Knight Terrors: Nightwing #2 is an improvement over last month’s issue, but cannot fully break free of its overwhelming feeling of irrelevance. No new ideas are presented as Becky Cloonan’s and Michael W. Conrad’s script instead favors embracing a wackier atmosphere instead of doubling down on the more grim psychoanalysis of the previous script.
With the set up out of the way the story can now focus on the interesting team up between Nightwing and Scarecrow as they work together to escape Arkham Asylum. Scarecrow offers a hand drawn map of the asylum, but Nightwing finds the drawing nonsensical as the asylum is able to change its layout anytime it wants. It’s a fun idea and takes better advantage of the nightmare logic at hand than delivering another round of dream sequences. Nightwing is dead set on rescuing Barbara and the other batgirls, Cassandra and Stephanie, whom he finds out are also imprisoned. This is a far better and more coherent set of goals to follow, which gives Daniele Di Nicuolo’s art a steadier base to work with. Before, the visuals were prioritized over the narrative, making the issue a series of relatively nonsensical sequences. Now, the clearer sense of purpose allows Di Nicuolo’s visuals to enhance the story at hand and carry less of the weight.
The change in atmosphere is apparent right from when Scarecrow and Nightwing join all the other villains in the asylum’s cafeteria. According to Scarecrow, if you spend too long in the asylum you become “changed” forever. What this means is that Killer Croc now has a handbag for a head and Penguin is an actual penguin, amongst other humorous transformations. Even Barbara’s previously horrific transformation into a half human half robot abomination is played for laughs now as she carries a lunch tray full of batteries, screws, bolts, and a fresh can of motor oil. I think the emphasis on the dark humor of the situation is a better approach than playing things as genuinely disturbing, especially since this is only a two issue storyline.
Di Nicuolo’s art remains strong once the action picks up when Harley Quinn starts a brawl alongside her pet hyenas. Expressive figure work is par for the course, adding a great deal of movement to compositions while not shying away from drawing fully fledged backgrounds featuring minor characters fighting each other. If there’s a misstep in the first half of the issue it comes in the form of a rather derivative rendition of Arkham Asylum’s “backrooms” that Scarecrow and Nightwing find themselves in. For those unaware, the backrooms is a fairly recent internet creepypasta that consists of endless, beige corridors that seemingly lead nowhere, often filled with monsters and cryptids of the sort. It was a little jarring to see such a blatant riff inside of a DC comic, particularly since anything would be permissible within a nightmare version of Arkham Asylum.
Nonetheless, Nightwing and Scarecrow’s journey through the backrooms has some fun in store as they search for both Barbara and an old ally of Scarecrow, Basil Grimes, who disappeared in the backrooms a few days prior. Basil’s ultimate fate is quite disturbing as the duo find him as a skinless mound of flesh on the ground that is still able to talk. Adriano Lucas’s colors shine here as the beige color of the backrooms' hallways contrast against the red hues of Basil’s bloody remains. The red here is soft, perhaps to lessen the gruesomeness of the image, but the choice works as it gives the violence a more off-kilter aesthetic rather than being outright gory.
As the issue enters its finale, the script gets more derivative of what came before. Nightmare logic rears its head again in the form of tormenting Nightwing with both an evil Batman and a circus tent setting. Even Nightwing mentions that he’s “lived this a thousand times” giving this final showdown a sense of repetition. There’s a few cool twists, particularly as Nightwing himself slowly transforms into a monster, but this doesn’t progress beyond developing claws instead of hands. The final battle wraps things up but does so in a very conventional manner.
The final page does feature an ominous final image as Scarecrow remains in the nightmare world, seemingly enjoying the chaos unfolding around him. Nonetheless, all dreams must end and the plotline ends with Nightwing back in reality, claiming he’ll be thinking about these events for a long time. The more likely outcome is that this storyline will be quickly forgotten.Show Spoiler
In other news, I want to say goodbye to everyone reading this as this is my last week reviewing comics for Batman News. Leaving the review team wasn’t an easy decision but I have some personal projects I’m working on in the coming months. It’s been a joy to be a part of this community and I’ve truly loved reading the comments each week. I anticipate popping in occasionally, but this is farewell for the time being. I hope you’ve enjoyed checking in with me each month as much as I’ve enjoyed writing these reviews!
Recommended if…
- A more comedic approach to horror is more to your taste.
- You don’t mind nightmare logic taking precedence above all else.
- Seeing the backrooms featured in a DC Comic piques your interest.
Overall
Knight Terrors: Nightwing #2 delivers a satisfying ending to what ultimately feels like an inconsequential storyline for the title character. Daniele Di Nicuolo’s art is great throughout and the book is mostly recommended for those interested in a more horror-comedy approach to Nightwing’s stay in Arkham Asylum. Becky Cloonan's and Michael W. Conrad’s script has some fun ideas in store, but the limited page count never really allowed this two part story from figuring out its tone and importance in the grand scheme of things.
Score: 6.5/10
Disclaimer: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.
