Knight Terrors – Poison Ivy #2: Do Plants Dream of Organic Sheep?

Knight Terrors – Poison Ivy #2 begins with Ivy giving in to the reality created by Insomnia’s universe-wide shared nightmare state. It’s not until Harley wants to kill a dandelion, the weed blemishes her perfect yard, that Ivy questions whether things are real.

At this point, Ivy realizes that Janet is real and everyone else is a twisted version of those she knows, twisted by Insomnia’s nightmare, as for Insomnia, whose overall plan is to find out if the Nightmare Stone is never addressed or resolved. Insomnia is more of an ominous observer as the smiling sun but never interacts directly with Ivy, as he did in Knight Terrors: Batman #2.

The artwork by Atagun Ilhan is very exaggerated and somewhat distracting, especially compared to his work in issue #1. The bulging eyes, glossy-looking skin, and exaggerated body features, while meant to show just how far down the rabbit hole Ivy is, ultimately work against the story being told by G.Willow Wilson.

The series’ direction explores nothing new in Ivy’s development as a character and is more of a placeholder for the character until the series picks up again post-Knight Terrors. The issue may have worked better if, like the Batman tie-in, Insomnia appeared and offered Pamela a Faustian proposition concerning her relationship with Harley. The story works best for readers following the event and having no connection to the direction that Ivy is being taken monthly.  The story would have also benefited from the smallest connection to the larger story being told instead of feeling like it is just a one-off forgettable story.