Knight Terrors: Wonder Woman #1 – Josie Campbell, Stephanie Williams, Writers; Juan Ferreyra, Meghan Hetrick, Artists; Marissa Louise, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Wonder Woman is one of those characters who is between runs at the moment, with Cloonan and Conrad having already mic-dropped and Tom King teeing up next. That means this tie-in is more directly about the event, picking up right after Diana, Constantine, and Detective Chimp became Insomnia’s first victims in the hero community. The odd trio of former Justice League Dark associates wake up in a strange new world, facing a massive labyrinth that will contain their darkest fears. This is a device we’ve seen before—it’s also the core of Zatanna’s tie-in from last week—but none of those tie-ins contained Juan Ferreyra art. The acclaimed horror artist is one of the best in the business for this kind of story.
The other strength this story has is the darkly funny dialogue between the three main characters. Constantine’s caustic sense of humor actually gets under the skin of his companions, but he’s also got the darkest secrets buried inside. Diana, meanwhile, encounters some terrifying mythological foes and also finds herself undergoing a disturbing transformation. Bobo’s fears are more played for laughs, but do result in a great visual towards the end of the issue. The story manages to effectively place in all three characters’ heads as they encounter the surreal and disturbing, and the way things spiral out of control is highly effective. The cliffhanger is obviously a fake-out, but aren’t they all?
The Nubia backup by Stephanie Williams and Meghan Hetrick is a good follow-up to Williams’ past work with the character as well. Nubia’s sleep is disrupted by strange events at the Well of Souls, and when she descends inside she encounters a surreal landscape that is even more hostile than usual. This well has been a major plot device in the last few runs, but we rarely see inside of it—and the ending has a great, creepy visual that shows how bad things have gotten. Both of these stories deliver on the promise so far.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
