Nightwing sure has his work cut out for him. While there’s blood spilled as a result of a terrible tragedy, Spheric Solutions seems to be taking advantage of the opportunity and is spreading their gospel of shoot first ask questions later across Blüdhaven. While tensions continue to rise for Nightwing, writer Dan Watters and artist Dexter Soy continue On With the Show (get it?) of delivering another fantastic exploration of our titular character while further sharpening the depth of the series as a whole.
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So far, I’ve done nothing but sing the praises of Dan Watters’ time on Nightwing, and today will be no different. Watters seems to have an incredibly perceptive mind when it comes to showing both how Nightwing acts when being pushed into a corner in the heat of the moment with how Dick Grayson reacts to the emotional intensity of each punch life throws his way. He could find it incredibly overwhelming and close off everyone in his life. Or, he could take advantage of the situation and begin planning how to bounce back. Because ultimately, that’s what Nightwing’s all about: bouncing back. Altogether, the issue does a splendid job deconstructing the lengths Nightwing will go to in order to protect Blüdhaven while also showing how he psychologically handles immense pressure.
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Not only does the issue do a great job showing how important of a hero Nightwing is capable of being, but everyone else feels very fleshed out. Olivia Pearce is becoming an increasingly enjoyable antagonist for the series. She’s quite different than the typical villain considering how public-facing she – and her company- constantly pushes to be. This has also caused the series to be less “superhero-y” and remind readers about how socially prominent Dick Grayson actually is. Furthermore, Olivia continues to be a captivating antagonist through the mystery shrouding her motives and past.
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Additionally, Barbara Gordon continues to be an important player in the series, both through her personality and through her capabilities as Oracle. Through this first arc, the series has done a splendid job not overcrowding the book with excessive team-ups, which have a risk of minimizing both characters’ strength and independence and continues to showcase how important Barbara Gordon is as Oracle – which is refreshing and works to remind readers who Oracle is and how important of a hero she is. While Barbara doesn’t overcrowd the book by any means, every scene she’s in is important and meaningful. Hopefully, this trend continues, because her role in the series has done a great job balancing Nightwing’s broodiness with her empathy and intelligence. Altogether, the series feels much fuller and more refined as a result of how detailed every character being utilized is becoming, and is therefore showing how to successfully utilize a supporting cast to its fullest extent.
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Dexter Soy and Veronica Gandini continue to do a splendid job delivering a gritty story ripe with sharp action and rising emotions. Soy continues to provide beautifully sharp line work, which helps to show how swift and thorough Nightwing is when fighting crime. The artwork has also been incredible through Soy’s paneling, which maximizes page space to the fullest and depicts more emotional moments in snippets that feel graver and more intense. Additionally, Veronica Gandini continues to bring well-suited colors to the book. While some moments feel a bit more faded, others have a sharp contrast. A great example of this is the high-speed chase at the end of the series, which appears just as alive as Batman’s in The Dark Knight Rises. Altogether, the issue couldn’t be more stunning.
Altogether, Nightwing #121 continues to be Nightwing at his very best. Things aren’t easy for him, but they shouldn’t be. Throughout the first arc, Dan Watters has continuously taken the opportunity to elevate the character to greater heights while adding depth to the world around him. Additionally, the story’s art helps to bring to life a story full of action and mystery. Also, the issue has an interesting preview for the new Metamorpho series; so, if that interests you, there’s another win to find here.
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