Nightwing #84 Doesn’t Swoop as High as it Could

Dick Grayson has just announced his plans to “save” Blüdhaven, but his home in Gotham City needs him more right now. The Scarecrow has put Gotham into the Fear State, and Simon Saint’s militant occupation of Gotham isn’t making things any better. It’s no longer a Gotham that Nightwing recognizes – but can he save it from becoming worse? Nightwing #84 is written by Tom Taylor, drawn by Robbi Rodriguez, colored by Adriano Lucas, and lettered by Wes Abbott. 

[Note: For full Fear State coverage, check out Matt Lazorwitz and Will Nevin get into everything going down over at Bat Chat…then back to me for Harley Quinn]

Ahh, crossovers. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you can’t quite avoid ‘em unless you stick to following the really D-list characters – and Nightwing is anything but. Dick Grayson might be all about saving Blüdhaven, but Gotham needs its Nightwing back. While some titles seem to effortlessly meld a crossover event into the stories they’re already telling, Nightwing is pulled fully out of its narrative to help fight against Scarecrow’s “Fear State“, complete with guest artist, Robbi Rodriguez.

There’s always been a lot of overlap between Nightwing and Spider-Man, and I thought they made it as explicit as possible with the not-quite-thwips from last issue, but I might have been eyeing the wrong arachnid. Bringing in the co-creator of Spider-Gwen in for the crossover not too long after Spider-Gwen’s own multiversal reimagining as Night-Gwen – Grayson should really look into some web-shooters at least, is all I’m saying.

Unfortunately, while Rodriguez’s style works fantastically with the brighter colors and punk aesthetic of Earth-65, he doesn’t quite hit the same heights while in the darker, broodier Gotham, made all the darker for the situation it’s in. There are a few panels where there’s room for Rodriguez’s art and Ariano Lucas’ colors to really shine through, but for the most part the effect is a jarring change from Bruno Redondo’s clean-cut lines and clarity of form.

This could have worked – a wilder, grungier Nightwing in a city warped beyond recognition, but Tom Taylor’s writing in is definitely holding the art back – at least for this issue. I fully expect to see wilder things ahead, because while Scarecrow might not be my favorite Batvillain, his fear-based hallucinations really give an artist the chance to let loose. For now, though, the story we have is fairly straightforward, and a little clunkily written.

After a quick recap for those jumping into Nightwing just for the crossover, Dick receives a coded message from Barbara, calling all Batfamily hands on deck. Nightwing’s return to Gotham is burdened with far too many narrative captions. Simone Saint’s overzealous personal police force makes the city a more dangerous place than ever – especially for vigilantes like Nightwing himself – but there is far too much talking when a silent moment will do. His inner monologue doesn’t really add too much to what the art’s already showing; it’s clearly trying to strike a mood, but feels more awkwardly moody in a run that’s spent so much of its time trying to be brightly hopeful.

The book does lighten up a fair bit once Batman arrives and Nightwing has someone he can actually talk to. The original dynamic duo pairing up again and being somewhat awkward about it is something I will never tire of. Nightwing’s one of the few people who can look past Batman’s mystique, and more often than not Bruce is kind of awkward about it – but the two always spring back to professionalism in a snap, working smoothly together like they’ve never been apart. There’s a constant oscillation between familial awkwardness and superheroic efficiency between these two, it’s silly, it’s heartwarming and a little tragic.

Batman sends his former protégé over to Barbara Gordon, someone Dick’s got a little easier rapport with. After catching him up on things, the most pertinent of which is the fact that her Oracle program has been hijacked and is being used to further terrify Gotham’s citizens, she decides its time to enter the fight, suiting up as Batgirl.

I do enjoy Rodriguez’s take on the Batfamily. Nightwing himself is a little silly, a wilder boy with a light heart doing his best in a dark world. Batman is shadow itself – two glowing points of white light wrapped in darkness, and all you can see from the part of his face that is exposed is a scowl. Batgirl – Batgirl has her own wildness, balanced with a certain intimidating poise and confidence. I love her as the Oracle, but this Batgirl’s here to kick ass, and I’m kind of excited to see it.

It’s a strange detour into what I feel is a forgettable crossover, but there are still some moments to enjoy here, and to look forward to. It’s a shame that the regular Nightwing story had to be derailed to this extent to make this crossover happen, though.

Armaan Babu

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.