Advance Review: Nightwing #78

Nightwing has a had a rough time of it since Batman#55. I guess losing your memory, being a shade of your former self, getting brainwashed by the Joker and then returning to normal as an aside to a Batman event does kind of make you feel jaded. Still DC likes the character so much that he got a couple of Future State books, indicating that Dick Grayson has a future regardless of its state. Therefore, with so much water under the bridge, Nightwing #78 serves as jumping on point for the fans, who like Dick himself, kind of lost their hero, themselves and their way.

Nightwing is back in Blúdhaven. Of course this baby Gotham still has the big bad controlling things, even to the point of selecting the next Mayor, which will have massive implications for Dick down the line, Meanwhile, it appears the Nightwing maybe be getting not one, but two loves in his life.

Tom Taylor, of Injustice fame is the new writer on Nightwing. Taylor starts by giving us an opportunity to see the type of character Dick is. Cynics may feel this unnecessary, but for me the opening act, both past and present, serve as a cleanser of sorts, like a sorbet between courses. It is refreshing to see good people do good things for no other reason than it’s the right thing to do. Taylor also starts by introducing a character from Dick’s past. I am pretty sure that this aspect has been covered previously, though I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt, especially as newer aspects are thrown into the mix. The dialogue has a fan friendly feel to it and the inclusion of Babs feels right. It’s about time that these two lovelorn’s found some quality time together.

Taylor is joined by his Injustice compadre in Bruno Redondo. Here, very simple lines are used rather than the complex style of others artists. Whilst not my personal cup of tea, I do appreciate the fresh look that accompanies this fresh start. The pages showing Dick’s past are fun and probably my favourite, with other panels lacking a sense of movement. Of course this isn’t a problem for the talking elements within the book of which there are quite few. For these to be effective, Redondo keeps the camera angles pretty straightforward, again giving the book that easy on the eye easy to read feel. I did enjoy the double spread credit pages, which shows the excellent work of colorist Adriano Lucas. These pages allow for the different shades of Nightwing’s world to be seen, before moving to the expected darker hues that make up Blúdhaven. These contrasts are evident in other panels and pages throughout the issue. Finally, letterer Wes Abbott gets to have fun have fun with different fonts; I quite like the white lettering in the blue boxes to be honest.

Taylor, Redondo and crew have achieved what they set out to do. They have effectively resettled Nightwing back where he belongs, set up the next arc and done so in such a way that reinvests the reader.

Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars

Overall – 4.5 Stars

Written by; Tom Taylor
Art by; Bruno Redondo
Colors by; Adriano Lucas
Letters by; Wes Abbott
Published by; DC Comics

Nightwing #78 is scheduled to hit your LCS on March 16th 2021!

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network