Nightwing #131 – Dan Watters, Writer; Dexter Soy, Artist; Veronica Gandini, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Nightwing has dealt with a host of massive problems over this run. A gang war filled with twisted metahumans. A sinister corporate tech master looking to turn the Bludhaven PD into a corrupted AI nightmare. A masked clown targeting children with invitations to a disturbing circus. Otherdimensional imps – and a traumatized child powered up by them. And now they’re all converging. Dick has agreed to mentor Bryce, now calling himself Nightwing Prime and with all the powers of a Kryptonian. But in a twist that no doubt amuses Bruce, Bryce is not willing to cooperate island is deeply independent and frustrated by the slow pace of his training. Bryce plays a key role in taking down Killer Moth, as the C-list supervillain tries to supply Man-Bat serum to the gangs, but he quickly goes to ground as soon as he’s foiled – and around Bludhaven, children are disappearing under mysterious circumstances.
Maggie Sawyer is back on Dick’s side after her adventures in the annual, as she looked into the twisted path of Olivia Pearce’s past life and the mystery of the Zanni, but she still wants Nightwing to stay out of Pearce’s side of the equation – vowing to take her down through legal means. She asks him to focus on hunting the Zanni and his twisted circus, but that’s complicated when Killer Moth resurfaces and potentially kicks off a gang war. Bryce wastes no time disobeying his mentor and ignoring his homework to enter the fray – but a big twist from another book’s status quo gets pulled in, ending the issue with a surprisingly dark twist. This book can sometimes have trouble juggling all of its elements, but it’s surprisingly deft with how it combines a crime thriller, a supernatural thriller, and a superhero adventure into something that’s compelling in every issue.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
