It’s time for an annual! Every year, comics take some time to deliver a slightly longer story that usually wraps up something that isn’t going to fit a whole arc. Sometimes it’s “filler,” sometimes it’s buildup to something upcoming, and sometimes it’s meant to wrap up a previous story. Here, Dan Watters and Francesco Francavilla reunite and provide some insight into the mysterious Zanni. Zanni has haunted Dick Grayson for seemingly all his life, and we know just as much about him as our hero does. But thanks to this story, Watters and Francavilla provide some insight into Zanni’s motives and past. The question most people ask when they find out a series is having an annual is, does this matter? Short answer: yes.
DC
The best part of this story is how it manages to be both extraordinarily creepy at times and blatantly a tongue-in-cheek analysis of fandom culture. As an avid comic reader of over ten years, I found myself laughing at how accurately Watters was able to capture the criticisms readers often make on social media. I’ve seen it time and time again, and I’m sure in my reviews, I’ve fallen victim to it myself; comic book readers may have a tendency to think they know the character better than anyone else, even the writer. And while sometimes that might be true, maybe there’s a book that clearly doesn’t jive with the character’s mythos, history, or essence, but that’s usually the exception to the rule. Here, Watters is able to blend the comedic stereotyping of comic book criticism with that of the actual story itself, and it results in a great book.
DC
The history of Zanni turns out to be interconnected with the history of Olivia Pearce. Turns out, she’s got a few skeletons in her basement – er, closet. While the buildup to Olivia’s turn to being the devoted servant of Zanni takes place, we learn just how close Maggie Sawyer is to uncovering the first threads of this mystery. But, as we learn just how disturbing Zanni is, and the lengths Olivia has gone to for him, it doesn’t take long to worry whether she’s in over her head. By being just about 40 pages long, this annual is able to thrive in Watter’s typical storytelling fashion of having a few different moving parts – Olivia, Zanni, Maggie, Nightwing – intertwine themselves into a story that feels larger than expected. As a result, I found the story to be very compelling and full of twists and turns I didn’t see coming.
DC
Francesco Francavilla really does a great job scaring the living daylight out of me. I found this story to be a great example of why his particular art style shines in story’s intended to teeter between the genres of thriller and horror (such as Batman: Black Mirror), because of how his intricate line work and sharp color contrasts are able to make things seem almost supernatural at times. A great example of this is when Zanni makes his first appearance in the issue, where he literally comes out of the shadows and feels larger than life in the worst way possible.
When his own devotee seems terrified by him, it makes you wonder how Nightwing’s going to stop him eventually. Through moments like this, which are sprinkled throughout the issue, Francavilla is able to animate the story in a very unique way that makes our mysterious antagonist feel like a threat even bigger than even characters like Trigon. Needless to say, the story is beautifully illustrated and is full of fear, mystery, and enough suspense to necessitate a cup of tea to calm the nerves. In this story, art doesn’t just elevate the story – it makes the story. Not that the writing isn’t good, it’s spectacular. Here, Watters is a masterclass at crafting stories full of grotesque suspense and horror, but it’s through Francavilla’s detailed pencils and intense colors that the story truly comes to life.
Nightwing Annual 2025 is a great utilization of the functionality of an annual. Rather than being fluff of a story with no rhyme or reason, this annual is truly meant to be read between the series’ main issues, as it helps to add layers of depth to what we’ve begun to understand about the direction the series is heading, without taking away time or interrupting Nightwing’s visit to Titans Tower. The story is both eerie, suspenseful, and thoroughly witty. Altogether, I found this to be a great story that readers won’t want to miss!
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