Review: Nightwing #38

Look, I know I“m supposed to be shocked by the big reveal at the end of the issue. But it is not the biggest surprise. I don“t know how Sam Humphries and Bernard Chang expect that to beat the casual reveal in the middle of the book that caught me completely off guard: Dick Grayson wears Batman logo underwear under his Nightwing costume!

I“m sorry. I should have started with a spoiler alert there.

This is revealed when Nightwing takes the fight to the Judge. Through this story the Judge has always been a step ahead. He knows the exact pressure point to hit to convince people to do as he wants. He wants to destroy BlÃ¼dhaven and to do that he needs to destroy Nightwing.

Nightwing has been on a tear to not only find and defeat the Judge, but to prove that he can do it on his own without the help of any of the Bat-family, especially Bruce. I understand this motivation, but I don“t get why Dick feels the need to prove himself now. At this point, he“s been Nightwing far longer than he“s been Robin (or even Batman, for that matter). He“s lead several teams as Nightwing and been on his own for a while as a secret agent and a superhero.

Anyway, Dick finds out the Judge is hiding on one of BlÃ¼dhaven“s casinos. To sneak in, he poses as a dancer for a bachelorette party and that“s when Chang (New Super-Man, Batman Beyond) springs his most shocking reveal. (One note to anyone considering playing Blackjack in a casino or online, you should rarely hit on 17, despite what the old lady says.) He sneaks away from the party to confront the Judge only to find himself in a multi-layered trap.

One of the great things about this book is often as comic books go along everyone begins to sound the same and it becomes hard just from dialogue to tell who is talking. Humphries has avoided this so far. Each character feels distinct and interesting on their own.

While his script is paying off, it is equally matched by Chang“s art. In addition to his strong layouts, I love the way he draws people. They are recognizable and particular. You can tell who they are by their body language, not just their costumes. In so many of the books I read, this isn“t the case.

Overall, this has been a really great story arc and I love the way that Chang and Humphries (Uncanny X-Force, Green Lanterns) have constructed the story. Despite some issues with it, I really appreciate the way that Dick want to be on his own and create an identity for himself outside Batman“s shadow. This has been a really fun joyride, full of unexpected twists. I can“t wait to see if and how Nightwing is able to get himself out of this.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Writer: Sam Humphries
Artist: Bernard Chang
Colorist: Marcello Maiolo
Letters: Carlos M. Mangual

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Andy Hall

Sent from the future by our Robot Ape overlords to preserve the timeline. Reading and writing about comics until the revolution comes. All hail the Orangutan Android Solar King!