Written by: Tim Seeley
Art by: Javier Fernandez & Chris Sotomayor
Publisher: DC Comics
Man, Nightwing really managed to turn itself around, didn’t it? This is the second issue in a row that’s been really good, despite weak Rebirth and #1 issues. I’m really glad I didn’t drop this a few weeks ago, because it could quickly become one of my favorite books of Rebirth. It also makes this week of DC Comics a lot stronger, so that’s certainly nice. But yeah, with this issue I’m officially at the point of looking forward to the next issue of this book, rather than dreading it.
What it comes down to is that Tim Seeley really does have an excellent grasp on Dick Grayson. Once all the exposition and overwritten internal monologue evaporated, and Dick’s voice came back, this book started being great. Honestly, it’s not actually much of a surprise, considering Seeley co-wrote Grayson, which was excellent. Anyways, it’s really awesome to have the Nightwing I know and love back. On the topic of character work, I really love the focus on his relationship with Babs in this issue. The ending is a bit rushed, but other than that, I enjoyed it, and not just because I like seeing those two characters interact with one another.
Surprisingly, the same is true of Raptor. When they revealed his character at the end of the first issue, he seemed super lame, but now that we’re three issues deep, I’ve grown to like him. He’s a neat reflection of Dick – the two are pretty similar, but their differences make that dynamic an interesting one. The role Raptor’s playing in this story is also really cool, because Seeley has managed to throw multiple curveballs in terms of his motivations.
The writing certainly isn’t perfect, however. For as quippy as it is, there are a few pages that are overwritten, and that’s a bummer. It also stands out here, so it feels particularly bad. The thing is, some of the sequences could actually be interesting. Rather than using them as character moments, they’re just used to vomit explanations that aren’t even tangentially related to what’s going on in the book. Unless I’m an idiot and missing something, but I like to think that isn’t the case.
The overwritten pages are also a bummer because they cover up the work of Javier Fernandez and Chris Sotomayor. I mean, their pencils and colors certainly fit DC’s house style, but they’re definitely doing some of the better work on that spectrum. It’s not particularly groundbreaking, but it’s wonderful to look at, and the duo capture the characters perfectly.
Like I said in the intro, the speed with which Nightwing has turned itself around is super impressive. The book went from aggressively mediocre to pretty rad in the space of two issues, and that makes me incredibly happy, since Dick Grayson is one of my favorite DC characters. It’s nice to see that he’s back on top, and I can’t wait for the next issue of this book.
