The nightmares of heroes and villains are coming into focus thanks to Knight Terrors, DC Comics’ massive summer event, and this week it’s Flash’s turn. In a story by Alex Paknadel and Daniel Bayliss, Barry Allen is going through some stuff, but his worst nightmare may not be what you expect. It’s a story that proves Paknadel understands the character as he races to save his friend and fix everything.
Knight Terrors: The Flash #1 opens with Barry on a crime scene when he learns Wally West is in trouble. Soon thereafter, he finds his “ward” in dire trouble, which sets him running off yet again to find the foe who struck a potentially fatal blow and piece together the larger mystery.
Throughout the issue, we get to stew right alongside Flash’s as we see and feel the fears running through his head. Paknadel keeps you tuned to Barry’s inner thoughts that are incredibly heroic and, at times, decidedly manic. This helps put us into a dizzying and confusing status right alongside the Scarlet Speedsters. Adding to the delightfully befuddled nature of it all are some rather interesting bits of dialogue from other characters.
Cool opening page 9-panel grid.
Credit: DC Comics
In the scenes, Flash is unaware of what is really going on, but as the reader you can see something is up. That helps convey we’re in a nightmare, but it also sets up the fact that Barry is going along with the narrative, but something or someone is trying to wake him up to the truth of it all.
Woven into Barry’s fear and anxiety are interesting notes that show the world is a little different. Green Lantern, for instance, gets a highlight moment, and it’s quite unnerving. Interestingly, the horror of this story isn’t blood and gore but the anxiety and unease of it all. Green Lantern’s presence solidifies that.
The art by Daniel Bayliss, and with colors by Igor Monti, is just fantastic. A double-page layout of Barry running on the cosmic treadmill is a highlight, with multiple iterations of Barry’s legs creating ghost images to connote speed. Much of the environments are rendered subdued and realistic, though color changes in the sky help convey the notion something is afoul. The energy effects are particularly cool, like red lightning zipping out of Flash’s eyes after he leaves the hospital. It all builds to a rather trippy cliffhanger page.
Knight Terrors: The Flash #1 has a different take on nightmares as Barry Allen fights against himself for potentially losing a friend in a way that lands firmly in the character’s emotional range and framework. It’s a nightmare of the mind that will quickly unnerve and un-settle Flash fans alike.
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