Nightwing #89 – Tom Taylor, Writer; Bruno Redondo, Artist; Adriano Lucas, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Tom Taylor is bringing his two biggest books together for a crossover between Nightwing and Superman: Son of Kal-El. It picks up immediately after the last issue of the latter, when Jon saved Metropolis but was haunted by the loss of life caused by Bendix’ gambit. He tries to seek comfort from his father’s hologram, but finds it hollow—which leads Kelex to seek out the help of Nightwing. The two have a history, as is shown in a fantastic prelude featuring Batman and Nightwing searching for a lost Jon back when he was a kid. Jon, meanwhile, is getting more and more enmeshed with the Truth organization, as he and Jay grow closer. This issue is a little unusual as crossovers go, in that it actually feels more like a Superman issue than a Nightwing one, even though it’s Dick’s title and creative team. But both characters are served well, and the bond between them is excellently written.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a superhero story if there wasn’t a threat, and it’s not long before the movement known as the Rising claims their first victim. Taylor digs out one of the most unfortunate Titans in history for this story—with a nice callback to one of their most notable stories—as a hunt for low-level metahumans begins. I wasn’t expecting the way Dick becomes more deeply involved in Jon’s new mission, although it makes sense with Dick’s new fortune and how he wants to spend it. The stakes are high, but like all of Taylor’s writing, it’s at its best when he’s just letting the characters bounce off each other. The ending is likely a red herring, but Taylor writes the character teased in the cliffhanger incredibly well. It’s only a two-part crossover, but unlike other tie-ins, it feels like it’s going to propel both titles forward in a big way once it’s done.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
