Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    EA Sports Madden NFL 26 Head Coach But Why Tho 5

    Dear EA Sports, Why Can’t I Make A Hot Coach?

    08/14/2025
    Blade in Marvel Rivals Season 3.5

    Blade Can Shut Down The Other Team In Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 If You Know How

    08/08/2025
    John Cena and Cody Rhodes during Summerslam 2025

    The SummerSlam 2025 Main Event Was A Fever Dream We All Needed

    08/08/2025
    Street Fighter 6 Sagat

    Sagat Brings Depth And Approachability To ‘Street Fighter 6’

    08/07/2025
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » DC Comics » REVIEW: ‘Knight Terrors: Detective Comics,’ Issue #1

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

William TuckerBy William Tucker07/25/20234 Mins Read
Knight Terrors: Detective Comics #1
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Knight Terrors: Detective Comics #1

Knight Terrors: Detective Comics #1 is published by DC Comics, written by Dan Watters, art by Riccardo Federici, colors by Brad Anderson, and letters by Steve Wands. This is part of the Knight Terrors event. Jim Gordon is not even the Commissioner of Gotham anymore, but he still finds himself dragged into something that even Batman would shrink at.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

This comic has a story that is utterly bewildering, showing what can be done within this dreamscape. It exists on two fronts, following two characters. On one side is Jim Gordon, moving through his world, completely unaware that it is not real. Struggling with grief and loneliness, his new ward Sorrow takes up most of his time. But the boy with powerful abilities takes him to a place where a ritual is occurring. This leads us to the other character, one that is important to the whole event of Knight Terrors. It changes Knight Terrors: Detective Comics #1 into something almost indescribable. It becomes primordial and inhuman, approaching a horror that sits quite comfortably with Lovecraft. 

After that, things get much more dramatic and unbelievable, brutally involving Jim in something well above his pay grade. There are so many layers to the comic going into the final act. Jim’s determination to stop what is happening, putting him through agonizing, horrifying pain, looks hopeless considering the multidimensional, harrowing foes that have made themselves known for the first time in the event. Balancing the scale of the story made my head spin.

Two characters narrate in Knight Terrors: Detective Comics #1, and they couldn’t be more different. At its core is Gordon, a figure who is probably the most consistent in all of DC Comics. He fights for what is good and protects those who can’t help themselves. This issue demonstrates a true fearlessness in the man, even if he is in the middle of a nightmare. Remember, Gordon isn’t aware he is dreaming, so what happens to him is still upsetting and traumatizing. He’s up against things that can’t even be touched, but that doesn’t matter. Batman isn’t in town, and they need to be stopped.

On the other side of the book is a being that isn’t even human. This leads to writing that is eloquent and sinister. Watters uses repetition for both characters, which really hammers home both personalities. The figure seems more like a collective than a singular being and is one that is tapped into Insomnia’s plan. It knows about the Dreamscape but exists on a plane beyond anything else. There are times when it appears devoid of personality but then displays aeons of evil.

The art is utterly magnificent, part of the sudden transition within the comic. At first glance, it’s a gloomy but classic Gotham tale. There is a very realistic look to Federici’s art, which is what makes the evolution so surprising. The city then falls prey to creatures that are impossible to describe. Haunting and colossal, they change considerably as the issue goes on, becoming things that really hit a primal fear within me that I didn’t know was there. Old Testament angels would wet themselves looking at these things. There are then transformations, humans becoming something else, that are just as twisted. One adopts a design that fits the city in which the comic is located. The injuries that Jim sustains in the book aren’t normal, but somehow that makes them even more uncomfortable to look at. 

The colors are natural and unassuming for much of the book. It gives the comic a grounded feel until it becomes as abstract as it can get. More intense tones enter the picture, but it never reaches a point where it seems like a different book to what is going on in Gotham itself. The lettering can be difficult to read, with some of the custom word balloons using custom fonts. In particular, Jim Cordon’s captions have the look of typewriter text, which isn’t always easy to discern.

Knight Terrors: Detective Comics #1 is the scariest and most surprising tie-in so far. What makes it so intense is just how unpredictable it is. Up to this point, nothing had really given the idea that Knight Terrors possessed this element to it, with beings that defy identification. There’s a tragic story within it as an old man struggles with his age and place in the city. Perhaps it is the artist that makes the book so terrifying. Federici gives the entities power and presence like no other that I’ve seen in a comic before. They are so different from anything you would usually find in a superhero comic.

Knight Terrors: Detective Comics #1 is available where comics are sold.

Knight Terrors: Detective Comics #1
5

TL;DR

Knight Terrors: Detective Comics #1 is the scariest and most surprising tie-in so far. What makes it so intense is just how unpredictable it is.

  • Read Now on ComiXology with Our Affiliate Link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Knight Terrors: Action Comics,’ Issue #1
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Knight Terrors: Titans,’ Issue #1
William Tucker

William is a screenwriter with a love of comics and movies. Once referred to Wuthering Heights as "the one with the Rabbits."

Related Posts

Absolute Green Lantern Issue 5

REVIEW: ‘Absolute Green Lantern’ Issue 5

08/06/2025
Absolute Superman Issue 10

REVIEW: ‘Absolute Superman’ Issue 10

08/06/2025
Cover of Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League Issue 1

REVIEW: ‘Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League’ Issue 1

08/06/2025
Cover art for advanced review of Batman Issue 2

ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Batman’ Issue 2

08/02/2025
Cover art from Batman Issue 1

ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Batman’ Issue 1

07/31/2025
Justice League: Dark Tomorrow Special Issue 1

REVIEW: ‘Justice League: Dark Tomorrow Special’ Issue 1

07/30/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Still from Shin Godzilla
8.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘Shin Godzilla’ Is More Relevant Than Ever

By Sarah Musnicky08/16/2025Updated:08/17/2025

It is understandable how Shin Godzilla succeeded at the box office nearly a decade ago. The strength of its story still stands today.

Botanical Bliss Update Palia But Why Tho 5 News

Palia’s New Botanical Bliss Update Brings New Flora, Decorations, And Quest Mechanic

By Matt Donahue08/18/2025Updated:08/18/2025

The Botanical Bliss update adds new event, more plushes, and a host of quality-of-life improvements and more to celebrate 2 years of Palia.

BOOTS Netflix First Look promotional images News

First Look at Coming-of-Age Story BOOTS, Coming to Netflix This October

By But Why Tho?08/17/2025

Netflix is reporting for duty this fall with the new eight-episode series BOOTS, a comedic drama starring Miles Heizer and Vera Farmiga

Nuestra Magia Secret Lair Art Interviews

EXCLUSIVE: How The ‘Nuestra Magia’ Secret Lair Found Its Identity And Raised Over $1M

By Kate Sánchez08/15/2025Updated:08/15/2025

We spoke with Ovidio Cartagena about Magic: The Gathering’s Nuestra Magia Secret Lair drop, its impact, and the real treasure within.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here