Nightwing #124 – Dan Watters, Writer; Dexter Soy, Artist; Veronica Gandini, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This series has kept the momentum rolling nicely from Tom Taylor’s acclaimed run with a gritty, action-packed story that finds Bludhaven under attack. Last issue took Nightwing into the lair of the Flyboiz, a band of mutated gang members whose origin story ties back to the nuking of Bludhaven by Chemo. Not only are they twisted and half-human, but many of them are poisoned and dying. Nightwing makes an attempt to save them with blood transfusions despite opposition from his allies in the Teddy Bears, but this requires him to give up a huge percentage of his blood – something that puts him on the brink of death and leads to him experiencing another hallucination from the mysterious master of the Cirque Du Sin. These segments are intensely creepy, and this greater-scope villain adds some nice supernatural edge to a series with plenty of villains to go around.
Of course, there are far more pressing issues going on in the present day, as Mayor Grayson-Lin has given Olivia Pierce and Spheric Tech the go-ahead to target the city with robot drones to pacify the gang war. With Dick still far from his best, he’s running out into the fray to fend them off – only to face a shocking betrayal from within his own ranks. At the same time, Olivia Pierce’s true nature is hinted at, and while it’s not revealed this issue, the odds are we’re in for a shocking and disturbing opening next issue. My only complaint with this run so far is that Pearce is so obviously evil that it’s hard to believe everyone but Dick is falling for her schtick, but that’s a minor complaint. This run is far more action-packed and mainstream than Watters’ usual horror-tinged work, but it’s a pretty great take on Bludhaven that shows just how easy it is for a city to lose the progress it’s made.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
