Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Nightwing #4: A Review

By Zak Edwards
September 14, 2016 - 08:32

When I wrote about Nightwing previously, I wasn’t really excited by the story or its structure. Putting Dick Grayson back in the tights after his very well-received spy series seemed like trying to put lightning in a bottle. Now, as the first arc comes to its conclusions, Nightwing is a lot of fun, but doesn't really prove to be anything special.

Nightwing #4 art by Javier Fernández, Chris Sotomayor, & Carlos M. Mangual.

As far as the Gotham group of titles go, Nightwing’s romp on the peripheral of the Court of Owls is fun, but it can hardly stack up next to All-Star Batman or Detective Comics for amusement. Yes, it balances some humour with some warmed-over spy intrigue, but the book is a standard affair. And when you do a standard affair, you have to do it really well or simply not bother.

Let me give an example: I saw the betrayal scene at the end coming about a third of the way through the issue. It was setting up for it the entire issue and, by the time the Raptor guy mentions the circus, I knew Dick’s parents were going to come back in some way. The betrayal scene itself, in which someone with obvious ulterior motives reveals they do in fact have said motives, is such a mainstay at this point, it’s a cliche. Predictability and cliche don't make for great intrigue, and for a series that wants to add a touch of espionage, it comes across as trite.

The series, besides treading back into conventional capes and tights adventures, also seems intent on taking Dick all the way back to his origins. Again, if you’re going to do it, do it well or don’t bother. Nothing in this arc has convinced me that this team can pull off an intriguing deep dive into Dick Grayson’s past, whether or not his mother is actually, truly alive.

While the writing settles for the conventional, the art team can’t seem to decide what they want to be. On one page, it feels gothic and creepy, with greyed, sketchy pencils and palettes. A couple of pages later, establishing shots are bathed in a heavy blue in what looks like an attempt to pass roughed-in panel ideas as completed artwork. And still later, artist Javier Fernandez starts to channel Yanick Paquette. Drawing heavily on Paquette makes sense given he drew the Rebirth special, but a failure to settle on a palette or even general style makes the book feel rushed and non-confident.

Nightwing #4's rapid changes in art give the book a rushed and unconfident.

Coming back in after a bold take is always difficult, but turning Nightwing back into standard superhero fare seems like a major loss. Every step back into the old formula is compounded by what was just a few months ago. Fellow CBB reviewer Kevin Scott has been unimpressed by this current arc. I would have to agree.

tl;dr review: Nightwing fans are either going to love this book’s familiarity and the chance to get back into Dick’s past, or dislike it for treading back into such familiar waters.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12