Knight Terrors: First Blood #1 (2023)

A man named John is awakened by his wife whilst sleeping beneath an oak tree on a beautiful autumn day with his family. He explains to his wife that he was having the most wonderful dream full of colorful characters in costumes, but that his family was not present. After gathering his senses, he realizes he has no memory of what his life was before his family. At that moment, his wife and children morph into grotesque and disturbing creatures and attack him. John fends them off finally remembering who he is; John Dee, also known as Dr. Destiny, trapped within a nightmare under the control of another. John is then transported to a nightmare version of the Hall of Justice. While walking its halls, he explains how the Justice League has since disbanded and encounters a portrait of the Justice League which comes to life and crawls out of the painting to attack him. A dark voice echoes throughout the hall asking John where the Nightmare Stone is. John refuses to tell him as the nightmare creatures engulf him. Deadman watches over a funeral of an old man and explains his life story while flying off to watch as Superman saves a multitude of people from a burning building in the heart of Metropolis. After using his ice breath to extinguish the flames, Superman receives a Justice League distress signal originating from the Hall of Justice, which is now a public museum. He flies off and encounters Wonder Woman in her invisible jet, who is simultaneously responding to the call. Deadman follows them explaining how he feels a haunting presence surrounding the heroes and the hall itself. Inside they meet with Batman who is confused, explaining the distress beacon can only be sent by one of them and that the security within the hall to activate it is impenetrable, even to Superman. The group are scanned and allowed entry into the adjacent room where they find John Dee's rotting nightmarish body pinned with spikes against a circular stone wall. Superman explains the last time they saw Dee was when he was working with Deathstroke during the events of Dark Crisis, and afterwards was apprehended and sent to Arkham Tower in Gotham. Harley Quinn comms into Batman stating John Dee at Arkham Tower is having a violent Nightmare and is unable to awaken. The trinity stare puzzled looking at the body of John Dee before them at the Hall of Justice while Harley ensures the real John Dee is there at Arkham Tower. Deadman panics, exclaiming that Magic is not responsible for the situation at hand while trying to to invade the John Dee dead body but unable to, realizing the dead body isn't real. Deadman possesses Batman instead, who warns Superman and Wonder Woman that the realms of dreams and the dead are connected and someone is actively tapping into both. Batman overpowers Deadman's possession, forcing him out of his body. Wonder Woman suggests consulting Zatanna over the matter while Superman states he will look into it at Supercorp. Batman heads to Arkham Tower with Deadman. A spy outside the hall sees the trinity depart and comms into Amanda Waller, who acknowledges that it has been some time since Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman all worked together. She orders Bright to look into what the trinity are after. At Arkham Tower, John Dee still asleep, is screaming to ensure the man responsible for his nightmares never finds the nightmare stone while doctor's attempt to restrain his convulsing body. A shadow emits from John Dee, smothering and killing him. Harley and Batman realize something in the nightmare came into reality and killed him. John Dee's body then speaks as if possessed by a dark voice, attempting to make an alliance with Batman to find the Nightmare Stone. John Dee's demonic possessed body crawls to the ceiling taunting Batman, who throws a batarang at his head. Pieces of John fall off creating monstrous creatures that engulf the room. Batman tells the doctors in the room to run while Harley and Deadman fend them off. The doctors succumb to possession themselves falling to the ground upon their retreat. Meanwhile back at the Hall of Justice, Wonder Woman, Zatanna, and Detective Chimp investigate the John Dee fake body, which Zatanna explains is a dream construct which is rarely seen in the material world. A purple light emits from the body rendering Wonder Woman and Detective Chimp to the ground and putting them to sleep. Zatanna casts a spell in an attempt to awaken them, however, unsuccessfully. While in flight, Superman is engulfed in purple light and falls asleep mid air, falling to the ground. A purple light pulsates from atop Arkham Tower in every direction and soon engulfs the entire planet putting everyone on Earth to sleep. Harley, while fighting the nightmare creatures, falls asleep while Batman struggles to keep control and stay awake by administering emergency adrenaline into himself. Batman continues to fight the nightmare creatures, one of which throws him through a wall into the adjacent room. Batman begins to hallucinate a nightmare sequence of himself as a little boy in crime alley where his parents were killed while a nightmare version of his father calls to him. Batman succumbs to the spell surrounded by purple light, and finally falls asleep. As nightmare creatures approach Batman's sleeping body, Deadman possesses Batman's body again and uses it to fend off the creatures. The demonic John Dee body standing before him knows Deadman is in control of Batman, and tells Deadman he could be so much more, attempting to recruit him in his search for the Nightmare Stone where the entire world can permanently become their “toys for play”. The John Dee body morphs into a pale man with purplish eyes and grabs Deadman by the neck, introducing himself as Insomnia.