For such a popular character, the quality of the Rebirth book has been a little hit and miss. Fans would either love or hate his relationship with Shawnee, there was yet another villain tied to the circus that complicated things and of course his further relationship with the Huntress, which I am surprised hasn’t reared its ramifications in Birds of Prey. Some of the criticism was aimed at the art, although for me, it was the disappointment in Tim Seeley’s writing who excelled at the spy banter book, yet somehow missed the mark when it came to the spandex crowd.
Recently, there has been a switcheroo with Seeley heading over to Green Lanterns (and doing a great job with the first arc by the way), with Sam Humphries swapping the emerald lights of the Lanterns for the bright lights of Bludhaven. This issue sees the conclusion of Humphries first arc, with Nightwing having an underwater escape that made me think of the ’66 Batman movie before setting of to face the Judge. “All rise, court is in session!”
One of the consistently great reads of Rebirth has been Green Lanterns. Writer Sam Humphries has taken an idea, which many Fanterns may have rolled their eyes at, and made it work. With Simon Baz you had the know everything type of character squaring off at times with Jessica Cruz, arguably the best new character in DC, who faced and overcame her very personal fear on a daily basis. As such, with Dick’s own emotional spectrum to play with, Humphries seems like a logical choice for the ever doubting, weight of the world, “have I made the choice” type of character that Dick Grayson has been for some time now.  This run has gone back to give a sense of history, again, to the hero villain paradigm although this time it’s not quite as heavy-handed as done in previous stories. Humphries has Dick’s voice down well, and in addition to the pacing of the story, gets to flex his creative side by not having the ability of a power ring to save the day. There is a conceit in play down the line, which some cynics may find annoying, for me it was a moment I was waiting for and Humphries does not disappoint.
As mentioned previously, the art on this series had been inconsistent to say the least. With the addition of Bernard Chang the art finally has an air of stability. Sure, you could say that at times, the art meets the minimum requirements, with some odd-shaped hands thrown in for good measure. But that would a harsh statement to make. Chang has taken great strides to work on the facial elements in play, which is only fair considered Nightwing is as much about Dick Grayson feelings as it does the super-heroics, making Nightwing DC’s version of Peter Parker, not Sideways. In addition,  Chang allows the character to be of his environment, utilising various aspects in which to apply the acrobatics that long time fans have come to expect. Colorist Jamal Campbell delivers a color scheme that changes the whole perception of the book, with both vibrancy and darkness on show. This goes to show some of the ambiguity of the Judge, who like a good villain actually thinks he is doing the right thing. I don’t normally mention letterers, but I think that Carlos M. Mangual’s work here is great; easy on the eye and helps the story flow.
If this recent run is anything to go by, the powers that be should try to keep Humphries, Chang and Campbell on this book for quite some tome. Then maybe, fans of Nightwing may finally get the consistent great book that they deserve.
Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Sam Humphries
Art by; Bernard Chan & Jamal Campbell
Colors by; Jamal Campbell
Letters by; Carlos M. Mangual
Published by; DC Comic
Author Profile
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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
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