Knight Terrors: Catwoman #2 variant cover, via DC Comics.
Knight Terrors: Catwoman #2 — Tini Howard, Writer; Leila Leiz, Artist; Marissa Louise, Colorist
Ray — 8.5/10
Ray: This miniseries is an odd one in the larger Knight Terrors picture, as it’s the only one that doesn’t seem to directly plunge the hero or villain into a nightmare. Rather, it’s an intriguing look into an alternate reality where Catwoman is the protector of Gotham — much to her dismay. Selina is a scarred, ruthless guardian of the city, which has made her a wanted criminal and estranged her from her sister Maggie — who is a nun operating secretly as a superhero, the mysterious Sister Zero. But familiar faces are emerging as well — Selina is training Bruce Wayne to become Batman, but this version of Bruce is much closer to the cartoonish “Brucie Wayne” playboy version, although he discovers some hidden strengths. At the same time, the Joker is making his mark on Gotham — which this version being a younger, more trollish version of the character who targets Maggie’s church.
Birth of a monster. Via DC Comics.
So what surprised me about this is… this is actually one of the more effective nightmares, in terms of its effect on the hero. We all know that Gotham War is right around the corner, with Selina and Bruce going to war. This issue paints a picture of a Gotham where Selina tries to do the right thing — and is brutally punished for it, not only losing everything but causing the people she cares about to lose everything. And she wakes up with a new zeal to not play the hero, but to do what needs to be done for the city no matter how it hurts. This is an intriguing series, thanks to its strong characterization, noir-inspired aesthetic, and strong art. However, it doesn’t quite get there in a timely fashion — the ambiguous nature of this story takes a long time to get to its point. However, it’s one of the best issues of Howard’s run, and might be one of the best in terms of tying the event into the main series and upcoming plots.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
