Bryce Moran, our new Kryptonian-Nightwing and protege of Dick Grayson, has been shot with a kryptonite bullet. It seems his short career as Blüdhaven’s newest protector is at risk of being cut short. With Zanni and his puppet Olivia Pearce, also known as Colombina, making their move against Dick by kidnapping Blüdhaven’s youths, it seems the corner Dick has been pushed into couldn’t get any tighter. Will the ever-growing shouldered responsibility Nightwing has given himself become too much for him to bear? Might it cause Batman’s prodigal son to snap under the pressure? Surely, the catalyst of change, the great rebuilder, and the embodiment of legacy heroes will be able to maintain his cool, right? Well, maybe. BY the time this issue ends, that may depend on how you look at it. With that, Dan Watters and Dexter Soy deliver one of their best, if not the best, issues in their Nightwing run thus far.
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Something this issue does spectacularly right off the bat is its ability to maintain momentum. I feel like a lot is riding on this arc, as it’s the first big conflict Nightwing is preparing to face after the end of Tom Taylor’s run had Nightwing fight Heartless. Despite that being, in my personal opinion, an anticlimactic run in some aspects, the Taylor/Redondo saga on the title left near-impossible shoes to fill by being heralded as a return to fame for the character full of fun, romance, and vibrant art. Yet, the All In era of Nightwing took a complete 180 with a story full of gritty, grounded, and gothic art. Why do I bring that up? Because it seems like we are approaching the first Big Moment in Watters’ run on the title.
Zanni is unlike any other villain Nightwing has faced off against, certainly unlike Heartless, and this issue has a lot of pressure in setting that up. Thankfully, this issue takes its responsibility and responds in stride, perfectly delivering its unique twists and gearing things towards a conflict far different from Nightwing’s usual battles. A great example of this is how we see Nightwing’s reaction towards Zanni and Colombina’s plan for Blüdhaven. Unlike other threats that are world ending, “Crisis-Level” events that might change the DC Universe as we know it, this threat is particularly tailored towards violating Nightwing’s core on a more personal level. I found this storytelling device, of making Zanni and Olivia into the living antithesis of why Dick Grayson ever became a hero, worked wonderfully to elevate the intensity of this story into one that feels just as life or death as events like DC K.O. because of how layered this plot has become. Moreover, in this issue, I feel that Dan Watters does an incredible job both reassuring readers of the narrative shift the title has taken by delivering a story that shows how multifaceted Nightwing is capable of being.
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The issue opens up with a dramatic sequence and only accelerates from there. While the Bryce’s life is up in the air, Nightwing decides to finally strike back against Olivia Pearce. It seems Olivia and Zanni are expecting this showdown, and Olivia has even modified the suit Nightwing wore when Titans Tower was under attack. Something interesting to note here is the suit’s two notable changes. The style has shifted from being black and blue without finger stripes to being black and red with finger stripes. Major props to Veronica Gandini for brilliant utilization of contrasting hues of blue and red when Nightwing and Colombina face off. While this may be an inconsequential difference to some, I think it’s worth pointing out. Is the “evil” shift of this suit by Olivia intended to look notably similar to the New 52’s Nightwing suit, which Kyle Higgins has stated he wanted to be blue, to provoke Nightwing? Not to mention, having Nightwing’s logo flipped upside down is likely intended to symbolize an inverse of the character. This isn’t too different from the idea of Red Hood intentionally using the Bat-Symbol to provoke Batman by using his image for more violent actions than the Caped Crusader would condone.
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Right off the bat, it’s obvious that Dexter Soy and Veronica Gandini are playing into the inverse relationship that Dick and Olivia have begun to represent with one another. Visualizations like this are only further intensified throughout the issue, with swift-but-violent action scenes, dramatic reveals hidden through creative paneling, and sharp colors to amplify the intensity. A huge part of the importance of this issue is the turning point that we see unfold over the final pages of the book, and its impact wouldn’t have carried the same weight if not for the brilliant artwork that Soy and Gandini delivered from cover to cover to ensure that readers knew from the get-go that this issue would be unlike any in the series before it. Altogether, the artistic excellence in this issue brought this story to life and created a truly riveting experience for readers.
Frankly, this is one of the best Nightwing issues I have ever read. The cliffhanger is masterfully delivered and feels all too shocking for the reader, as it goes against the core of Nightwing. And isn’t that what Zanni and Colombina have been embodying? Seeing how they take the inverse of values of Dick Grayson and force them upon the people of Blüdhaven feels like a truly evil blow against Nightwing, creating a story that feels once in a lifetime. For some readers, it may have seemed impossible for Watters to deliver a story more enthralling than the previous threat Nightwing faced off against, but this issue cements the idea that the battle Dick is about to have with Zanni is sure to have long-lasting ripple effects on the title. This is an excellent issue that doesn’t pull any punches.
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