Knight Terrors – Detective Comics #2
Seth A. Romo
Recap
After seeing diamonds violently pour out of a woman’s mouth and the metal of his old Batman robo-suit soldered onto someone’s flesh to wear around Gotham…Jim Gordon slowly realizes that “the good people of Gotham” being represented by monstrous ideations of power, wealth, and knowledge…aren’t very good people at all. Jim’s investigation leads him to a mysterious clock, and he goes to Oracle for help to trace who or what is causing this nightmare…but whether he is able to wake up from it at all will be up to more than just himself.
Review
Knight Terrors: Detective Comics #2 is a hauntingly sad and intense issue that brings the nightmares of Jim Gordon into the light. It’s a strong character study and reminds readers how important Gordon is in the DC Universe.
The issue begins with some background on the mysterious inter-dimensional watch that is likely part of how Gordon is trapped in a nightmare fueled by fears and realities he has faced. His body is breaking, and as he finds the will to continue, he stays motivated by his need to be what he has always been: a good cop.
In the second part of this tie-in to the main story, I found this story to be incredibly dark as it focused on Gordon and the trauma his daughter Barbara Gordon has faced. There are tons of symbolism both in the artwork and within the story itself, and while I found it to be deeply haunting, I also recognized how the father/daughter duo have had awful experiences in their time in Gotham.
Written by Dan Watters with art by Ricardo Federico, Mike Perkins, and Stefano Raffaele, the entire creative team have made a horrific realm in the Knight Terrors world. The story is compelling and the art is dramatic as Gordon traverses in a dark and broken reality, and it is a testament to the team making a dark story.
Final Thoughts
Fans of the Knight Terrors event will find this issue to fall in line with the dark and horrific themes. While this issue was more depressing than other Knight Terror tie-ins, it was also fitting as it serves as a strong character study of the Gordon family.
Knight Terrors – Detective Comics #2: Pieces of a Broken Man
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10