Review: Nightwing #88

Nightwing has been one of the greatest superhero comics of the past year. Unfortunately this issue is a massive mis-step and breaks one of the basic rules of the DC Universe. It’s quite rare to finish a comic and have to take a moment just to contemplate just how wrong it is. The greatest problem here is that we have a Nightwing-level problem which is solved by having Barbara call in the entire classic Titans team. This breaks a cardinal rule which is that the individual characters in the Batman universe don’t call on their superpowered friends to solve their problems.

The character art by Bruno Redondo remains spectacular with every panel being bombastic, expressive and entertaining. The backgrounds are a bit underdeveloped but overall it’s a fun visual journey. The colors in this issue are off, with some dull pages and some odd choices.

This issue deals with Nightwing facing a bounty on his head as he works to use his fortune to better Bludhaven. The villains targeting him here are Blockbuster, Gunbunny and Gunhawk. These are street level enemies and the fact that Oracle can just call in the Titans to rescue Dick and take them down is ludicrous. If this was how superheroes solve problems then Batman should call in someone from the Justice League each time Joker sets a bomb. When it comes to street level villains, these heroes need to handle things on their own besides an occasional team up. The banter between Dick and the Titans also feels very odd given that there are gunmen attacking a crowd of civilians. The idea of the Titans helping out Nightwing due to their pure love and friendship they have for him is great, but the conflict is just too small to warrant it.

The end of the issue is interesting, with a deadly villain emerging to steal the heart of Gunhawk and remind us of the true threat in this arc. Gunhawk is a great character and it’s sad to see him go, but it is an epic scene. This remains a great run full of fun character moments and fantastic art, this issue just doesn’t work because the threat here feels too small to ruin the reality of the Bat-books by calling in the Titans to save the day.

Writing: 2 of 5 stars
Art: 4 of 5 stars
Colors: 3 of 5 stars

Overall: 3 of 5 stars

Writer: Tom Taylor
Art: Bruno Redondo
Colors: Adriano Lucas
Publisher: DC

Author Profile

M.R. Jafri

M.R. Jafri was born and raised in Niagara Falls New York and now lives with his family in Detroit Michigan. He's a talkative introvert and argumentative geek. His loves include Star Wars, Star Trek, Superheroes, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Transformers, GI Joe, Films, Comics, TV Shows, Action Figures and Twizzlers.