The Flash and Nightwingâs team-up continues! The pair work together to keep Nightwingâs alter-ego, Dick Grayson, safe from assassination. Theyâre hot on the trail of the mysterious La Agente Funèbre, rumored to head one of the greatest assassin agencies in the world â but with his allies by his side, no agencyâs going to be standing up for long! Nightwing #91 is written by Tom Taylor, drawn by Geraldo Borges, colored by Adriano Lucas and lettered by Wes Abbott.
Story-wise, this is a perfectly fine crossover between two of my favorite sidekicks-turned-heroes. Thereâs light humor, light resolution, light banter and heart-to-heart conversations between friends. What I really enjoyed this issue is the art, which is notable as this West-Grayson crossover features Geraldo Borges filling in for series regular Bruno Redondo.
I love the way Borges draws the Flash. I would have loved to have seen Bruno Redondoâs take on superspeed, but Borges does a great job. Where Redondo plays a lot with the kind of visual trickery you can only get in a comic, Borges makes it work with body language. The little flashes of speed force lightning help, but the way Wallyâs leaning forward as he runs, the tension in the way heâs angled â this can be nothing else than a man moving at full speed. Thereâs a liveliness to a page – helped, in great part, by Adriano Lucasâ ever-brilliant colors – that far outpaces Nightwing.
Action wise, Nightwing doesnât actually do much in this issue, come to think of it. Sure, he does take out the Big Bad of the issue, but thatâs more an act of preparedness on his part; the actual fight is just a *smide* more tell than show. Borges still brings a lot of energy and motion to the scene, but weâve seen Nightwing capable of some truly gorgeous acts of grace and fluidity that just arenât apparent here. Iâm okay with that, though, I see Nightwing all the time here; go give the guest star that spotlight!
You think Nightwing coming up against KGBeast would be a bigger deal â and if it wasnât for the fact that it led to a whole Ric Grayson era weâd all much rather forget, maybe this would mean more. As it stands, we get to see Wally making adorably overprotective threats, and a few drama subverting gags. If Nightwingâs holding any kind of grudge against KGBeast, he doesnât show it, and he foils KGBeastâs plans like the third-rate villain KGBeast is (hopefully, this is the last time I have to type out KGBeast for a good long while, it is a dumb name). [Editor Mattâs Note: It could be worse. It could be his protege NKVDemon. Oy
With a little help from Barbara Gordon, Wally and Dick figure out whoâs in charge of all the recent assassination attempts on Dickâs life: the mysterious, the deadly, the mythical La Agente Funèbre. I get that Tom Taylor wanted to build up how much of a big deal this villain is, but given Barbaraâs life experiences, the whole âThe dealer of death? Theyâre a myth!â schtick feels forced.
Especially since La Agente Funèbre turns out to be a minimal threat herself. Oh, sure, she commands an army of assassins, lays out a minefield around her headquarters and has anti-speedster forcefields, but her goat-headed costume looks nothing short of silly, and she apparently doesnât account for the idea that one of her opponents might be stab-proof, which is what helps Nightwing win the fight.
What I did enjoy is what Nightwing does next â using La Agente Funèbreâs computer to send agents out on fake jobs, only to be picked up and arrested by his superhero allies around the world. Itâs a very Nightwing move. If weâve learned anything over the past few issues, itâs how comfortable Nightwing is relying on his allies, and how far theyâll go for him in return. Nightwing does a lot to make the world of superheroes feel like a community, and I really enjoy seeing whenever that shows up.
Now that that communityâs made its presence felt, no assassin in the world is even going to think of taking up a contract for Dick Graysonâs life, which is one less headache for our hero â and possibly one less headache for me. Iâve complained about this bookâs meandering before â there have been things building up in the background that I am dying for this book to actually get to (note the Heartless tease, as weâre told one of the assassins was found with their heart missing), and it looks like we might finally get there soon.
Still, this was an enjoyable read. Iâm glad Wally West is back, and is bringing some fun back to the mantle of the Flash. Iâm glad to see Nightwing keep his friends close, and his enemies up on a forgotten shelf as far as possible. Iâm always glad to see art that invigorates me, as Borges has done here, so all in all? Iâm having fun.
Armaan is obsessed with the way stories are told. From video games to theater, TTRPGs to comics, he has written for, and about, them all. He will not stop, actually; believe us, we've tried.