Knight Terrors: The Flash #2 is published by DC Comics, written by Alex Paknadel, art by Daniel Bayliss and Tom Derenick, colors by Igor Monti and Pete Pantazis, and letters by Simon Bowland. This is part of the Knight Terrors event. With Wally nearing the end, Barry keeps going further and further to try and find a way to save him at the expense of his own body.
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The second half of this issue is way more intense than the first chapter, which was already horrifying. The plot is unrelenting, never stopping. Barry is trying everything to save Wally, including going to the same place in time dozens of times. The emotions of the issue run high, alternating between desperation and devastation. There is also a feeling of revulsion as the book gets deeper and Barry does more damage to try and save his Wally. He crosses lines, and things get weird because it’s a dream. All of these make the book more unsettling and mesmerising.
As Flash goes through time, his actions get worse and more dramatic, reaching a point where he can no longer go back. The pace and speed ramp up, further and further, through dramatic and ruthless battles culminating at a spot we’ve seen before. But what is found is something utterly harrowing. I had initial murmurs of what was going to happen, with Paknadel doing an excellent job of setting up the reveal, but nothing could prepare me for the final moment.
This issue takes Barry to lengths he has potentially gone before, but the nightmare setting means they seem worse now. The writing of the captions is stunning. Able to be emotive, descriptive, poetic, and sometimes unpleasant simultaneously. It brilliantly captures both the humanity and the parts of the Flash that are close to Godhood. Even he can barely survive what he goes through in this issue. The fights and the showdowns in Knight Terrors: The Flash #2 can be epic, but the dialogue can also drag sobs from your lungs. It’s characters at the very end of their tethers.
The art continues to be remarkable, venturing into a level of horror that was only teased in the first half of the comic. This book is filled with body horror, tearing apart beloved heroes to such an extent that it is on the verge of self-flagellation. Going into the Speed Force with the “monster” in there damages Barry, which is hideous to see. The whole shape of his body has been changed, squeezing his head and raising his shoulders. Seeing him made my skin crawl. There are holes torn into his costume, so many that it could traumatise Triptophobics.
Green Lantern was the first suggestion of this type of damage being done, with a face so messed up that Deadpool would recoil. And like the previous issue, there are moments that are strange. Not frightening, just perplexing and offputting. The fight with a speedster towards the latter stages of the comic is stunning, and though it has several echoes on one page, you can actually follow them across the page.
The colors are fascinating. When Barry runs in and out of the speed force, the lines behind him are alluring as individual shades occur down the panels. It’s like Barry gets submerged in it, capturing the abrasive texture it has developed in this nightmare. The colors bring something different to every page. The lettering is great in the word balloons, but the yellow text on a red background in the captions could be difficult or tiresome to read over time.
Knight Terrors: The Flash #2 is unique among the tie-ins. Many show the characters aware that they are in a nightmare by the end of the first issue, so the fear is less intense because the game is up. But for this book, The Flash keeps running for Wally until the final page. Even when I know it’s a bad dream, that it isn’t actually happening, it’s incredibly emotional and difficult to read. The art is sensational in every single panel, evocative and upsetting. What makes it even better is just how easily this could happen in a genuine Flash series. We’ve seen what Barry will do for his family, even if he has to tear himself apart.
Knight Terrors: The Flash #2 is available where comics are sold.
Knight Terrors: The Flash #2
TL;DR
Knight Terrors: The Flash #2 is unique among the tie-ins. The Flash keeps running for Wally until the final page. Even when I know it’s a bad dream, that it isn’t actually happening, it’s incredibly emotional and difficult to read. We’ve seen what Barry will do for his family, even if he has to tear himself apart.
