REVIEW: ‘Nightwing’, Issue #77

Nightwing #77 is written by Dan Jurgens. Ronan Cliquet is the regular penciler for the series, with colors by Nick Filardi. AndWorld Design is the series letterer. Nightwing is published monthly by DC Comics, and thankfully we are back to Dick Grayson as Nightwing, minus some serious bumps and bruises.

The biggest bruise occurred in the last issue, as Nightwing, acting on Batman’s advice, broke up with Bea, sending her off in tears. Despite the long, drawn-out affair of the Ric Grayson saga, his relationship with Bea was a shining light. But that has been done away with. As we move further into the renewed life of Dick/Nightwing, one might expect more Bludhaven, more setup to what’s to come.

But no, the story takes place back in Gotham City, with Batman. As much as this seems to derail the point of getting back on track with the character and his own city, this is actually a stand-alone story that turns out fairly well. Nightwing is tasked with two situations: whether he will appear at the Bat-Family Christmas gathering and helping a company named  Dexiturn to contend with a hacker. Still reeling from his breakup with Bea, Dick has little interest in a familial gathering. At the same time, Dexiturn wanted help from Batman, not his lackey, and so an exorbitant amount of time is spent putting Nightwing down as he tries to solve their problem.

The hacking plot takes an interesting turn, allowing Nightwing to be more than just a two-fisted acrobat, and it offers enough small twists to make it noteworthy. The sarcasm and sass he gets from the Dexiturn employees is painfully funny and shows Gothamites don’t fear Nightwing in the least, nor do they respect him. While that is poor treatment of the title character, it puts a different spin on everyone in this beleaguered city being terrified of the Bat. Nightwing merely comes off as some guy in a costume, which made me wonder more about how those in Bludhaven view him.

The Christmas family plotline was less attention-grabbing. However, Batman‘s more affectionate nature these days made for better interaction between him and Nightwing. But this issue was one I went through, hoping for the continuation of Nightwing’s restart or more depth into Bludhaven or the other ex-Nightwings. None of that happens here, nor will it in the next few months with Future State moving in. This means we got Nightwing back, but truly Nightwing/Bludhaven-centric stories and worldbuilding continue to be on a delay.

I’m eager for whatever Jurgens has in store for the character once things return to normal. He really possesses a strong grip on what makes Dick Grayson tick and did excellent work on the Nightwings. It just seems that if DC isn’t trying to kill off the character, then they are working to keep Nightwing from casting a long shadow all his own. This issue was a fun read overall, and it’s better to do a single-issue story now, wait for the next big DC arc to come and go, then jump into the next Nightwing epic.

The art team of Cliquet, FIlardi, and letters by AndWorld glide Nightwing across every panel in a smooth fashion. Nightwing’s costume holds a sheen to it that stands out from Batman’s light-absorbing black. Dick is always youthful, light, fun. Though they are not illuminated, neon is the word that comes to mind when viewing Filardi’s colors. Cliquet keeps his art clean, and he maintains a clear middle ground regarding details. It is not overly sketched, yet not so slim that it would become animation. His style leans close to that of Rick Leonardi. 

Nightwing #77 keeps up the Nightwing fans know and love. This issue presented a bit of a breather from what happened before and allowed readers to relax and take it for what it is. 

Nightwing #77 is available now wherever comics are sold.