Knight Terrors: Black Adam #1 – Less Fear and More Missed Opportunity

Knight Terror: Black Adam #1 shows some of the character’s greatest fears while putting him in a different fight than before. Filled with action, this issue has Black Adam against the power of nightmares.

The issue begins with Black Adam defending Kahndaq from an assault when a “nightmare” engulfs the city trapping the anti-hero in a different realm. Quickly, he realizes that his powers are not to the same capacity and his enemies are more potent than he usually faces. Learning something is wrong; he meets a feline companion who guides him in his battle in a land of dreams.

The character of Black Adam is often portrayed as being fearless and arrogant. In the DC Event, “Knight Terrors,” this issue feels like a missed opportunity to have a character study and show Black Adam in a different capacity. One of his struggles in this issue is enemies that can hurt him, and he loses his powers. Unfortunately, this trope feels overused for characters as strong as Black Adam and makes for an uninteresting story.

Nightmares can make people feel vulnerable and afraid and put a mental toll on those experiencing them. This issue could have used that logic and made for an exciting story of Black Adam facing something he can’t just punch his way through, but instead, what readers experience is a clunky story and some decent—but well-drawn—action sequences. On the note of art, one aspect of this issue that felt great is the cover. It ties nicely into the other Knight Terror issues and makes for an excellent image with Black Adam facing horrific creatures.

This story might read better with the second half; however, as it stands, there are missed opportunities that stand out—especially with a character whose ego could be challenged with the right combination of enemies.