Writer: Joshua Williamson
Art: Guiseppe Camuncoli, Caspar Wijngaard, Stefano Nesi, Troy Peteri, Ivan Reis, Danny Miki, Brad Anderson, and Frank Martin
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 25th, 2023
Oh dang—I gotta do another one of these this month? Batman and I are joined by…Wesley Dodds, the Sandman?! What the heck? I thought I was the only dead person allowed in this story. I guess not! We uncover one of Wesley’s oldest cases, which haunted him until the day he died—and it points us in the direction of the Nightmare Stone. But Insomnia has unleashed his own army to hunt us down…the Sleepless Knights. And Knight Terrors #2 is their first appearance, kids! Get scared!
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Knight Terrors #2 Review.
THE DISPATCH
The Summer Not-So Blockbuster Event continues as readers get a bit of background on Insomnia with Deadman and Sandman at the center of it all. And maybe that’s also partially the fault of this event. The heroes focused on in Knight Terrors #2 are Deadman, Sandman, and a little bit of Red Tornado. None of these heroes are really lighting up the joint.
Moreover, the villain is making reference to John Dee (who is minuscule at best) and Insomnia (who we barely get any new info on) as he’s searching for a Nightmare Stone. So, let’s recap. Heroes that we know little about are fighting a villain we know even less about while he’s trying to find an artifact we know less than nothing about in which could do absolutely anything. Does anyone see the problem with Knight Terrors yet?
ART
Guiseppe Camuncoli, Caspar Wijngaard, Stefano Nesi, and the rest of the gang do a formidable job. I especially love the variant cover that resembles a certain Batman Comic from yesteryear. However, the illustrations show almost too much pencil work in an attempt to provide readers with a classic, almost horror comic feel that just doesn’t land. Don’t get me wrong, it’s most certainly not the art that’s holding Knight Terrors #2 back. Nevertheless, the creative team isn’t doing enough to save the story either.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ambiguity, vagueness, lack of character knowledge, and shortage of character depth inhibit the growth of Knight Terrors #2. Readers want to care for the individuals involved but feel a lack of connection to them. However, with the little development we’ve seen so far, is it already too late to really care? Look at it this way, what are the ramifications of these nightmares? Can the characters actually die in these dreams? I’m assuming so but it feels indefinite. And that’s the point.
We don’t know the characters nor do we really know the rules. And even after this event is over, what does it lead towards? What was its purpose? Where was the setup for the event? Readers, I want to like this event but it just seems out of place and without direction. After two issues of Knight Terrors and almost every single tie-in issue, I’m still royally confused. It’s hard to pay money for something where you don’t see purpose or feel connected to the characters. Let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!