REVIEW: Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy #1 (of 2)

The Knight Terrors series has taken readers from one hero or villains’ worst nightmare to the next. Batman, the Joker, and Ravager have all had to face their darkest innermost thoughts. But in a bit of a surprise, the trippiest tale so far is courtesy of Poison Ivy.

At first, things don’t actually seem all that terrifying. Are things off? Yes. But that’s only because things are too perfect. Harley Quinn is super happy, no one is fighting and Batman and Catwoman are Ivy and Quinn’s friendly neighbors. The surrealness of it all alerts Ivy to the fact that something is wrong. But the way she deals with it is a shocking twist and turns the entire issue on its head. Writer G. Willow Wilson creates a multi-layered tales that gets progressively darker and more interesting. It can even be questioned whose nightmare are we really in? Is it truly Ivy’s or Jan from HR who happens to also stumble into this warped suburbia. Or the third option that it’s not so much either of their nightmares but Harley Quinn’s fantasy life gone askew. Trippy indeed.

The art is beautifully disturbing. There is always something suspicious about absolute perfection and the art team of Atagun Ilhan, Arif Prianto, and Mark Morales nail that. The neighborhood is bright and bubbly yet is subtly able to convey that all in not right. All of the characters outside of Ivy and Jann’s eyes and facial expressions slowly morph from normal to wide-eyed, wide-smiling grins that are absolutely terrifying by the final panel.

Misdirection and hints of the film “Inception” abound. The Stepford Wives also serve as a thematic and visual influence here. Getting down to exactly what is going on here is both the challenge and the fun of this issue. And it will be interesting to see what happens next. What’s up with Ivy? What is Janet from HR doing here and can she get out? Throughout, Ivy waxes poetic on what a “dream house” really is and that question serves as a metaphor for life in general. One person’s dream can be another’s nightmare. Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy #1 is its own out-the-box take on a classic DC character’s nightmare and is an excellent standalone read.

Writing – 4,5 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Coloring – 5 Stars

Overall – 4.5 Stars

Written by; G. Willow Wilson
Art by; Atagun Ilhan
Colors by; Arif Prianto
Letters by; Hassan Otsmane
Published by; DC Comics

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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.