Knight Terrors – Flash #2: Steppin’ Into The Twilight Zone

Knight Terrors – Flash #2 opens with Barry repeatedly trying to stop Grodd from mortally wounding Kid Flash with the Spear of Destiny and repeatedly failing while turning into a monster due to something in the Speed Force infecting his body. Barry shows up to check on Kid Flash in the hospital when Insomnia turns up the nightmare by appearing as his mother, encouraging him to run faster and try harder, thus intensifying the effect of his dream. Thinking that he needs to go forward in time rather than backward, he shows up in the 25th century and confronts Eobard Thawne, who in his nightmare is a good guy, though he is still the Reverse-Flash. After stealing Reverse-Flash’s speed, Barry morphs into something not human and is driven to insanity. Luck for him, Wally, who has been chasing Barry around the globe as he has been the sleep-running through his nightmare, waking him up and recruiting him for the final showdown in Knight Terrors – Night’s End.

For a character who is so scientifically inclined, it would stand that Barry should be one of the first to recognize that something is amiss and perhaps that he is not in the real world, but Alex Paknadel writes him and the story well that it is believable that someone who has been through what Barry has would be hesitant to question and act to what he perceives to be real. The fight between Flash and Reverse-Flash in this nightmare scenario was handled particularly well as Thawne even tells Barry as they fight that he knows why Barry can’t wake up but the mystery remains because Barry does the patented Reverse-Flash vibrating hand through the chest before he can finish his monologue.