In this review of Knight Terrors: Detective Comics #2, Jim Gordon faces down the horrors the Pentapriests enabled as his old Batman armor lights up Gotham – but a worse horror awaits him, closer than he knows…
Synopsis (Spoilers ahead):
Jim Gordon, shattering from the effects of the demonic Pentapriests (fifth dimensional beings) who turned him into glass last issue, reads the dying letter of the woman he tried to save. He learns the name of one of the other three “Good People of Gotham” who summoned the Pentapriests, and tracks him down, after duct-taping himself together.
Jim finds Mortimer Blake, dressed in a monstrous version of Jim’s own Superheavy Batman armor. Blake blasts the car Jim drives in, and then tries to convert him to his cause of lethal justice. Jim instead tells him that Blake has killed his own family in Jim’s car. The story was a ruse to lure Blake into the car, where Jim sets off the Superheavy suit’s self-destruct. Shattering even more, Jim reveals his plan, and works to save Blake’s life.
The Pentapriests arrive, telling him the third Good Person of Gotham is his daughter Barbara, who shares his “gift”. At the Clocktower, Jim finds Barbara broken in half, and demands to know how being made of glass is the gift of knowledge she asked for. She tells Jim she wanted to help Batman, because he’s slowing down. Barbara destroys the clock she used to summon the Pentapriests, destroying herself in the process. The Pentapriests wake Jim up from the Nightmare Wave, promising they’ll be back.
Jim wakes in his bed violently, sees Sorrow alive and sleeping. He tries to call Babs, but she doesn’t answer (to see what she’s up to, check out Knight Terrors: Nightwing #2!)
Elsewhere in Gotham, a stranger buys the clock that summoned the Pentapriests in Jim’s dream…
Analysis:
Dan Watters and Riccardo Federici wrap up their Knight Terror story for Jim Gordon in this second issue, joined by artists Stefano Raffaele and Mike Perkins. Watters handles the complex issues inherent in Jim’s current position and his history beautifully. Pulling a stunt reminiscent of Tim Drake’s plan in the final arc of his Robin run, Jim proves himself still a great strategist. The surprising and heartbreaking reveal that Barbara initiated the Pentapriest summoning ushers in the meaning of Jim’s “gift”. The knowledge that life is brittle and so easily broken, so we must try to live kindly to avoid breaking each other is nicely made. Since Watters is writing backups for Detective Comics now, I fully expect to see the Pentapriests and the two other Good People of Gotham showing up in that dark tapestry.
Riccardo Federici provides the main art for this issue, and continues his finely rendered, woodcut-like penciling. The fine detail adds to the horror of the nightmare, and is ably complemented by Stefano Raffaele and Mike Perkins. Detective Comics continues to have a multiplicity of artists per issue, but since the book itself is a longer one (usually featuring a backup with a separate artist), it’s a bit more forgivable. And like most of the previous issues of Detective Comics, the artist styles work beautifully together.
Main interior artist Federici provides the main cover – showing a shattering Barbara’s head and the monstrous Superheavy, divided by the Pentapriest clock – very nicely tied to the story. Bernard Chang’s B cover shows Babs split between Oracle and Batgirl, with the clock behind her, as well as creepy bone structures – perhaps the most appealing of the covers for this issue. Kyle Hotz’s Cover C draws Babs as Oracle trapped by eye-tentacles streaming from her head like hair, with Batman dark and brooding in that nest – and the black and white version of this image serves as the 1 in 50 incentive variant. The 1 in 25 incentive variant by Marco Santucci nicely weaves together a huge monstrous Superheavy, Jim, and Oracle against the Clocktower – much more connected to the interiors than many of these variants have been!
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Editor’s Note: DC Comics provided TBU with the preview images of this comic for review purposes. You can find this comic and help support TBU in the process by purchasing this issue digitally on Comixology through Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.
