Nightwing #138 – Dan Watters, Writer; Denys Cowan, Penciller; Norm Rapmund, Inker; Francesco Segala, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: One of the most intriguing things about this new era of Nightwing is the way it shifts genres so effortlessly. It started with horror, pivoted into high-intensity action, and is now becoming a sci-fi creature feature. As we meet Nightwing this issue, he’s hitting rock bottom. He’s haunted by the multi-car pile-up he was involved in, the new Bludhaven prosecutor wants to haul him into court, and his top support system – Barbara Gordon – has been imprisoned in supermax. It’s enough to send him spiraling into insomnia, but it’s not long before he gets pulled into another case. An elderly farmer, on the prowl for what he thought was pranksters attacking his cows, was viciously attacked by an alien being scarring him. Nightwing looks for DNA identifying the attacker, and once he finds it, he tracks it to the Psions. And that means he needs to call in his long-time ex, Starfire, for an assist.
The Psions, of course, are the alien species that Starfire was sold into slavery to by her sister as a child, and she was horribly tortured by them. She insists that she’s not out for revenge, but Nightwing is dubious – as is she, of his current coping mechanisms. With Barbara locked up, I was initially worried that this was going to turn into yet another rehash of these two and their relationship drama, but Watters and Cowan thankfully turn in a very mature story. It’s rare to see a long-term former couple able to cooperate, be friends, and understand each other well, but both of them come off like the adults they’re supposed to be here. With the threats in Bludhaven continuing to build, it’s great to see Nightwing rise to the challenge, and the end of the issue finds him deciding on the course he’s going to take about his pending indictment – a middle ground that makes a surprising amount of sense.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
