REVIEW: ‘Knight Terrors: Titans,’ Issue #2

Knight Terrors: Titans #2 is published by DC Comics, written by Andrew Constant, art by Scott Godlewski and Mike Perkins, colors by Ryan Codi, and Hi-Fi and letters by Wes Abbott. This is part of the Knight Terrors event. The Titans are outside the tower, but that does not mean they are free of their nightmare.

This plot has an irritating twist, potentially damaging the tie-in as a whole. The battles are exciting, and a beautiful piece of history is established within the comic. It taps into the Titans and the tower and what came before. The structure is lost from the first issue, which gave the comic a destination and a methodology. But this half revolves around an utterly ridiculous reveal. It’s trying to instill spirituality in the book, which would be fine if what was trying to be accomplished made sense. There are glimmers of what could have been, but ultimately the plot is entirely derailed.

The twist is also detrimental to the character development, but I must credit it for being something new and unexpected. The first issue created the conundrum of who the mysterious woman was, and it was the foundation of the whole story. Well, Knight Terrors: Titans #2 reveals the answer. I like the dialogue around the moment quite a lot. It is just the answer and the overall situation that is poorly designed. It’s emotional and perhaps even haunting. Throughout the issues, the monsters have said “all that I am” as a mantra. It starts evolving by the end of the issue, but the payoff wasn’t worth it. The Titans are all great, following the lead of Robin now that she enters the picture. The Titans are brilliant due to how compassion comes first with them. They are a team of kindness, not hardiness, which is where ultimately the twist stems from.

The art continues to be fantastic. Those monstrous versions of the Titans that had appeared in the first issue weren’t just there for the first half. They make a return here as well. To see them up against the figures they were based on leads to interesting panels, like a twisted mirror image. But the art has some features that could be changed as well. Maybe the mystery woman could have been given characteristics that meant she wasn’t quite similar to Donna Troy, ad the similarities can sometimes be confusing. Similarly, the battlefield could be considered too plain, with the team fighting in an open field in front of the Titans Tower, which isn’t visible much of the time.

The colors are awesome. The murky, purple sky is detailed and textured, as is the dark green grass. As each Titan faces their corrupted counterpart, the matching colors look amazing. Raven being translucent for much of the issue is also a great trick, as the background has to appear behind her while enough of the tones in the foreground must remain. The lettering is always clear and easy to read.

Knight Terrors: Titans #2 is crushingly disappointing. After how powerful the build-up was from the previous issue, to have the payoff be so disappointing is a real shame. Some may enjoy the emotional aspect of it because parts can be salvaged from the surprise, but it’s a decision that struggles to make sense even in a world of magic and superpowers. With some more revisions or explanations, the reveal could have real weight, but it just comes across as limp in its current form.

Knight Terrors: Titans #2 is available now wherever comics are sold.