REVIEW: Knight Terrors: Harley Quinn #2

Christopher R. Ford

1 year ago

Mad Cap Harley Quinn returns in Knight Terrors: Harley Quinn #2. Can the bad girl turned (kinda) good escape her nightmare a second time?

In the first issue, Harley “breaks” the game being played on her and discovers the multiverse. it’s then revealed that joining the Justice League and being a traditional “hero” is Harley’s deepest fear. In this issue she’s thrown into the multiverse to experience how her life of a hero would go. It’s a fun mix of terror and comedy as she’s thrown into a perfect town out of a Norman Rockwell painting and basically turned into Superman. She has to contend with a classic Super villain, inept police, weirdly happy citizens, and even fight her comic book thought bubbles. It’s a wild ride writer Tini Howard clearly enjoyed creating.

The art again is a grab bag of different art styles and creative remixes to the looks of classic characters. The highlight is her trip to Jester Town, an altered version of Metropolis/Gotham from the Golden Age of comics. The 1960’s vibes extend to the citizens as well as the villain Harley has a super face-off against. No spoilers as to who the character is but their look is both a radical departure from how they are usually presented and is a reimagining of their earliest comic appearances. Super Harley also looks retro-cool in her body suit, throw back mask and cape. The colors and artistic tricks comic artist used back in the day are put on full display. Kudos to the art team of Hayden Sherman and Triona Farrell for seamlessly incorporating new and old school art into this visually arresting comic book issue.

The side story “Presque Vu” also continues in this issue. The future (or past, or multiversal) HQ brings our Harley into an alien spaceship for a chat. Astrophysics and much high-level theoretical (and comic book-y) science is discussed. It can go a bit over the reader’s head but the reveal of why the Harley’s are there is made very clear and is a doozy of a twist. Two Harley Quinn’s discussing the mysteries of the universe is a fun surprise. The art style here is in total contrast to the Knight Terrors story. Artist Ben Templesmith keeps it dark and uber-stylized. The look may be an acquired taste but it is something different from anything in the Knight Terrors collection.

Overall, this issue focuses on the differences between being good and being a hero. Harley is given superpowers to test drive but wants no part of it. She gets candid about her mental state and why she can’t be a hero. And the reveal of who is pulling the strings and why is a bombshell that’ll reverberate long after the nightmare ends. But the issue balances the heavy stuff out with some levity and even gets a little meta. The citizens recounting her new origin story are quite funny and Harley herself takes breaks from her existential crisis to crack wise. Both stories convey the importance of Harley in DC Universe. It’s cool to see a character that started as a side villain in “Batman the Animated Series” glow up to become a major player in the comics. This is an inventive issue and a must read for Harley fans.

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Coloring – 4.5 Stars

Overall – 4.5 Stars

Written by; Tini Howard and Leah Williams
Art by; Hayden Sherman and Ben Templesmith
Colors by; Triona Farrell and Ben Templesmith
Letters by; Steve Wands and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

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.