REVIEW: Knight Terrors: Night’s End

The finale to DC’s major event of the year is here with Knight Terrors: Night’s End. Insomnia has brought all of the hero’s worst nightmares into the real world and the battle is on. Who will come out on top and what will it cost them all?

Deadman, Sandman, and Damian Wayne finally get the backup they need as all the heroes are awake and back in action to kick off the issue. They need is too as Insomnia tricked Deadman into killing him in the dream world to obtain the nightmare stone and release all of the hero’s nightmares upon the waking world. The action moves at an incredibly fast pace but still finds time to mix in horror/dream elements as Insomnia fights the Justice League in the real world and Deadman in the dream realm simultaneously. Writer Joshua Williamson has a lot on his plate but makes it happen. Deadman is the star here and both his positives and faults are put on full display for readers. And his one-on-ones with Insomnia are the highlight of the issue. All of their encounters are well written and have some kind of intriguing twist.

The art takes a drastic departure for the four mainline issues. In a bold move, the art is uber stylized and “inky”, representing the world of dreams which is the main theme of the series. The characters all look slightly deformed and more painted than drawn and colored. it’s dream-like and nightmarish at the same time. This is a finale and involves a lot of characters so each panel is packed with action. And with so much going on in each panel, it does make it a bit hard to follow the action at times. It may be an acquired taste but whether you prefer it or not, the art does look pretty freaking cool. Howard Porter, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stefano Nesi, Trevor Hairsine, and Rain Beredo end the series with an artistic bang.

Comic book event finales are very hard to nail. Creating a satisfying conclusion that wraps up something that has built up over months and dozens of issues is near impossible. Overall, Knight Terrors: Night’s End hits the mark. First, the entire storyline is one of the best representations of the Deadman character to date. The character’s unique abilities are perfect for a nightmare story and the addition of Sandman makes this one of DC’s more unique major events. That being said, this issue is light on other character’s that were featured and loose ends abound. This could be chalked up to Insomnia using the nightmares as an actual distraction but some of the offshoot stories were so good (i.e. Joker, Flash, Green Lantern etc.) it would’ve been cool to see them appear in the final battle.

In the end, despite some shortcomings, there are plenty of thrills and surprises in this issue. Parts are straightforward, parts are mind-bending, parts are action-packed, and parts are emotional. There’s even a twist upon the twist that comes completely out of left-field. And as the dust clears, it’s safe to say that the DC Universe has changed forever. If you’ve followed the series to this point, you must check out the conclusion.

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Coloring – 4 Stars

Overall
4 Stars

Written by; Joshua Williamson
Art by; Howard Porter, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stefano Nesi, and Trevor Hairsine
Colors by; Rain Beredo
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.