Art by: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stefano Nesi
Colors by: Frank Martin, Caspar Wijngaard
Letters by: Troy Peteri
Cover art by: Ivan Reis, Danny Miiki
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: July 11, 2023
Knight Terrors #1 follows Deadman in a heated confrontation against Insomnia to control the fate of the world's nightmares. When Deadman learns Insomnia was born from Lazarus Rain, the villain's hunt for the Nightmare Stone becomes more clear.
Is It Good?
If you've been interested in the Knight Terrors event but had no clue who or what Insomnia is all about, Knight Terrors #1 has you covered. The answers come fast and furious, through more than a lot of exposition and flashbacks for an information-heavy answer, but readers who are familiar with Deadman's origin may find a little too much time is wasted on recapping what they already know.
When last we left Deadman (in Batman's body), he fought against Insomnia's nightmare constructs to keep Batman's body alive. Now, Deadman jumps into Insomnia's body to get at his mind and find out what he wants and why.
Yes, this is the exposition and info dump issue with yet another retelling of Deadman's origin. It's unclear why DC needs to recap Deadman's origin in every issue of the Knight Terrors event where he appears. Either DC creators don't trust their readers to look up his origin, or there are more pages than a story to tell, so more than a little padding is happening. Either way, the big draw for this issue is Insomnia's backstory. Everything else is fluff.
So, what's Insomnia's deal? He's a nightmare construct born of an Arkham inmate after exposure to Lazarus Rain. Insomnia is incredibly powerful, but his shelf life is set to expire unless he gets the Nightmare stone. Now the pieces are falling into place.
Knight Terrors #1 Video Review
In truth, Insomnia's origin is original enough, although a lot of readers would rather forget the Lazarus Rain ever happened. Insomnia's rationale for seeking out the Nightmare Stone makes sense. And this issue goes the furthest to set the stage for the Knight Terrors event as a whole.
Is Insomnia's arrival big enough to warrant a momentum-killing event for Dawn of DC? No, but it's too late now.
What's great about this issue? Clarity is always good, so Insomnia's backstory is a big plus for the event.
What's not so great about this issue? The Deadman origin didn't need to be retold... again. Deadman's endless nattering over how much Batman dislikes possessing his body is getting repetitive. Putting the world to sleep should kill thousands in a matter of minutes (car crashes, plane crashes, surgeries, etc.). Williamson explains how they survive, but the explanation is weak, and it doesn't work because it would take tens of thousands of still-wake heroes to pull off. Further, Deadman uses Black Lantern powers when he's no longer a Black Lantern (you'll know it when you see it).
Ultimately, you get some pretty great art, good answers about the main villain, too much fluff, too much repetition, and convenient contrivances. In short, this issue is a mixed bag.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Bits and Pieces:
Knight Terrors #1 contains great art and answers about Insomnia, weighed down with too much fluff and repetition about Deadman's origins. Layer on too-convenient answers about how people survive the big sleep and an inconsistent demonstration of Deadman's powers, and you get a mixed bag of a comic.
6/10
We provide the game geometry dash meltdown so that players may test their skills and have fun at the same time. The fast-paced, visually stunning game demands players to maneuver cautiously at all times.
ReplyDelete