Knight Terrors #4 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stefano Nesi, Caspar Wijngaard, Artists; Frank Martin, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Knight Terrors has taken over the entire DCU for two months now, and this is the final week of the main series and its tie-ins before the finale next week—and we’re finally at the core of the crisis. Insomnia is holed up in Arkham Tower, or at least a nightmarish version of it. So far, the main villain of this series has been kept mostly off-panel, stuck in his own world while occasionally showing up to taunt a hero in their nightmares—very Freddy Kreuger-esque. But we’ve only gotten vague hints of who he is and his motivations, and this issue sends the trio of Deadman, Sandman, and Robin into the tower—but the further they go, the more intense the nightmares become. Insomnia seems to be using the fears and hopes of the heroes to lure them into turning back, including a Batman who’s a loving father and a Dove who just wants to reunite with Deadman. They fail—but these segments are deeply creepy.
Eventually, it’s down to just Deadman and Insomnia, as the villain’s backstory is finally revealed. I have to say, it’s a little on the nose and exactly what I expected—he was an ordinary man who lost his family in a superhero battle and that drove him insane, and now he’s armed with an ancient power and wants everyone to hurt as much as he does. It reminds me of the Victim Syndicate, created by James Tynion IV back in his Detective run. Fortunately, while the motivation may be a little familiar, the aesthetic style of this comic continues to be top-notch on every page. The trio of artists on this title delivers some genuinely terrifying visuals, and Deadman’s oddball “storybook” segments that circle the issue are fascinating. The ending turns this into a bit more of a standard event comic crisis, but the big threat it sets up is definitely going to deliver an epic finale.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
