“Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy” – Part One
Artists: Atagun Ilhan and Mark Morales
Color Artist: Arif Prianto
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Review by Fay Clark
We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for something truly terrifying, the event of the season. Will Ivy come out unscathed, or will she find herself outmatched by the new villain, Insomnia, in Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy #1.
Sweet Dreams or a Beautiful Nightmare
Well, this was a lovely surprise… although I’m not sure that Ivy feels the same way. G. Willow Wilson has done so much with this character in a short amount of time, that when this new DC event came up I was slightly worried about how it would affect the current storyline. Obviously there’s been some thoughtful pre-planning about how this was going to fit in and I love the way that Wilson has seamlessly switched gears.
There’s also a very helpful little note about the event and what’s happening in the first few pages, so if you weren’t aware, there’s no need to panic. The way that Wilson was able to switch into creepy dream mode kind of freaks me out a little. Don’t get me wrong, there are some freaky things happening in the series anyway, but, whoa! She had this locked and loaded, ready to go!
Pamela’s inner monologue is very strong in this issue, and this make a lot of sense to me. Everything we know we’re seeing is a nightmarish dream, but Ivy does not. That being said, hearing her inner thoughts and the way she’s trying to rationalize everything is giving me major gaslighting vibes. It’s a slippery slope to climb back up, after gaslighting yourself into believing in a new reality. I don’t know about Ivy, but I’d definitely need some therapy after this event, and we’re only half way through!
Creepy Beyond Measure
I couldn’t tell from the first few pages that we had a new artistic team on board. We start out with the standard (excellent) style of art for a Poison Ivy comic. Then, as soon as we hit the dream reality, Atagun Ilhan and Mark Morales really come into their own.
The style completely changes and it’s creepy, in the best way possible. There were several times when my skin was crawling just from looking at the pages. The look on my face as I looked through Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy #1 was probably very disturbing indeed.
My mouth dropped open and I must’ve had a look of horror and fascination mixed into one! Add in Arif Prianto’s gorgeous color work and you have yourself a colorful, terrifying new horror-scape to explore. It was lovely! There were a few details added in, just to unsettle the reader. I really appreciate that, it’s the little things that count!
Conclusion
If you enjoy anything to do with horror, then I suggest picking up Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy #1. We’ve entered into a whole new world, and I can’t wait to see what happens with Ivy and her new dream life next. I’ll be keeping a close eye on Gotham and it’s inhabitants over the next few months to see what effect this new villain has on everyone. I would suggest heavy therapy once they get out… if they get out!
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment