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

Knight Terrors: Joker #2 is published by DC Comics, written by Matthew Rosenberg, art by Stefano Raffaele, colors by Romulo Fajardo Jr, and letters by Tom Napolitano. This is part of the Knight Terrors event. The Joker struggles to keep his normal life and crime life separate as Batman returns to the streets.

Rosenberg is one of the writers that has really understood the premise of the event, using the lack of reality within a nightmare to his advantage. The structure can be disjointed because most dreams are. The pages aren’t seamlessly joined together like segments or sketches. The issue is massive, which allows for a long second half of the story. It alternates between Joker living as close to a normal life as he could muster and the segments with the new Batman. The first part of the tie-in was a great homage to It’s A Wonderful Life, whilst Part 2 plays with more freedom.

There are cameos from existing characters. And instead of continuing in an upwards trajectory like the previous chapter, it disperses and focuses on what is going wrong. Every part of this crooked version of Joker’s world starts to break, from the Batman corpse in the closet to the one on the streets, to even his family and work life. The pacing worked really well right up until the ending, which was rather disappointing. It hammers home the primary theme, but the sudden conclusion didn’t feel satisfying after how long we have spent within these two issues.

The dialogue is fascinating as it is the world according to the Joker. So the rules are his rules. If someone dies, it is quite common for there not to be a reaction, not a normal one at least. It highlights just how little Joker values life itself. It’s very noticeable how, even when he is in his own version of a “normal life,” he still lacks empathy or any semblance of emotion towards people. He has family in this issue, but they aren’t cared about. Some of the dialogue can alternate between being dramatic and oddly funny, with wordplay and sickening jokes happening often. The Batman scenes hint at a possible admiration for the man from the Joker.

I also found it interesting that whilst the Bat and Bruce Wayne feature heavily, they aren’t the same in this issue. It’s a great reminder that the Joker would not know to make that connection, so they are separate beings. The whole issue is just full of smart additions. My main gripe with the dialogue is just how obvious and openly the “Joker can’t exist without Batman” theme starts to wrap around the last part of the issue. The book loses subtlety entirely by the end of the issue.

The art is perfectly suited for the comic, as Raffaele is entirely comfortable trying to present madness within reality. Some of Batman’s most bizarre character designs are put in the normality of the office space, adapted to wear their own customized suits. The art does twist and contort very quickly, however. The Batman scenes are brutal and deeply haunting, with some freaky imagery throughout the book.

Part of what makes it unsettling is the general change in body shape and posture. This Batman is much more hunched over, leading to a rounded and inhuman stature. Some iconic panels and moments are recreated into something frightening. Whilst there is a vast amount of violence, the visual gags also deserve enormous credit. The book can turn a regular setting, like a baseball game or a meal, into something revolting very quickly.

The colors are fantastic. The Joker being so colorful makes him stand out in those moments when the world is trying to look real. Something about the specific shades used for his jacket and tie look reminiscent of the 1966 Batman TV series. But even if the Joker isn’t in his classic color combination, he is also depicted in tones that make him the centre of attention. The lettering has a unique font for Joker, but I never felt like it was difficult to read his word balloons.

Knight Terrors: Joker #2 is a chaotic delight. This issue jumps off the idea of parodying one particular text and just goes mad, with multiple threads all centred around the same theme. It proves how Joker cannot function in the normal world because he struggles even to imagine it. The spin on Batman is creepy and extremely creative, wallowing in an excess of violence. I don’t think the issue knew how to end itself after going so deep, but the good news is that the dream concept saves it from having to make a completely functioning conclusion.

Knight Terrors: Joker #2 is available where comics are sold.