As Knight Terrors continues across the DC Universe, it seems not even the protector of Blüdhaven is safe from falling victim to Insomnia. In this two-issue adventure, Nightwing finds himself in the last place he’d ever expect to wake up: Arkham Asylum. Things don’t seem to add up for Dick, and throughout this issue, we get closer to finding out how he found himself in this nightmare situation. This story, written by Becky Cloonan and Michael Conrad and drawn by Daniele Di Nicuolo, takes an interesting concept and attempts to deliver a suspenseful story.
The issue begins with the reader likely being just as confused as Nightwing is. How did he fall victim to ending up in Arkham? What did he do? Is any of this real? Dick tries to answer all of these questions while being tormented by his captors. Given how this event disrupts the mainline Nightwing book, it’ll be interesting to see how, or if, this is referenced later.
Unfortunately, this severely lowers the stakes of the entire concept, because Nightwing’s fate seems more than secure in his series, thus diminishing the stakes for him here. However, that doesn’t mean he’ll be coming out of this event unscathed. Throughout the issue, things seem to get worse and worse for Dick, and the only allies he runs into aren’t ones he’d often think of. Overall, the issue works to build the story from the ground up by focusing on how alone Dick seems to be in this nightmare.
The art in this issue is rather fitting for a nightmare horror story. Daniele Di Nicuolo isn’t new to Nightwing, but seems to draw things a little differently than in his stint on the character in Nightwing #98. Characters are over-dramaticized to show how ghoulish the situation is. This issue carries an overarching sinister tone that helps make for an enjoyable read. While working with colorist Adriano Lucas, the issue can carry a suspenseful tone that shows how dangerous one’s worst nightmares can be.
The first half of Nightwing’s Knight Terrors tie-in is relatively successful in delivering an enjoyable read. However, its strongest factor is how heavily the art carries the story along by making a true horror story for the character. That said, in an event with seemingly low stakes, this issue is a good start that ends with a disturbingly sinister cliffhanger. Overall, Knight Terrors: Nightwing #1 is a fine first half of the titular character’s battle in his mind.
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