Nightwing #68 – Dan Jurgens, Writer; Travis Moore, Ronan Cliquet, Artists; Nick Filardi, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 8/10
Ray: It’s been a long time coming, but it seems like the Ric Grayson era is finally coming to an end as Dan Jurgens peels back the layers of Nightwing’s memories in Nightwing #68. When we last left off, Talon had successfully implanted fake memories in Dick’s mind to make him think he was raised by the Court of Owls. This sent him on a hunt against his own teammates and pitted him against mystery new hero Condor Red.
But the end of Nightwing #67 showed him shrug off the control and pull back from killing the downed hero. As Nightwing #68 kicks off, Dick is starting to regain his vague memories of who he used to be, and the artists deliver a great double-paged spread of the history of Nightwing. Including some flourishes from before the New 52, which should definitely raise some questions.
But Talon isn’t going to let his grandson go that easily, and Dick barely has time to wake up before he’s in another fight for his life.
Jurgens, with strong art from Travis Moore and Ronan Cliquet, has weaved a compelling issue that has Dick fighting two battles at once. First he’s battling against Talon’s blades in high-wire combat, and at the same time he’s fighting with his own mind to regain his skills. Now that we know this isn’t the result of brain damage and is caused by brainwashing, the whole story is a lot more compelling.
By the end of the issue, it seems like Dick is a lot closer to being himself again and reclaiming his rightful place in the Bat-family. Supporting characters like Hutch and Bea, while slightly under-characterized over the run, are playing a key role in Dick’s recovery and I wouldn’t mind seeing them stick around once Dick reclaims his identity. Even though there is a lot of combat in this issue, it’s surprisingly hopeful and emotionally driven towards the end. Hopefully Jurgens gets to stick around on the title long-term once he’s restored Dick’s mind.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
