REVIEW: ‘Knight Terrors,’ Issue #1

Knight Terrors #1 is published by DC Comics, written by Joshua Williamson, art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stefano Nesi, and Casper Wijngaard, colors by Frank Martin and Wijngaard, and letters by Troy Peteri. This is part of the Knight Terrors event. With the whole world in slumber, Deadman is alone against Insomnia’s real self whilst in Batman’s body.

Taking place whilst all of the dreams and other issues are happening, this is the immediate aftermath of the explosion of power. Much of the comic is fact-finding, providing an origin story for DC’s newest villain. It connects directly to the previous event, showing that the ramifications of Lazarus Planet are still being felt. The pacing is slow but it is necessary in order to get all the exposition through. But it doesn’t release all of the mysteries, with much more hidden away, and his precious Nightmare Stone hidden from everyone. But then Deadman makes a break for it. The action is excellent in this comic, utilizing the gimmick of one of my favorite heroes to inject some more energy into the issue. There are further glimpses of what the rest of the world is facing, but that is to be found in tie-ins elsewhere. The final page literally digs up a character who is needed to fight Insomnia, although their face was hinted at very early in the issue.

Knight Terrors #1 is a fantastic character issue, with a particularly small cast. It is only Deadman (in Batman’s body) and Insomnia that speak. It is fascinating that Deadman has become the main character of the event as a whole, and he has the power to do so. There is exposition for him as well, although it has much more personality laced within it, as the narration is from Deadman’s point of view. Williamson puts thoughtful, eloquent quotes within the captions, then Deadman’s wry humor in the spoken dialogue. This doesn’t manipulate the tone too much, it just allows for a variety of voices from the same figure. Then there is Insomnia, who has something similar. What he thinks he is, in terms of power and status, is proven to be overexaggerated. Showing that arrogance and false godhood early in the event starts to highlight how dangerous he could be.

The art is awesome. What makes the exposition so easy to absorb, despite being long, is the way the art changes and evolves through the comic. They come in a variety of styles, interspersing with what’s ‘actually’ happening. This helps separate the different parts of the issue and keep things interesting. From the opening scene, which presents Deadman in a theatre full of shadows, the ever-changing art styles are clear. The main body of the story is excellent and creepy, with different creatures in and around Insomnia and Deadman. The antagonist’s design is amazingly over the top. He is like a goth rock star but with powers, able to contort the world around him. When the action erupts the art continues to impress, carrying a sense of movement the whole time

The colors are fantastic, able to adapt to the various art styles. That opening scene that was mentioned before has the red of Deadman applied in a different style than any other method in the issue. The vibrant colors of the book, largely purple and red, seep out of the characters and envelop the panels around them, But then the page will turn and require a new palette to display a flashback. When Deadman and Insomnia merge for a brief period, it is the colors that make those moments excel. One of the best parts is the pitch-black lightning that Insomnia uses, as it cuts through the bright and rich shades elsewhere. The lettering is phenomenal and dynamic, with both the main characters using custom word balloons.

Knight Terrors #1 shows that the real world is just as intense as the nightmares. The small cast makes their confrontation more claustrophobic and intense, with a feeling that Deadman is practically all that is left. An issue that is jaw-dropping to look at, the visuals are pivotal to help tell the story. The art style changing page by page is fascinating and helps the exposition be read effortlessly. It would be easy to avoid most of the dialogue simply by how expressive the art is. And that takes nothing away from some excellent pieces of character development to flesh out the biggest players of the event.

Knight Terrors #1 is available where comics are sold.