REVIEW: ‘Nightwing,’ Issue #100

Nightwing #100 is a double-sized issue setting up our guy as the premiere hero in DC Comics. Having conquered the Great Darkness and making moves in Bludhaven, Nightwing is on a roll. And the best may be yet to come. Tom Taylor keeps doing a tremendous job as the series writer. Fans are treated to Bruno Redondo and a wealth of guest artists for the celebratory issue, including Rick Leonardi, Eddy Barrows, Mikel Janin, Javier Fernandez, and Scott McDaniel. Leonardi joins Karl Story, Caio Filipe, Eber Ferreira, and Joe Prado on inks. Our ever-reliable and expert Adriano Lucas helms the colors while the equally detailed and noteworthy Wes Abbott positions letters. A big artistic team swings in for one big issue that puts Nightwing front and center in more ways than one.

The issue opens with Bludhaven Private Prison, an ultra-modern building that houses for-profit prisoners. Guys are tucked away for years over minor offenses, and of course, this represents everything Dick Grayson’s Alfred Pennyworth Foundation is against. I loved the intro. Taylor set out a real-life problem in society that will be the story’s epicenter. Some people gripe about comics being political. Well, I feel that since superheroes are social and moral guardians, their stories are exceptionally lacking in tackling modern issues and need to catch up. Now, where it went a bit off for me was with Heartless. Yes, the new powerhouse in the city shows up to…break into the prison, free the inmates and convince them to riot. Yup. That’s the plan. I expected more from the buildup we’ve had with this villain, plus his splendid origin in the annual. A break-in riot sounds very old school, a campy villain, not a mastermind. Maybe that’s the point. Heartless isn’t the big bad he thinks he is. But this ploy felt a tad mid.

Nightwing #100 uses the riot tale to good effect, and that’s why it becomes a minor glitch for me instead of knocking off a whole star. We know Nightwing and his sister, the Mayor, are making plans for a post-Blockbuster Bludhaven. This issue will get to that, and Taylor handles it perfectly. Reading about a hero making positive changes in their environment is an absolutely refreshing feeling. We’ve seen heroes punching problems for a century of fiction. This is the one series on the market where the hero affects social change, and not in a totalitarian, murderous way. Dick has weaponized his positivity, backed by inheritance. He is everything Blockbuster and even Batman refused to be.

This issue tosses in the Titans and other superheroes, and how they interact with Nightwing makes for its best moments. Now, Nightwing is set to take center stage in the DCU with the ‘Dawn of the DCU’ after Dark Crisis. This issue tackles that, and how Taylor does so will make Bludhaven the biggest deal in DC and its biggest target for villains. The changes in these pages have me so hyped for the future.

A round of applause for every artist, inker, Lucas, and Abbott on page after page of smooth art and daring colors, with moody inks hitting the correct times. Solid wording and lettering, expert characterizations, some bold choices in storytelling, and a lot to look forward to. Oh my gosh, if you haven’t been reading Nightwing, I mean, why? This is fantastic work, art, and heroism. 2023 is the Year of the Boy Wonder. Subscribe for crying out loud.

Nightwing #100 is available now wherever comic books are sold.