We’re almost done with “The Crew of the Crossed”, an excellent Nightwing arc that has shown both Nightwing’s detective skills and unsheathed a new concern of his. For this arc, writer Tom Taylor has partnered with artist Stephen Byrne to pit Nightwing and Bea against the forces seeking to dethrone her as Captain. As the arc reaches its penultimate issue, things start kicking into a higher gear with the future of The Hold hanging in the balance. Meanwhile, writer Michael Conrad and artist Serg Acuña’s backup story “Odd Hours” concludes.
The main story opens up with Nightwing catching the mysterious traitor aboard the ship, through a very comical series of events. As the story progresses, we learn more about what Bea has been up to since we last saw her as well as learning more about the secret society of pirates (huh, neat!) that had hidden themselves from the DC Universe we’re all too familiar with. Taylor flexes his world-building in this issue, showing a proper way to weave the past and present into a new story that’s unlike others before. “The Crew of the Crossed” has been an interesting read since its first issue, and this issue continues to offer new experiences for both the reader and Nightwing while continuing to raise the stakes.
Stephen Byrne partners with colorist Adriano Lucas once more to deliver another immersive issue that brings all the swashbuckling and scalawags one can muster. The art in this issue has shown significant improvement over the last – Byrne seems to excel at stationary moments with minimal action, and this issue is very narrative-driven. This certainly plays to his strengths and gives him the space to make a well-illustrated issue. The paneling certainly helps him bring the story to life through its layout. Many pages have a wider panel on top with taller and more narrow panels comprising the bottom of the story. Lucas helps animate the story through softer colors that match the story well. Overall, the main art succeeds in utilizing the narrative to depict an interesting story.
As “Odd Hours” ends, so does Conrad and Acuña’s time on Nightwing. This short series of backup stories has been a delight to read from start to finish. Without spoiling the big surprise, Conrad does a brilliant job bringing in a character from Gotham’s past to the present day. Much like comics used to be, this story is filled with action and fun banter. The mysterious man after Dick makes his final move, but is trying to kidnap Nightwing ever a good idea? Conrad does a great job showing how successful Dick Grayson is at concealing his secret identity while being as brilliant and strategic as ever.
Serg Acuña collaborates with Adriano Lucas to deliver a beautiful issue. Acuña’s strength lies in drawing very expressive characters and high-speed action. Throughout this story, we see that trend continue as the intensity quickly ramps up before winding down toward a cheerful conclusion. Although the backgrounds are often blurred out to focus on the main characters, the first page of this story does a great job blending the two to make a very vibrant start to the finale. This is where Lucas’s talent is on full display, depicting both a beautiful contrast of warmth and colder environments. Overall, the art in this short story is spectacular, playing to both creative’s strengths.
While Taylor and Byrne have one last issue together for “The Crew of the Crossed,” this one ends on a huge cliffhanger that will leave fans wondering what happens next and how everything will fall into place in the conclusion. Meanwhile, “Odd Hours” ends on a great note, offering a fun adventure and a heartwarming conclusion. Overall, Nightwing #108 is another solid entry in the series.
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