Knight Terrors: Nightwing #1 Review

   

   

Written by: Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad
Art by: Daniele Di Nicuolo
Colors by: Adriano Lucas
Letters by: Wes Abbott
Cover art by: Daniele Di Nicuolo
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: July 18, 2023

Knight Terrors: Nightwing #1 brings Dick Grayson into Arkham Asylum after committing an unthinkable act that leaves his allies afraid and his enemies envious. Can he free himself from his cell to get to the truth, or is it all a bad dream?
Is It Good?

Knight Terrors: Nightwing #1 is a relatively tense, disorienting nightmare issue that puts Nightwing behind the walls of Arkham Asylum after committing a deadly crime. Cloonan and Conrad appear to have been given the same assignment as every other writer on tie-in duties for Knight Terrors, but this issue is one of the better ones.

If you're keeping track of which Knight Terrors tie-in comics are 'essential' versus 'optional,' Knight Terrors: Nightwing #1 falls into the 'optional' category, so plan your purchasing accordingly.

Cloonan and Conrad's script centers on Nightwing getting admitted to Arkham Asylum and undergoing treatment until he comes to terms with his crimes. While Nightwing is poked, prodded, sedated, and shocked, he slowly accepts that the only salvation is escape, even if he needs to rely on unorthodox allies to do it.

Again, it seems every tie-in writer was told to "just write a nightmare story," but credit to Cloonan and Conrad for writing a nightmare issue that pushes hard to be unsettling, upsetting, disorienting, and disturbing... at least for Nightwing. Outwardly, it's obvious Nightwing is in a nightmare, but Nightwing can't seem to recognize his situation for what it is, which is a different outcome from most of the tie-ins so far.

In terms of technical execution, the pacing is solid, the intentionally jarring scene transitions are effective, and the plot (such as it is for a nightmare) looks like it's going somewhere.

What's not so great about this issue? Knight Terrors: Nightwing #1 is another comic in an increasingly long line of tie-ins that have almost nothing to do with the main Knight Terrors event. Insomnia shows up briefly, but there's no interaction with Insomnia or his quest to find the Nightmare Stone.

How's the art? Daniele Di Nicuolo's art looks great, especially because his stretched, sharp-edged style lends itself to the surreal, distorted visuals in a nightmare. Lucas's coloring work is excellent, and the overall look of the book is outstanding.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces:

Knight Terrors: Nightwing #1 is another comic in a growing list of Knight Terrors tie-in comics that have nothing to do with the main event. However, this is one of the better tie-ins as it leans into the disorienting discomfort of trapping Nightwing in a situation he can't escape. Solid writing and art make this one of the more distressing tie-ins in the event, and that's a good thing.

8/10