Join Batman and Deadman on their most terrifying team-up yet — facing all of their literal worst nightmares in pursuit of the mysterious Insomnia!
Running from Oct. 16th to Nov. 3rd, we’ll be reading Knight Terrors #1 - #3! Remember, these three issues will be free to read for the rest of the month, so head over to DCUI and get reading! Discussion questions will be posted every Monday.
Week 1 Discussion Questions
In the opening pages, the stage is set (pun intended) by Deadman. How do you feel about his existence? Do you think it’s a lonely one?
What role do dreams play in this book? What is their importance in regards to the plot?
On page 18 (on DCUI), Deadman, while possessing the body of Batman, briefly contemplates what he dreams of, and what he wants…what do you think he desires most in this world?
Why do you think Zombie Sandman was so eager to join Deadman’s “mission”?
If you were in Deadman’s shoes, what hero (dead or alive) would you want by your side as you fight back against Insomnia?
Week 2 Discussion Questions
Listen — current circumstances aside, Deadman kinda rocks in Batman’s body. If they weren’t in the situation they’re currently in, how do you think Deadman would spend one full day in Batman’s body? (Or rather, what kind of shenanigans would you LIKE to see him get up to under the guise of the one and only Dark Knight?)
Insomnia is an absolutely ruthless villain. That said, how do you feel about him killing off the son of the cult leader — the one who took advantage of people he deemed beneath him, and who threatened to kill those who spoke to him without permission?
What do you think the Arkham nurses looking after Insomnia are trying to keep him from saying about the Justice League? Do you think his anger justifies any of his actions?
There seems to be a recurring theme in this story revolving around greed — and, in some lesser instances, just plain selfish desire. We can sort of see this through the Sandman, who joins Deadman’s mission to finally put the case of the Nightmare Stone to rest, since it’s one of the only things he never got any answers on in his lifetime. Do you think this theme of greed & selfish want reaches Deadman? If yes, how so?
Week 3 Discussion Questions
Damian joins the Dream Team! (Get it?) If he hadn’t mastered those meditation techniques, what do you think his personal night terror would’ve looked like?
Do you think Insomnia could’ve been “spared” from his breakdown if his sponsor had chosen different wording? If he hadn’t ever suggested he forgive the Justice League amidst his mania, would there have been a different outcome, or do you feel Insomnia was destined to go mad?
Why do you think Deadman lied about not feeling the pain of being shot all this time? Do you think he was trying to spare listeners the dark reality of what it feels like to die, or do you feel he was perhaps more so lying to himself, just to make the impact of dying alone less painful?
What do you think that very last shot of Deadman (?) holding the Nightmare Stone entails?
As always, this month’s book club comes with some awesome digital perks!
Yeah, I think it’s a lonely existence. He can only communicate with people by possessing someone else, which people hate, so he almost never does.
Plot-wise they act as the bridge between the world beyond and the waking world, and that connection is being expoited to bring something bad into the real world.
I don’t think Boston has dreamed since he died, and I think what he wants more than anything is to finally pass on. not to be too morbid, but I think that perhaps a part of him wanted it even before he died.
Wesley’s whole thing was that he would have nightmares about a crime and not be able to rest until he’d prevented it. Replace the rest of a night’s sleep with the eternal rest of death, and this is a normal Tuesday night for Wes. I think it’s less an eagerness and more a resigned sense of duty.
Sandman’s an excellent choice. If he could get a hold of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, all the better. My top pick would be Doctor Fate. My first thought was that this sounds like a job for Doctor Strange, but he’s not really an option.
This is a pretty interesting take. I guess when you consider his “act”, it actually makes a lot of sense. Do you think it was something like … every time he performed, he’d sort of subconsciously hoped it’d be the last time?
Want/hope is probably too strong a word. The way he talks about needing to believe he could die just made me think that maybe this isn’t someone who tried too hard to stay alive.
Deadman talks about liking Batman’s body (you know what I mean!) because he keeps in shape (you know what I mean!), which allows him to perform the acrobatic tricks he used to in life. Maybe Boston would spend a day in Batman’s body doing daredevil stuff so he could feel the thrill of risking it all again. As for Shenanigans I’d like to see: I’d love for someone to sign Bruce up for some therapy! If they have to posses his body to do so, so be it.
I’m probably against it. When I say “eat the rich”, I usually mean it metaphorically.
I kind of felt like the nurses’ main priority was keeping him from snapping more necks. I’m liking the angle of them stopping him from speaking truth to power, though… Is Insomnia a proletariat icon?
That’s an interesting and difficult question. My initial reading is that Deadman is genuinely trying to help people. He wasn’t actively compelled take on the case. He just saw that something was wrong and thought he should help. I think he is, at WORST, motivated by sheer boredom, but this is a question I’ll have in the back of my mind going into issue #3
Imagine Deadman enrolling Batman into a therapy session, then un-possessing him right before it starts. Bye Bats! Have fun! And remember, every time you daydream of maiming me, I’m aaaaaaaalready dead!
There’s Damien Wayne Kostyal, a professional wrestler who drops his last name in the ring. While there’s a lot of overlap in comic and wrestling fandom, I think he was still very much an up-and-comer in 2006.
There’s Damien Wayne Echols, one of the West Memphis Three, who was certainly known to those who follow true crime.
Personally, I think it’s largely because Damien is the kid from The Omen … I think Morrison’s characterization of Damian when he first appeared, plus the obvious “heir of the Demon” angle, led a lot of online fan writers to just make the type-o without realizing it (and few cared to correct it), and it spread from there. (Tim actually overtly calls Damian the “Son of Satan” in a later Morrison issue.)
Damian was raised from birth to think of himself as superior to everybody (and it shows). He feels like he has to be better than everybody to live up to the dual legacies of his father and grandfather. I think that Damian’s nightmare scenario would be one in which he is completely average. I’m picturing him “waking up” in a world where everyone is Damian Wayne. Not only would he be just as great at everything as everyone else, he would also be faced with how insufferable he is to deal with.
A trigger is not the same thing as the cause of a breakdown. Insomnia was always going to have a breakdown when someone tried to make him face his delusions. In a perfect world, someone would have recognized that he had the potential for violence sooner and gotten him to a higher security facility before he could hurt anyone, but I think Insomnia was always going to have this breakdown.
People often cope with traumatic experiences by trying to convince themselves that they weren’t as bad as they were. As not a psychologist, I think that this is a very healthy step for Boston.
haven’t been read these yet. Guess I’ll have to get to it.
