Batman.
Everyone loves Batman.
So when I sat down to read Joshua Williamson’s latest forte into the Dark Knight with Knight Terrors: Batman #1, I was left somewhat underwhelmed. Comic book events tend to suffer from a tie-in curse where the first tie-in of every event can leave readers dissatisfied. To put it lightly, this is not Williamson’s best script with the Caped Crusader. Written by Williamson, drawn by Gulliem March, and with backup pages from David Lafuente, Knight Terrors: Batman is a weak start to an otherwise interesting event.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Knight Terrors: Batman #1 and Knight Terrors #1!
DC Comics
Structurally, the book functions like a normal event tie-in: Williamson touches on what happened to Bruce and why he can’t wake up, Boston Brand taking control of his body, and among other things sprinkled about the comic that references what happened to him on the other side. However, what makes the book falter is that Bruce’s reactions to his nightmares are characteristically uninspired. Bruce Wayne runs on a fight-or-flight mentality that plays into his being and mythos and while the idea is interesting to play with, Bruce fighting through all of his nightmares doesn’t entirely allow us to sit and digest why these things could scare the Bat. Insomnia as an entity would have appeared as a taller and scarier figure if this was taken into account.
Williamson’s horror work is quite striking for these reasons. He knows the right ways to make the audience laugh or feel uncomfortable, and I do believe this was an example of the tie-in curse that tends to haunt comic books, but this doesn’t paint the best light for the future of Knight Terrors. I have hope for his Superman tie-in, however. Williamson is a strong and passionate writer, but even the smartest of writers can produce some messy scripts sometimes. There is no such thing as a perfect home run and I can only hope the next issue has better characterization for Bruce.
DC Comics
As for the backup story with Damian, there isn’t much to be said. At its core, it’s a tease for what’s to come in Knight Terrors #3. However, it becomes quick to see that the strongest part of the comic comes at the hands of David Lafuente and Gulliem March – March tackles the main story with Dan Mora’s haunting and partially Chainsaw Man-inspired nightmare Batman design, while Lafuente draws the backup story with Damian Wayne. The art duo takes liberties into setting the vibe and world of Knight Terrors, and shows us how dark Bruce’s mind is and how Damian aims to find the key to stay awake.
All around, Knight Terrors: Batman #1 is a comic book with strong art, good ideas, and a shaky script that suffers from the tie-in curse. Hopefully, the future shines bright for the next installment of Batman and his dark and terrifying adventures into the dreamscape.
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