Nightwing #136 – Dan Watters, Writer; Denys Cowan, Penciller; Norm Rapmund, Inker; Francesco Segala, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Dan Watters is staying on the title, but this really does feel like a new Nightwing #1. For one thing, the style of the title has changed dramatically, primarily due to the arrival of the legendary Denys Cowan – whose gritty, scratchy art brings a completely new feel to the title. For another, the playing field has been reset. Gone are Olivia Pearce and Spheric, the Pennywise-esque Zanni, and tragic hero Nightwing Prime. All the 5th-dimensional elements have been shooed out, and replaced with a Bludhaven we know all too well. A new Mayor has taken over and is bringing back the bad old days, complete with a massive new freeway through the city that has made the city more dangerous and less friendly, cutting off countless lower-income residents off from their neighborhoods. Nightwing decides to see it for himself – and that’s where things take a dark and scary turn.
The tone of this issue is oppressive, and feels like it’s straight out of an urban ghost story. While driving, Nightwing encounters a strange, pale woman who is walking the wrong way on a busy highway. He offers her a ride, and soon discovers that she’s been implicated in a series of attacks – which makes more sense once she starts rambling about the witches who were killed here and their need for vengeance. At first, he naturally assumes she’s just a mentally ill woman – but as the ride goes on, she becomes more and more disturbing, and eventually lashes out at him with deadly consequences. The issue ends with some surprising ambiguity about who – and what – she really is. This first issue is a perfect example of how to escalate the stakes to build tension, and this new arc feels like a much-needed reset that creates a new tone and story perfectly suited to one of the best artists in the industry.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
