurehead for the terror she experiences; even when she begins to question her reality, the scene changes and throws a new set of circumstances at her. As mentioned, the switching makes her head spin and stops her from truly coming to grips with what is happening. As for the second story, the bigger cast only increases the paranoia. You have experienced heads, but everyone is on edge from the beginning. Those characters, the ones put in place in that house to be protected, can become the reason to worry. 

The art in either story seems set on being unsettling and unrelenting. The various locations and settings within “She’s Got No Strings Part One” are captured gorgeously, with an entirely separate look to what came before. Whether Smallville, Krypton, or anywhere else, it is equal parts genuine and twisted. Nowhere is safe. Georgiev’s facial expressions are key to the tone and pressure built into this comic. The sheer fright on Power Girl’s face can be hard to see at points, but that is only an example of how effective the art is. The other characters, figments of her imagination but still dangerous, have grins so big that they become terrifying. 

The ability to go from ordinary to abnormal within a panel is also exceptional in the next story. The artist excellently instills claustrophobia early inside the small house, with many bodies able to fill the room. Things that are normally friendly become sinister and untrustworthy, such as Kelex. When one of the twin children is on his own, there is a piece in the background that can easily be missed, but it is horrifying when you see it. But then the reveal of the monster is haunting yet phenomenally detailed. It uses a classic Superman character concept but takes it to a different level, verging on body or techno horror. Some homages to some of horror’s greatest stories appear to be on display, including wall-crawling on the disturbing level of Hereditary. But then the superhero fight is brought in, which is fantastic too.

The colors are terrific. In each section, a different color becomes the ominous feature. Whether red, bright green or even purple, a shade is implemented that you grow to flinch from. But there is a vibrancy within that half of the comic in general. In contrast, “The Stuff of Nightmares Part One” is darker throughout the book to reduce the characters’ space to move in. That story takes an idea touched on by the Power Girl and then escalates it, using red to signify danger and revel in it. The lettering is excellent in both stories, helping to establish voices that can be spine-chilling.

Knight Terrors: Action Comics #1 is a great display of how creators can interpret superheroes and their nightmares. Here we have two different horror stories, but each one is an entirely separate approach. The Power Girl one is unrelenting, fast-paced, and noisy, while the Super Family story can be quiet and a slow burner. Even when the characters recognize the nightmare, it is still hugely difficult to stop reacting. It’s a double-sized comic that allows each story the time to deliver the frights they need, never squashing them down to save space in the book.

Knight Terrors: Action Comics #1 is available now wherever comics are sold.