Jim Gordon is in for a weird night. A group calling itself the Good People of Gotham have summoned beings from the 5th Dimension and unleashed a horror on Gotham on top of whatever madness Insomnia is wreaking. And one of these cultists is now using the armor Gordon wore during his brief tenure as Batman. Knight Terrors: Detective Comics #1 is written by Dan Watters, drawn by Riccardo Federici, colored by Brad Anderson and lettered by Steve Wands.
With the AI controlling the city defeated, Terry McGinnis is in a whole new Gotham. But as it turns out, the old Gotham, the one paved over to make the shining towers of Neo Gotham, holds a number of secrets. Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #1 is written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, drawn by Max Dunbar, colored by Sebastian Cheng and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.
Everything comes together as Batman fights the Brood of the Demon to save them from themselves, Robin returns to Halyâs Circus to save Penguin from Killer Croc, and Croc goes through a startling transformation in Batman: The Audio Adventures #7, written by Dennis McNicholas, drawn by Anthony Marques and J. Bone, colored by Dave Stewart and lettered by Ferran Delgado.
Will Nevin: A cool thing that is happening: Shush. Isnât that neat?
Matt Lazorwitz: Letâs look on the bright side. Thereâs also a giant BatMech fighting Godzilla and King Kong. That is gonna be awesome.
Will: *grumbles*
âTec
Matt: So far, among the Knight Terrors books I have read, most of them feel like superhero comics with horror elements in them. This Detective Comics issue, maybe because our hero is human, maybe because he absolutely doesnât know itâs a dream and it is taking place in a way that feels real to him, feels much more like a straight up horror story.
Will: More so than any of these that weâve read so far, I think this is the team that gets the assignment. We open on a Gotham thatâs snowing in July. We as readers know thatâs wrong, and the characters know itâs wrong, but itâs never explained or panicked over â everyone simply accepts that this is a normal thing that is happening. And if thatâs not some dream logic, I donât know what is, Matt. And this is also ⌠the first (?) story to follow up on âSuperheavyâ? Oh, yeah, weird stuff going on in this book.
Matt: If itâs not the first, itâs the first to do it in any way other than lampshading or making a joke about it. This fits so well into what is going on with Gordon in the regular series with Sorrow. Maybe if I was deeper into the main Knight Terrors series I would have a better idea if everyone who isnât a superhero is in some kind of shared dream or if something with Sorrowâs mystical powers and these 5th Dimensional monsters is allowing the dream to be shared, but it doesnât really matter. All we need to know is that Jim is having this dream and thereâs more to it than just a dream because this is the DC Universe and there are weird things that can take advantage of other weird shit happening.
Will: This was also unsettling in a way that the other books havenât been quite able to nail. Jim is literally cracking up and falling to pieces. And a woman who wished for the wealth to help Gotham is vomiting diamonds. Thatâs fucked up, Matt. Diamonds are, like, super hard. Not the kinda thing you want to be puking up.
Matt: No, no they arenât. I know next issue weâll get this answer, but I am going to spend the next month trying to figure out what wish/gift the Pentapriests of the Fifth Dimension picked up in Jimâs brain. The Fifth Dimension is the realm of imagination, the home of Mr. Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite and also where many Djinn come from, so ironic wish fulfillment is their stock in trade. What could Jim have wanted that would have made him fragile like this, do you think?
Will: Maybe something like not having to keep it together for the sake of Gotham and Barbara â to be able to rest and not have to be everyoneâs hero for once in his damn life. If youâre a dry pile of broken skin and dusty bones, you donât have to fight anymore. *thinking guy meme*
Matt: I was thinking along those lines, or maybe something literally like he felt like heâs too old for this and breaking down, and thatâs what was picked up. Whatever it was, itâs not good for Jim.
Also, the concept of the Good People of Gotham, these self-righteous, entitled d-bags who go to mystical monsters to try to solve the problems the city has without really inconveniencing themselves? Those are the perfect enemies for Gordon, a man who has sacrificed everything for the city.
Will: I wonder how we interpret the GPG as a figment of Gordonâs nightmare. Does he think they donât exist? Or that theyâre monsters because they do nothing and thrive while heâs sacrificing everything heâs got? Those Elites (â˘, Sean Gordon Murphy), Matt â theyâll drive you crazy.
But in all seriousness, itâs a really fascinating theme to explore, and this â like the Joker book youâre softer on â is one of the few stories in this event that seems like it needs more space.
Matt: Dan Watters is one of my favorite writers in comics right now, and he usually teams up with great artists, and this issue is right along that line. Riccardo Federici is the perfect artist for this kind of story. For me, there are two kinds of dream: the ones that feel weird and gauzy and the ones that feel almost TOO real, at least until the zombies show up. His hyper detailed art suits the latter kind of dream really well.
Will: Art here was a real banger, and youâre right â itâs a perfect fit for the story Watters is telling.
Beyond
Matt: Itâs been a little under a year since the previous volume of this series wrapped, so we have some catching up to do with the status quo here. No offense intended, but as the one of us who tends to not remember longer-form dangling plot threads and the like, how out of the loop did you feel jumping into this first issue?
Will: Very! I remember the big points from the last volume (somehow), but this doesnât click for me as an engaging narrative. But thatâs on me and my puddle brain. Itâs got good vibes, and I love the idea of exploring the ruins of Old Gotham ⌠even as my personal nemesis in comics strikes once again.
Matt: I remembered most of what was going on, and this is a fine beginning to a new arc, but I do wish there had been more to catch readers up. If you were jumping into this without having read the first series and only familiar with the cartoon, you wouldnât know Beam Boonma, Gestalt or Lumos at all. I know we often read books written for the trade, but when you get the first issue in a new trade, you should probably consider this might be the first trade someone bought.
Will: And those ideas directly carry over. I really thought we were done with Lumos ⌠but the idea of this volume taking place underground does give that character some interesting themes to play with.
Matt: Yes, and what feels to me like the return of a couple of traditional Bat rogues. The cartoon featured very few characters from the original Batmanâs rogues gallery: Freeze, Raâs, Joker and Bane, and even Bane was just a cameo. So bringing in Croc and maybe Ivy (Who else could be growing apples in the underground?) will give Terry adversaries he hasnât fought yet, and without Bruce to back him up. I just hope the whole series doesnât become a cameo-fest; part of why the cartoon worked was exactly not over-relying on those kinds of appearances, and I would hate to lose that.
Will: You could go some interesting routes with Ivy and exploring how long she could live, what she has to resort to in Old Gotham to create her paradise, etc. And to your point, I think that bears careful consideration in a world in which Bruce is no longer alive. Whatâs the reason for continuing to tell stories in this world? What do these creators have to say about the mantle and what it means? I donât have those answers, but I reckon the creative team should.
Matt: So, as someone who didnât watch the show, you arenât familiar with Splicers, the animal hybrid people, which was a recurring theme in the show. But for a street gang/cult to grow up around the legend of Catwoman and all of them taking the name Kyle? That did give me a chuckle.
Will: I know ⌠uhh ⌠generally of catbois. Had no idea there was a preexisting connection.
Matt: Weâll watch more of the show for the bonus episode and definitely do an episode with Splicers. Or read the last issue of the original tie-in comic with the direct title of âTerryâs Mom Dates a Splicer.â I hope Kyle becomes a recurring character, actually. His confrontational attitude toward Terry is a nice contrast to everyone else at this point.
Will: With Gotham no longer being the antagonist, we have to have someone to spice it up before we find out whoâs behind these disappearances. I agree with you â Kyle has a nice dynamic with Terry here.
Matt: The scene with his mom is also really interesting. There was no real mention of where she and Terryâs brother were last series, so itâs nice to see them back. And to see that Terry is unfortunately repeating some of Bruceâs mistakes in pushing away the people closest to him. That is definitely something I hope someone brings up to him.
Audio
Matt: I love the Audio Adventures world more and more with every project/episode/issue. And thinking about it, I realize it has to do with how this world pays homage to Batmanâs world, never deviates from what makes these characters who they are, but still makes things different enough you never know what is coming.
Will: Of course, half of what happens is a surprise because I canât remember what happened in the last issue three months ago. Matt, how do you keep all these things in your brain? Whatâs your secret?
Matt: Itâs a blessing and a curse, trust me. I remember everything, but I also canât forget anything. Think about that.
Anyway, this connects the Batman, Croc and Robin plots in a satisfying way. But even if it didnât weâd get a nice resolution to each. The Brood of the Demon are not a direct threat to Gotham anymore, Robin is out from under Penguinâs thumb and Croc has been mutated further. It tells a good story and sets up a lot more, but it does it in a way that makes this still feel mostly self contained. If you removed the last cliffhanger panel, this could be completely self contained, and I like that.
Will: And remind me, keeper of all knowledge, where does this fit into the overall timeline/narrative of the series? I know the last time we talked Audio Adventures, I almost had it figured out, but ⌠well, I forgot.
Matt: In between seasons 1 & 2.
The big reveal in this issue, and I admit to not picking up on whatever hints there might have been, is exactly what the Brood of the Demon is. And itâs right in the name! That idea, that an immortal would have spawned a cult dedicated to his downfall, isnât completely unique, but itâs novel in the DC Universe, and itâs so perfectly suited to Raâs and the dark twists this world takes. I loved that.
Will: The lesson here is to not create a mythos around yourself that would encourage the development of a cult. Audio Adventures is for the kids. A real learning opportunity.
Matt: Also donât jump into pools with crazy mutagens. This is still the most tragic take on Croc weâve ever seen, and I really hope we see more of it, whether in another miniseries or in Season 3 of the podcast if we get it. Bring in Croc, Hugo Strange and Raâs for that season. Iâd love to know what SNL alumni get cast in those roles.
Will: You gotta think we get the second half of Season 2 if nothing else. You donât advertise it being âthe first halfâ if youâre not going to give the people the back half!
Matt: OH, definitely. Iâm hoping September/October weâll see that second half, because that was a lot of cliffhangers. Oh, by the way, want to hear us talk about the podcast? Check out the BatChat Patreon to hear about both seasons and a bunch of other Batman media.
Bat-miscellany
- On this weekâs podcast, Batman teams up with the two non-Batfamily heroes heâs closest to: Superman and Wonder Woman, the other members of DCâs Trinity.
- Speaking of Dan Watters and great art, the final issue of his BOOM! Studios miniseries with Sebastian Cabrol, The Seasons Have Teeth, also comes out this week, and if you like horror comics, it is well worth checking out.
Matt Lazorwitz read his first comic at the age of 5. It was Who's Who in the DC Universe #2, featuring characters whose names begin with B, which explains so much about his Batman obsession. He writes about comics he loves, and co-hosts the podcasts BatChat with Matt & Will and The ComicsXF Interview Podcast.
Will Nevin loves bourbon and AP style and gets paid to teach one of those things. He is on Twitter far too often.
