Written by Geoffrey Thorne and Shannon Eric Denton
Illustrated by Jason Johnson and Brian Denham
Colored by SAI Studios and Milen Parvanov
Lettered by Andworld Design
Edited by Kristen Fitzner Denton
Published by IDW
In the mid-1980s, one of the hot topics in the school yard was which car was better, the Dukes of Hazard’s General Lee or Knight Rider’s KITT. To just about any kid growing up in the 80s, KITT was the clear winner considering it boasted turbo boosts, ejector seats, a bulletproof body, and a super-sophisticated artificial intelligence that could control the car without needing a driver behind the wheel. And that artificial intelligence, voiced by William Daniels, was just as charismatic as costar David Hasselhoff, who played Michael Knight, the infamous “man who does not exist.” The show is cheesy – as most shows from the 80s are – but brilliant all the same; so much so that several attempts at spin-offs and remakes were made over the years – one of them as recent as 2008. None of these remakes or spin-offs lived up to the original, however. The chemistry that made the original show work just does not seem repeatable. On television that is. In comic form however, IDW got it right.
The trade paperback, originally published by Lion Forge Comics in eight issues, sees a vastly different story arc explaining the creation of KITT and the background of Michael Knight. In the book, Michael has already been recruited by FLAG, the Foundation for Law and Government, and is one of many agents employed by the organization. Specifically, Michael is a type of agent known as a Knight since they are employed for protection and rescue missions. Likewise, his vehicle – a black sports car that looks vaguely like a Pontiac Trans Am – is standard issue to all FLAG agents and comes complete with a suite of sensors, weapons, and defense systems. Initially, the AI known as KITT is nowhere to be found – this will be quite disconcerting for most readers until, that is, it is revealed that the woman Michael is protecting, Katherine Beachum, is a scientist working on an advanced artificial intelligence. Michael, thankfully, is just as much of a cowboy as he is in the television show, and his “fly by the seat of my pants” attitude eventually leads to KITT taking possession of his FLAG issued vehicle. Thorne’s plot is tight, and KITT’s creation makes perfect sense in context with the story. Along with the revamped plot, Thorne introduces some new characters including Tabitha, Michael’s controller, or Bishop as they are called in FLAG parlance.
As one familiar with the television show would expect, Michael is as over-the-top and cheesy as ever, but just as with Hasselhoff’s version, Thorne’s Michael Knight manages to balance that cheesiness with an overwhelming charm that never gets annoying. This is made apparent immediately as the first few panels show a text message conversation between Michael, King’s Knight 3, and Tabitha, King’s Bishop 2. Michael receives a message stating that he is in breach of protocol for taking his Pawn, the codename for the person he is protecting, out on the town. Tabitha says, “This is your 6th breach.” Michael responds saying, “5th. You can’t count the donut shop.” To which Tabitha retorts, “Is counted. You allowed too much exposure on the pawn.” Michael reiterates that it is only his 5th breach saying, “The pawn = a person. PEOPLE + donuts = :-).” Michael’s boyish charm shows up frequently throughout the comic, just as it did on the television show.
KITT’s personality is a bit different, however, but not in a bad way. KITT is just a bit more innocent than it was in the show, which is fitting for a newly created AI. That does not mean it has lost its sense acerbic of humor, though. At one point, just before a particularly thrilling battle against two Apache attack helicopters at the end of the book, KITT is attacked by a computer virus and goes dormant as Michael fights against some human attackers. After KITT awakens, Michael asks, “You find anything useful in your slumber?” To which KITT responds, “I ‘found out’ thirty-seven terabytes is a lot of terabytes. Apologies for the delay in processing through their assault on my systems.” That kind of response is fully in keeping with the original KITT’s sense of humor.
Knight Rider’s artwork is just as good as the plot. Johnson and Denham both do excellent work, especially in the action scenes. Johnson’s work in part one of the book is especially well-done in conveying the fight scenes between Michael and Tabitha and the shadowy enemies who are trying to kidnap Katherine Beachum. Denham, on the other hand, shines in drawing vehicle combat with the previously mentioned KITT versus the attack helicopters scene being the best example.
IDW’s Knight Rider fully captures the feel of Glen A. Larson’s television show while giving it an update to appeal to a modern audience. This book is fantastic in every sense of the word. Whether you are a fan of the show, someone who group up in the 80s looking for a nostalgic read, or just looking for a good action-packed comic to read, IDW’s Knight Rider is for you. One can only hope Thorne and company reintroduce KARR, KITT’s archrival, to the series – the set-up is certainly there to do so.