Life as Nightwing has always come with its own dangers, but ever since Dick Grayson revealed his new status as a billionaire and his plans to clean Blüdhaven up, it’s in his civilian identity that he’s in the most peril. But he gets by, with a little help from his friends, in Nightwing #88, written by Tom Tayler, drawn by Bruno Redondo, colored by Adriano Lucas and lettered by AndWorld Design.
For a comic whose action is so fast-paced, Nightwing is moving slow.
I wouldn’t mind, honestly—last month’s single-panel issue that added nothing to the story was nothing short of an absolute delight. Three issues to crossover with Fear State? Wild, weird, and fun. Nightwing is at its best when it’s having fun.
Where it’s beginning to falter is in reminding us that there’s a plot beneath all this, one that apparently is supposed to matter. It’s exhausting because it’s taking so long to get there and I wouldn’t mind if they just abandoned it entirely. But no. An excellent Titans reunion issue is dragged down by characters who are, at this point, childishly unsubtle villains; people who are trying to kill Dick Grayson (or kidnap his puppy) for announcing a vague plan to help the homeless.
Oh, and another Heartless tease.
Nightwing gets harder to take seriously the more seriously we’re asked to take it.
There’s still a lot of fun to be had, and a lot of beauty to be found. The opening page of Nightwing just staring out at Blockbuster’s ivory tower is a gorgeous view. Bruno Redondo’s panels clearly frame the geography of their scenes. The amusing contrast of where Blockbuster and Nightwing live, painting the latter as the (billion-dollar-funded) underdog. Nightwing swooping in gracefully between the credits into his apartment, bearing breakfast bagels for Bitewing and Barbara. The art never stops being joyfully playful.
In this issue, Dick Grayson makes a very public appearance promoting his latest push towards helping the homeless while ensuring the found family they’ve created isn’t lost. It’s dangerous for Dick to be out in public now, and he’s barely begun his speech before he’s found in the crosshairs of assassin duo Gunhawk and Gunbunny, a pair so obscure and ridiculously named I fully expect them to show up in Peacemaker any day now.
Fortunately for Dick Grayson, his friends are going to be there to back him up at the drop of a hat—as we’ve seen before in #82. Barbara calls in Nightwing’s Titans friends as backup. The Titans all teaming up to protect their non-powered precious boy is a Webtoons level of adorable, and gives the art team a lot of room to really let loose and show the Titans at their best. We even get a bit of crossover from The Flash series, as Wally West and his new employer Mr. Terrific design an all-new, bulletproof costume for Nightwing. Titans vs. a handful of gunmen aren’t the highest stakes, but damn if they don’t look glorious on the page.
I have no idea where Nightwing is going, which is okay. I am having a lot of fun along the way, which is great. However, I have no idea how long it’s going to take for us to get to where it’s going, and by the tenth issue of this run, it’s getting a little tiresome. I’m hoping things pick up soon.
