- July 12, 2023
Knight Terrors #1 Review
Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stefano Nesi, Caspar Wijngaard
Coloring by: Frank Martin, Caspar Wijngaard
Lettering by: Troy Peteri
Editing by: Ben Abernathy
For a book that’s supposed to be the first issue of an event, it’s really weird that it feels like issue #2. No, seriously, once the main character finishes his opening monologue, you are knee-deep in a story that has already started. Turns out, last week’s Knight Terrors: First Blood #1 was the real first issue, not just an Alpha issue like Marvel and DC usually make before events. That means it’s jarring and threw me off. I genuinely don’t know why this issue isn’t Knight Terrors #2.
Despite that very strange marketing choice, this issue is surprisingly fun. Once you get past the fact this is a Halloween event in July, you realize something even better. Batman is not the main character, Deadman is.
Who’s Deadman?
Deadman is a classic, yet, underrated DC character. His opening monologue shows immediately how well the creative team understands his voice, and that they can create an event where he’s the lead. His inner monologue is entertaining, and his perspective on this nightmare-scape as a ghost is refreshing.
While he is as fearless as any hero, he’s not fearless because he has to be brave, but rather because he’s already dead. Death can’t scare him anymore, how could it? It gives a different, somber feeling behind his heroics and jokes then if someone else were the main character.
Knight Terrors is Pretty Good
Plot-wise, not much happens. This is a tie-in-heavy event, and this issue is little more than a tone-setter that expositions away the plot. Deadman is just conversating with the main villain for most of Knight Terrors #1.
Normally this would come off as boring, but it gives the creatives a chance to show how well-suited they are to capturing both the nightmare setting and Deadman with his less-than-well-defined powerset. The usual exposition that would be boring in another book, is elevated by Deadman. He has a rather simple yet biting dissection of the main villain, that shows why he can support the themes this issue hinted at. Plus, since Deadman is a normal guy at heart, and not a super-genius, the high-fantasy plot still feels down-to-earth.
This issue is a fun read, and probably makes more sense if you read Knight Terrors: First Blood first. Even if you don’t read it, if you like Deadman, you will enjoy it. He’s one of those characters that deserves more time in the spotlight, and this is a good issue that gives it to him.
Thank You For Reading!
Sorry for the long pause between posts again, but life remains busy and probably isn’t going to stop being busy. It’s been a month so I really wanted to get another review on the site. If you liked this review, please like and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the blog.