After a brief interlude with the two-issue “Good Cop/Bad Cop” arc, which details the inner workings of corruption in the BPD, Dan Watters reunites with Dexter Soy to get things back to a more superhero level. And what better way to do that than with monsters? Yes, that’s right, Nightwing is left to defend and save Titans Tower, along with someone he cares about, from the clutches of a mysterious monster that’s taken over the Tower. And to do that, he’s going to have to trust one other than Spheric Solutions. Wow. That sounds like a lot. So the question is, can this creative team pull a rabbit out of their hat and deliver another knockout story?
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For a while now, the relationship between Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon has been omnipresent in this series, but Dan Watters did something that in my opinion strengthened their appearance. Their relationship, while present, isn’t overbearing or excessive. It’s true, they love each other and are in a relationship, but we actually never see Barabra Gordon suiting up as Batgirl. Without getting off topic, it’s a better utilization of the character and is a strong honest attempt to provide respect to her best utilization- as Oracle.
Yes, Barbara Gordon’s functionality in Nightwing and Birds of Prey has improved drastically by focusing on having her operate as Oracle because it feels like an honest attempt to avoid appearing ableist by disregarding her spinal injury and having her leap off of rooftops. But in this issue, her focus is more at the forefront, and the trust and compatibility with Dick works better here, as the two are presented as being independent from one another while relying on each other. This helps a lot to improve the pacing of the story, by having the focus on the varying threats relate back to them independently – while Dick handles one problem, Barbara attempts to tackle another. And yet, it isn’t a team-up per se, it’s just a great storytelling tool to allow things to occur off-page without feeling too jumbled. As a result, the story is well delivered and provides ample focus to both of the characters while moving the story along at a steady pace.
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Welcome back, Dexter Soy and Veronica Gandini! While Francesco Francavella did an absolutely incredible job on the last arc, Soy and Gandini deliver a fulfilling story here full of grit, sincerity, and a more traditional use of panels to make a story as busy as this one flow so well. A great example of this is where we see Nightwing riding the train. This is quintessential superhero comics right here, and I love it. Soy’s sharp angles and line work help us really feel the wind blowing through Nightwing’s waves while Gandini’s colors help the moment to feel like it’s as bright and sharp as possible. This issue is full of simple yet creative artwork that helps the story feel true to the genre without being basic by any means.
DC
Nightwing #127 is a very good issue from start to finish. It’s fun, full of adventure, and has realistic stakes. As a result, it’s not clear what threat is the more pressing one for Nightwing. This helps the reader to still feel the intensity that Watters has tried to deliver by making an acton-packed suspense story. Moreover, while this issue is arguably a more traditional superhero comic issue than prior ones, it feels well-earned and shows the team’s flexibility in storytelling and artwork.
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