REVIEW: ‘Nightwing,’ Issue #99

Nightwing #99 from DC Comics is one beautiful issue of forward progression. Tom Taylor continues as series writer, with Bruno Redondo and Geraldo Borges providing art and Caio Filipe on inks. Adriano Lucas brings the sharp, hi-def colors while Wes Abbott uses lettering to show our eyes where to go to follow the beautiful art better. So far, ‘Power Vacuum’ has shown us a Bludhaven post-Blockbuster. Heartless, who we know much more about now, is discreetly cementing his hold in the city.

But in Part Three, we are given another angle that will introduce new characters and storylines for later (no spoilers) and pins a bit of closure on old ones. Specifically, mass arrests take place across the country. Maroni’s old guard is crumbling. Right away, there are repercussions from since the beginning of Nightwing coming to Bludhaven that are paying off. To be honest, this is a rare event in superhero comics. An entire mob took down. Yes, we know there will be more later, but goodness, it is lovely to see the actions of a hero have merit instead of the modern trope of every horrible thing being their fault.

Nightwing #99 jumps from that to Mayor Melinda Zucco, who finds Tony Zucco in her office. Zucco. The man who killed Dick Grayson’s parents. The Zucco who raised Melinda (if you can call it that). He should be in the clink but isn’t, and he has arrived to offer his daughter the chance to become the new criminal top dog in the city…once he’s picked up a supposedly valuable gem. Yup. Zucco aims to run Bludhaven with his adopted kid. Too bad he doesn’t know she is a sister to Nightwing. Once our hero is updated, what follows is a fun romp through a new playland, some great bits of Bludhaven lore, a setup for new interactions and problems down the way, and a chance for the heroes to do some planning ahead. The last one is a rare event as well. Usually, heroes only get to react. In short, a lot is going on here to say goodbye to the old and introduce us to more action in 2023 and a deeper look into Bludhaven and DC’s plans to make Nightwing the biggest hero in the DCU. And let’s hope Melinda remains a top supporting character.

I loved it. From the first page to the end, Taylor made this one a breath of fresh Atlantic air. The severity of various situations was apparent but never undercut the levity of the story. There’s a sense of real change, in the city, in Nightwing and Melinda. Redondo and Borges give a lesson in fluid dynamics as they weave into different pages of art with ease and similarity. The actions are clean. I’ve beamed before about loving the facial expressions in this book, and that has not dipped one iota. Filipe shades both artists well, and I like the one-sided inking on Zucco’s dress blazer. It’s Two-Face like, maybe symbolic, maybe not. But nice touch. Lucas kills the flesh hues in this issue and never loses sight of making this book as bright as can be. Abbott makes lettering look easy. Nothing, I mean nothing, is ever cramped or forced.

Nightwing #99 represents perhaps the best storyline I’ve ever read about picking up the pieces and dealing with issues between major storylines. Next month is the big issue #100, where I expect massive changes. This book has been in solid hands for a good while now, and it looks like this issue has set us up perfectly for a new year of Nightwing tales. Jump onboard, folks.

Nightwing #99 is available now wherever comic books are sold.