Nightwing #118 – Tom Taylor, Writer; Bruno Redondo/Caio Filipe, Artists; Adriano Lucas, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Tom Taylor’s Nightwing run has been one of the longest currently at DC, running since the beginning of Infinite Frontier, and it’s been seen as a defining one for the character. Taylor dropped major status quo changes for the character, oversaw his evolution into one of the DCU’s most respected heroes, and added a major new villain for him in the twisted Heartless. And of course, he gave us the best new addition to the DCU in years, the goodest of good girls, Bitewing! But all good things must come to an end, and in this oversized final issue, Dick returns to Bludhaven for a final showdown with Heartless – as well as with the man who killed his parents, Tony Zucco. Zucco’s often been a bit of a footnote in Bat-lore, and Taylor has elevated himself to one of the most despicable characters in comics. So it’s all the more impressive that he only plays a distant second fiddle in terms of villains in this run.
Heartless is a fascinating villain, one who was simply born wrong in the head and had no one to push back against him, no one to stand up to him due to his privilege. Now, he won’t abide the attempt to turn Bludhaven into a better place and wants to tear down everything Dick has created piece by piece. But the way Dick fights back against him is one of the best things I’ve seen in a while – you can really see Superman’s inspiration here rather than Batman’s. It all builds to a brutal showdown in the docks, where Heartless faces one of the most dramatic defeats I’ve seen any villain experience in comics – and comic fans across the country nearly have their hearts ripped out. The epilogue, taking place at the gravestone of John and Mary Grayson, is the perfect coda to one of the most determinedly human comic runs I’ve seen in a long time. This run is going to be one for the ages – over to you, Dan Watters.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
