Knight Terrors – Robin #1: Boulevard Of Broken Nightmares

Knight Terrors: Robin #1 does many things that other installments of the event haven’t done and pulls them off almost flawlessly.

The first thing is that it tells the experience of two characters who are both trapped in the nightmare realm and does it in a single story and gives each character equal page time before

Secondly, in the opening pages, Porter gives the feel that it is just another night in Gotham City before Tim and Jason are caught up in the nightmare world that has spread across the DCU. The clear delineation of what is the real world and what is the nightmare world works for the reader also shows just how aware of their surroundings the two are, thanks in part to being trained by Batman.

Third, the road to the mantle of Robin is full of moments of loss, tragedy, and death, among other things, giving Insomnia many opportunities to work his torture. Still, Porter picks the most traumatic events for Jason and Tim and really leans into them, repeatedly, 52 times for Tim to be exact, twisting the knife, pouring salt in the wound, and finally working a thumb into the spot really well.

Finally, the interactions between Tim and Jason add a much-needed comedy break in the tension and despair while playing to the differing personalities and methods of these two former sidekicks.

Miguel Mendonca’s art, along with Adriano Lucas’ color work sets the mood for both Tim and Jason’s nightmare experiences, heightening the stakes and emotion being told.