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Nightwing #101 from DC wastes no time in giving our hero and the Titans a Justice League-level event. Tom Taylor rolls on as writer for the series, with Travis Moore on pencils this time. Adriano Lucas continues dazzling us with the colors as does Wes Abbott on letters. If you’ve been around this title lately, then you know the score. Nightwing is DC’s premiere hero, in world and out. And the Titans are not only the superteam in the world, but have moved to Bludhaven.
Cool. Our guy gets his due and the Titans have leveled up. Taylor doesn’t waste a single second giving this team a massive threat. if you recall a few issues back, Nightwing and a rather impish sidekick helped save young Cecilia Desmond from literal demons. Cecilia is the daughter of Blockbuster, who has powers due to a deal her old man made with big-90s-energy demon Neron. Well, Neron ain’t too happy about her getting away, much less that it came with help from a non-powered guy like Nightwing. So he plots a way to get her back.
I gotta say I love the intricacy of the scheme. I won’t give away any details, but for one, the plot lets Nightwing flex his skills as a leader, a public figure, and a detective all in one issue. The Titans we get this time (Raven, Beast Boy, Starfire) are well-rounded, responsible, and mature. They look great, and Moore’s artwork on Starfire is dynamic and impressive. Moore pushes a lot of inks with this story and the shift from Redondo is apparent but equally enjoyable. The inks dim some of Lucas’ brilliance in the coloring department but overall fit the darker, more mysterious nature of the storyline. And the lettering SFX here from Abbott are wonderful. Dark Crisis gets a mention so there’s some overlap here and all in all this story looks to be exciting and should really test Nightwing to the fullest.
And with glee, this title continues with a backup feature, ‘Night At The Circus,’ written by C.S. Pacat, with art from Eduardo Pansica, inks from Julio Ferreira, colors by Lucas, and letters by Abbott. The latter two continue their amazing, detailed work in this tale continuing the plot of Nightwing training the newest Superman, Jon Kent. From foiling a gang of five to a crime scene in a circus that haunts Dick, this was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t expect to get more interaction between these two, but the turnaround is so nice. Pacat knows the characters extremely well.
Whereas the OG Supes helped train Nightwing, we get to see more of Dick now training the Man of Steel’s son. The circus setting really hits hard, and Pansica’s realistic art shaded by Ferreira’s ink brings home the drama. You get the sense of a more serious Nightwing, 90s Bludhaven style. Superman is ever a student, helpful, and powerful, but doesn’t steal any scenery from the title hero. Well done, and we’ll be getting more of this.
Nightwing #101 runs straight into large, personal storylines that offer our hero the chance to flex multiple muscles, teases us with the titans before their new book drops in May and brings back Neron for nostalgia flair. Obviously, this is way above our hero’s pay grade, so it will be great to see how he handles this threat versus, say, Batman. These two stories are going to be big. Come snag this issue and see just how devious they are.
Nightwing #101 is available wherever comic books are sold.
Nightwing #101
TL;DR
Nightwing #101 runs straight into large, personal storylines that offer our hero the chance to flex multiple muscles, teases us with the titans before their new book drops in May and brings back Neron for nostalgia flair. Obviously, this is way above our hero’s pay grade, so it will be great to see how he handles this threat versus, say, Batman. These two stories are going to be big. Come snag this issue and see just how devious they are.
William J. Jackson is a small town laddie who self publishes books of punk genres, Victorian Age superheroes, rocket ships and human turmoil. He loves him some comic books, Nature, Star Trek and the fine art of the introvert.
