Hey guys! This is my first comic review, so please let me know what you think about it.
The book starts out with Dick Grayson fighting a Bane-like foe in the middle of a subway train. During this confrontation, the reader gets to hear Grayson’s inner monologue that’s in the vein of Watchmen’s Rorschach. To the longtime fan, this may seem tedious, but to someone who’s getting introduced to the character, this does an excellent job of setting up what kind of person Dick is. It even does a good job of explaining his transition from replacement Batman back to the hero he was meant to be.
After taking down this steroid induced madman with relative ease (during which the blood splattered on the man’s chest just “happens” to be reminiscent of Nightwing’s new chest symbol), the scene transitions to Dick overlooking the recently arrived Haley’s Circus, the same circus that he was a part of before his parents were killed. Dick reunites with the performers and even performs on the trapeze for them, although he has to tone it down to avoid suspicion. After leaving, Dick is attacked by a Wolverine wannabe assassin, declaring that Grayson is of the fiercest killers in all of Gotham. Not Nightwing, Dick Grayson. After getting away to change into his costume, Dick engages him, but gets his ass handed to him, and the last panel has an epic shot of the assassin towering over Dick’s beaten body.
The writing of the this book is not outstanding, but it does the job. Kyle Higgins manages to efficiently set up Dick Grayson in his post-Batman capacity. As a reader, I felt I was able to relate to Dick better and understand where he was coming from.The storyline itself has a bit of a been-there done-that feel, but it’s by no means bad. I get the feeling that this has the potential for a good story arc, but by judging it as a first issue, it doesn’t stand out a whole lot. For newcomers, however, this is am excellent starting point. You don’t need to know anything about previous Nightwing adventures or Dick Grayson at all to enjoy it. As for the art, I’m not much of a critic in that area, but I do like the art in this issue. Eddy Barrows manages to show off Dick’s athleticism perfectly, especially on the 2 page spread at the beginning. I’m definitely looking forward to more action shots in the future.
Overall, this issue is sufficient enough for both new readers and longtime fans to enjoy. It’s not exceptional in any way like Scott Snyder’s Batman (which I have yet to read), but I know that in the long run this will be one of the relaunch’s better titles. I know I’m going to keep following it.
I’ll be coming out with a
Green Lantern Corps #1 review in the days to come, so keep your eyes peeled.