Try to Wake Up: a Review of Knight Terrors Hardcover (2024)

 

Review:

Insomnia, a frightful new villain striding through the DC universe, takes center stage in this book. Collected here is the core mini-series and one-shots that make up the backbone of this crossover event.

Insomnia has enough power to put the whole world to sleep and to then sift through the nightmares of billions of people, including the world's super-powered beings. Yet he must find a magical Nightmare Stone in order to really accomplish his goal of making the Justice League pay for how they made his life a miserable tragedy.

This incoherent dichotomy is just one of several frustratingly weak elements of this tale.

Since Insomnia cannot find the Nightmare Stone himself, he must manipulate the few heroes who remain awake in spite of the global nap-time he created: Deadman, in a long-term possession of Batman's body; Damian Wayne's Robin, who has trained his mind to control his dream states; and a resurrected Sandman. 'Motley' barely begins to describe this crew!

What, one wonders about others like Raven with her magical and underworld powers? or Martian Manhunter with his alien brain and mind-powers of his own? Or others with alien physiologies like Starfire or even Superman? although in his case, we do know that he succumbed as easily as any human.

Deadman easily falls into the trap that observant readers surely saw dozens of pages earlier, although he does have one card to play still, to break Insomnia's hold on the world. But can he break the nightmares that haunt Insomnia himself?

It all adds up to a brutal, horror-filled disappointment of a cross-over.

Artists like Howard Porter, Guillem March and more lean into the horror motifs and dreamscapes. Twisted bodies, tentacles and fangs, scattered and non-overlapping panel layouts all evoke the absurdities and terrors of a nightmare. If only they were enjoyable images. But too often they feel rushed, as though too much time was spent on those fangs and gory deformities, leaving too little time for faces and expressions. The colorists do a great job switching between the dark nightmares and the sepia-toned memories.

The introductions with Deadman breaking the fourth wall and addressing us readers directly add some nice touches.

And this hardcover volume includes the complete and stunning collection of variant covers from these comics.

But none of it is able to save an otherwise plodding, incoherent and unpleasant story.

Description:

Horror devastates the DC Universe as its greatest heroes confront their worst nightmare in this terrifying epic, perfect for all fans of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman!

When Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman find the body of one of their earliest enemies inside the Hall of Justice, their investigation takes them past the land of the living, beyond the land of the dead, and directly to a new villain called Insomnia...who uses his powers to engulf every single hero and villain in their own dark and twisted nightmares. The only way to save the world is to call for the help of an unlikely hero—Deadman!

As Batman, Deadman, and Wesley Dodds—the original Sandman—attempt to unravel this mystery, Insomnia unleashes his horrifying army—the Sleepless Knights!

This self-contained series is the summer blockbuster of comics events—set firmly in current continuity, but a perfect jumping-on point for all fans of DC and horror! Knight Terrors is written by DC mainstay and horror comics veteran Joshua Williamson, and chillingly illustrated by celebrated artists including Howard Porter, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Caspar Wijngarrd!

This volume collects Knight Terrors First Blood, Knight Terrors #1-4, Knight Terrors: Night’s End, the full main Knight Terrors story.

Collects: Knight Terrors First Blood, Knight Terrors #1-4, Knight Terrors: Night’s End

Authors:  Joshua Williamson
Artists:  Howard Porter, Guillem March, more
Published By:  ‎ DC Comics
Published When:  Feb. 6, 2024
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN:  ‎ 978-1779524591
Pages:  ‎ 232 pages

Women and their Men: a Review of Gotham City Sirens Book 2

 

Review:

Our trio of sirens all originated as villains whose plans and schemes were always foiled by Batman. Each also had a significant romantic love interest in their history. Harley Quinn was the psychotic romantic sidekick of the Joker. Poison Ivy's origin story has been rebooted more than once but for a time it featured her lover Jason Woodrue running experiments on her before leaving her for dead. And Catwoman has almost from her first appearance been characterized by her flirtatious fixation on Batman.

So it should come as no surprise that this ongoing series, teaming together the three of them, would have romantic entanglements and confrontations with Batman. Still, if not surprising, seeing them take center stage in these series of stories was nonetheless disappointing.

This volume, Book 2 reprinting the complete series, collects the entire second half and drawing it to its conclusion. The first story arc comes from the pen of Tony Bedard, before passing the writing duties to Peter Calloway to bring things home and wrap up the run.

In Bedard's arc, Poison Ivy falls in love with an extra-terrestrial plant creature. Can Catwoman and Harley keep her rooted in her humanity enough to stave off the pending invasion her lover seeks to trigger?

Starting with #16, Calloway's first multi-part story brings a couple other strong and independent DC women into the mix. Zatanna and Talia al Ghul land with explosive results in the lives of our sirens. At issue is whether Catwoman knows too much about Batman's secrets and would be too easily captured or kidnapped by someone seeking to extract those secrets. With Zatanna trying to wipe Catwoman's memory and Talia satisfied with just killing her, can Harley and Ivy protect her enough to survive?

The answer then launches straight into the next multi-parter, with Harley Quinn breaking into Arkham Asylum in order to kill the Joker. It is a tale that leans heavily into her education and history as a therapist, and the ability that gives her to manipulate people, while steering away from the silliness and insanity side of her personality.

When Batman must then intervene to restore peace at Arkham it's Catwoman's turn to intercede and protect her sisters in arms.

These tales have often gorgeous art by Andres Guinaldo. He shows a deft hand with different styles, shifting with apparent ease between gritty Arkham scenes on one end to the ethereal dream sequences and again to the leafy and thorny panel borders in an Ivy spotlight. His visuals are filled with life and emotion, a delight to view.

Alas, the stories themselves, with their focus on the male antagonists in the sirens' lives, drifts from the fun adventures of the first half of the series, found in Book 1. They showed that there is so much more story potential in these women. Maybe, by getting these man-focused ones out of the way, it might have opened up new frontiers for future issues. 

But no, unfortunately the series ends. By the final issue, Calloway does give us a nice retcon of the earliest issues, casting those first tales in a whole new light. Except even then, he doubles down on the men in their lives again pulling the strings and manipulating them.

Revealing the men in all their power and sway and manipulations is a disappointing way to end a series so focused on three strong, independent women.

Description:

Together, Catwoman, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are three of Gotham City's most powerful quasi-reformed criminals and together they spark scandal wherever they go.

Poison Ivy has long charmed the men of Gotham City, but now she's the one falling under a spell. Captivated with a plant-based alien inside S.T.A.R. Labs, she weds her cause to his and undertakes a Plantifest Destiny that leaves no room for humans—not even her sisters-in-crime. Catwoman and Harley Quinn try to tear their friend's heart away from the alien menace, but they find out how slowly the threat of love dies.

The excitement continues when an underworld plot to kidnap Catwoman and pluck her beloved Batman's identity from her mind shakes the Sirens. As the sorry enemy of Ivy and Harley' ex the Joker, the Dark Knight will always divide the three, and Catwoman's feelings have barely been tolerated to this point. So when Talia al Ghul and Zatanna rush in to help save Selina, it's not exactly clear who's doing the saving…and who's doing the hurting.

And when Harley stages a riot in Arkham Asylum to the Joker, it could be the beginning of the end of the Gotham City Sirens. As the situation inside Gotham quickly spins out of control, and Harley becomes more and more mired in her obsession with the Clown Prince of Crime, Poison Ivy and Catwoman struggle over how to handle their estranged teammate. The Gotham City Sirens are ready to make their final stand, but will they be fighting each other?

Writers Tony Bedard (SUPERGIRL) and television's Peter Calloway (Brothers & Sisters, Hellcats) team up with artists Andres Guinaldo (NIGHTWING), Jeremy Haun (BATWOMAN), Ramon F. Bachs (BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM) and more, in GOTHAM CITY SIRENS BOOK TWO! Collects issues #14-26.

Collects: Gotham City Sirens (2009) #14-26

Authors:  Peter Calloway, Tony Bedard
Artists:  Andres Guinaldo
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  May 5, 2015
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN:  978-1401254124
Pages:  304 pages

A Strong, Green Foundation - Review of Green Lantern: The Silver Age Vol. 1

 

Review:

Continuing DC Comics' effort to reprint its early stories for the modern world, this book collects the first two and a half years of Hal Jordan's Silver Age appearances as the rebooted Green Lantern.

He would become the most famous Green Lantern in pop culture, with movies and a constant presence in Justice League media. In-story, Hal would become known as one of the all-time greatest Green Lanterns.

These earliest stories lay the foundation of so much of the most recognizable Green Lantern characters and themes that would endure from the 1960s through the 1990s. Things like the 24-hour limit on the ring's charge, the impurity backed into the ring that gave it its weakness against yellow things; Carol Ferris as both a hard-driving business-woman and  a swooning love-interest; the little blue Guardians of the Universe;a pan-galactic Corps of fantastical alien ring-wielders, and more. Even little things, like using the initials GL as a shorthand abbreviation.

More examples of the mythology established right from these earliest pages that would play a constant and persistent role in GL stories forever after: the Weaponers of Qward debut in #2; Hector Hammond in #5; and Sinestro's first appearance is in #7.

This is all a great testament to author John Broome's tremendous imagination and his ability to create characters and relationships that would excite and inspire fans for years to come!

Several artists contributed to the visuals of these early days, and 1960 treated credits differently than today so identifying who did which pages can be tricky. Artist Gil Kane contributed the most, though, and when his work can be identified it shows his flair for dynamic images. In this early Silver Age work, his pages generally hold six panels, vs the 9 panels most common in the Golden Age comics. This lets the panels grow in size, and Kane fills the extra room with creative angles and ample close-ups. 

Even with the excessive narrative text cramping the space, Kane gave us compelling images more often than not. His villains were the weakest elements, with the alien baddies excessively goofy and over-the-top, and a shocking number of bald men, especially the villains! The Guardians are an exception, but the Qwardians and most normal human villains are all smooth on top. 

As vital and foundational as these stories from 1959 to 1961 were, reading them thorugh 2025 eyes is a struggle. Our tastes and sensibilities have become darker, more into realism and harsher, more violent visuals than these Comics Code-approved tales. 

So the goofier tales, such as Hal's friend and co-worker Tom Kalmaku turning into a seagull, the candy-looking colouring of Sinestro and some of the monsters, and the narrative repetitiveness are less compelling today. And the constant use of a racial slur in reference to Tom Kalmaku and his indigenous (Innu) heritage is a constant aggravation. It may have been common at the time of these stories but no longer fits today's sensibilities. Call it a constant reminder of how much we've learned and grown as a society. 

But this was not written in 2025, it was written more than 60 years ago. And it was so well received precisely because it was such a perfect fit for the society of that day. The exotic planets and aliens, the high-tech test pilot role of Hal Jordan, the romantic interests, the magical powers of the ring itself, all spoke to the America of the early Space-age. 

In these pages, the legend is born  I give the book two capes with today's eyes, with a recognition that it would have been 4 capes in its day.

 

Description:

Perhaps the most famous of all the Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan put on the lantern’s ring for the first time in 1959. A re-envisioning of the original crime-fighting Green Lantern (Alan Scott), created by John Broome in the 1940s, this new Green Lantern was a science fiction adventurer. He battled aliens, giant monsters, wealthy sociopaths out to steal his power ring...and the efforts of his lady love, Carol Ferris, to discover his true identity. As the Green Lantern of the Silver Age of comic books, Hal Jordan captured the imagination of a space-minded society of the ’50s and ’60s.

GREEN LANTERN: THE SILVER AGE VOLUME 1 collects the adventures of Hal Jordan as he takes on the responsibility of the ring and the lantern for the first time in SHOWCASE #22-24 and GREEN LANTERN #1-9.

Collects: Showcase #22-24 and Green Lantern #1-9

Authors:  John Broome
Artists:  Gil Kane, Mike Sekowsky, Carmen Infantino
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  Oct. 11, 2016
Parental Rating: General
ISBN:  978-1401263485
Pages:  356 pages

 

History and Politics - a Review of Green Lantern Corps: Beware Their Power Vol. 1

 

Review:

Creative team Steve Englehart and Joe Staton continued to do amazing things in their late-1980s run with the Green Lanterns. After shiftnig focus of the ongoing series from Hal Jordan to John Stewart to Guy Gardner then to a whole corps, after sheperding the book through the turmoil the universe-reshaping Crisis on Infinite Earths, after rebranding the book from Green Lantern to the Green Lantern Corps, they continued to give us strong, surprisingly grown-up stories with their cast of characters.

In an era where other titles were going darker and more brutal, Englehart penned tales of mature and complex inter-personal relationships. He even rooted some of these tales in a familar, recognizable world and well-known IRL peresonalities.

Take, for starters, the cover story arc, which sees Kilowog realize he is more in tune with the principles of socialism than capitalism. It provokes him to locate his earthly base of operations in the USSR. Englehart weaves in real-world tensions of that late Cold War era and unapologetically names names. This is not the Golden and Silver Age of using thinly veiled stand-ins for the real world - no Star City or Central City (although still Coast City). Instead, he gives us Washington and Moscow, Reagan and Gorbachev.

Through Kilowog, Englehart gives Soviet society in general and communism in particular a fairer airing than much of the media of the day. We also get a clear political statement with Hal Jordan declaring himself to be an "unregenerate liberal," if not to the same extent as Kilowog. Ultimately, of course, the USSR is portrayed as more duplicitous and brutal than the USA, but this would have been a notable and brave story when published.

The Earth-based Corps is not opposed to dating co-workers; in these pages we get lots of scenes with happy couples, culminating with the wedding and honeymoon of John Stewart and Katma Tui. They spend a wonderful honeymoon on an asteroid they encountered in a previous issue.

In fact, two of the recurring themes in this collection are the romantic lives of the heroes, which also include Hal Jordan and Arissa as well as Guy Gardner, and unapologetic references to Green Lantern tales past. These history callbacks identify the issues to which they nod, a helpful touch to those of us who do not get the reference or who don't recall their details. 

Some even go all the way back to the earliest Green Lantern days of the 1960s. Star Saphire and Hector Hammond, teaming up here to defeat the Corps, first met in Green Lantern #5, and the Solar Director of AD 5700 connects all the way back to issue #8.

Star Saphire and Hector Hammond hatch a scheme to kill first Hal and soon after the entire Corps. And they appear to have succeeded in their first step, through Hammond's mind control, sabotage, and making use of their knowledge of the power ring's limitations and weaknesses. Most thrilling of all, however, is the interplay between the two frenemies, as each seeks to manipulate the other, Star Saphire most shockingly by stripping naked in front of him.

The AD 5700 Solar Director story comes with a twist - instead of Hal Jordan, they pull Salaak into the far future and he is in turn seduced by the lovely Iona. But when Ch'p arrives in AD 5700 too, he takes the other side in the conflict. The interpersonal rift occasionally delivers tender and intense moments, although this story arc is by far the goofiest in this collection.

The beautiful hardcover collection is bookended by two series annuals. In each, the writers were given the assignment to tell us tales from the other thousands of Green Lantern Corps members. Most striking and memorable are the ones by Alan Moore, with his tale of long-game manipulation leading to the death of Abin Sur, then a fascinating tale of how the green light of the lantern would translate to a place of such profound darkness that light-based language has no equivalent.

This is a delightful set of stories and a beautiful bookshelf treasure.

Description:

The Green Lantern Corps, now only made up of Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Arisia, Katma Tui, Ch'p, Salakk and Kilowog, have made Earth their new home. Now the Green Lanterns must battle cosmic threats while dealing with the national politics of the United States and the Soviet Union! Plus, the alien members of the Corps are eager to explore their new home and learn all about strange new human customs!

GREEN LANTERN CORPS: BEWARE THEIR POWER VOL. 1 collects for the first time ever GREEN LANTERN CORPS #207-215 and GREEN LANTERN CORPS ANNUAL #2-3, from the veteran Green Lantern creative team of Steve Englehart, Joe Staton and Mark Farmer!

Collects: GREEN LANTERN CORPS #207-215 and Annual #2-3

Authors:  Steve Englehart, Alan Moore
Artists:  Joe Staton, Mark Farmer
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  Feb. 13, 2018
Parental Rating: Parental Guidance
ISBN:  978-1401277505
Pages:  296 pages