Though the cover of Night Thrasher #3 seems to tease a fight between the titular vigilante and his former lover Silhouette, the major conflict of this comic is a mental one. Dwayne Taylor’s actions led to his former New Warriors teammate Rage being arrested; this leads Dwayne to take a hard look at himself and how things have changed since he was last in his old neighborhood. Slight spoiler alert: he doesn’t like what he sees.
J. Holtham deserves plenty of credit for where he goes with Dwayne’s story, especially emotionally. Dwayne is dealing with his resurrection post-Civil War and where he belongs in the world; in a time where most characters in a superhero universe often die and come back to life at the drop of a hat, it’s rare for a writer to dive into what that means. Holtham uses that as a springboard to explain Dwayne’s state of mind and why he’s pushing away friends and family, to great effect. He also writes a great dynamic between Thrasher and Silhouette, utilizing both their history as New Warriors and their previous romance.
Marvel Comics
Nelson Daniel brings this script to life with expressive art, often letting characters’ body language or facial expressions speak for them. A key example is the first page. It opens with multiple news reports about the battle between Night Thrasher and Rage, juxtaposed with Dwayne’s clenched jaw and the sight of a remote hitting the ground. Another page has Dwayne walking the streets, his facial expressions betraying his inner turmoil – and his narration giving voice to said turmoil.
Finally, Matt Milla uses a darker palette of colors to set the rather somber mood. Dwayne is often shrouded in darkness; he sits brooding in his secret headquarters, sticks to the darker corners of Harlem, and fights with Silhouette in a cemetery…at night. Even Travis Lanham’s captions are a mix of black, white and red.
Night Thrasher #3 digs deep into its hero’s state of mind, as he gears up for a different kind of fight. With one more issue to go, the creative team has set the stage for a different kind of superhero story – and shown that ’90s icons can be more than a collection of pouches and angst. Or rather, that you can explore that angst in genuinely interesting ways.
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