REVIEW: Knight Terrors: Black Adam #1

In a world where heroes and villains alike are stuck in an eternal slumber and forced into their worst nightmares, what does a god-like being that fears no man actually fear? In Knight Terrors: Black Adam #1, we find out.

Black Adam is a complex figure. He is the protector of his homeland Kahndaq, a noble undertaking he takes extremely seriously. And in that role, he is willing to work with anyone (hero or villain) and do anything (including kill). And in his story, he doesn’t see himself as the villain at all. Black Adam prefers to punch his way through most problems, and his power defines him. So it makes sense that his nightmare is to feel powerless. He is stripped of his powers and returned to his Teth-Adam mortal form, something he turned his back on a very long time ago.

As he makes his way through this nightmare (that he is fully aware he is in), he is met and guided by his animal companion, Bast…or at least a talking cat claiming to be Adam’s Familiar. Adam takes on a challenge, a repeat of one of his greatest failures, and is forced to relive it in an even more brutal and heartbreaking way. Fortunately, Bast provided a nice bit of levity to the story’s dark tone and Adam’s over-seriousness. Watching a god get slapped by a cat is just funny (as I cat owner, I actually laughed out loud). Overall, Writer (and illustrator) Jeremy Haun, with the limited time he has, does a good job of conveying a man’s failure driving him to become fearless and perhaps become too willing to take things too far.

The art is pretty interesting. The backgrounds are outstanding and the purple and blue hues of the night reinforce the nightmare vibes. Black Adam himself has a unique look to him. His design is reminiscent of the golden-age style of drawing strong-jawed handsome leading man heroes and there’s even a small bit of Alex Ross type character design but with a modern coloring style thanks to Nick Filardi. Huan pulling double duty writing and drawing the comic deserves props.

Knight Terrors: Black Adam #1 is cool, it’s intriguing, and it is short. Very short. 22 pages to be exact. And just when it starts getting good, it ends. There is a cliffhanger that raises more questions than it answers (on purpose of course). This is a teaser issue through and through. Fortunately, it does pique the curiosity to find out what happens next.

Writing – 3 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Coloring – 3.5 Stars

Overall – 3.5 Stars

Written by; Jeremy Haun
Art by; Jeremy Haun
Colors by; Nick Filardi
Letters by; Troy Peteri
Published by; DC Comics

Author Profile

Christopher R. Ford

Writer, author, and blogger. Published author of three children's books and also writes for the boy Creators For The Culture. Part-time sneaker head, full time nerd.