Written by Kyle Higgins
Art by Will Conrad
Colors by Andrew Dalhouse
Things are looking up for Nightwing right? Nope, doesn’t seem like it! When it finally appears like things are going our favorite former-Robin’s way, he gets knocked down a peg… or five as the Prankster suddenly hatches his own scheme against the Mayor, with the people of Chicago being the ones who have to pay the price.
Higgins, being the master of dialogue, gives each character their own voice and style. They’re not just talking for the sake of talking, or just filling pages or anything as such. Even through just speech bubbles, Higgins has given them personalities that easily match the one of Dick Grayson that we all know and love.
One of the most impactful things, to me, was the scene after Prankster blows up the train. Nightwing instantly panics, blames himself, and then takes his anger out on the henchmen. It’s reminiscent of the issues a few months ago, dealing with Haly’s destruction and Damian’s death and the emotions he went through then. I can’t help but wonder how he’ll deal with it this time, without anyone to necessarily pull him back from the edge.
I was one of the many who was a bit bummed out when it turned out Brett Booth wasn’t going to be on the title very long, but Will Conrad filled the shoes he left and then some. I really enjoyed the way he made facial expressions, that even without word balloons you could tell when a character was surprised, wary or making a joke. I think my favorite page has to be the one where Nightwing is listening to the Mayor and Tony. For one, I laughed far too much at the way Nightwing was spinning his weapon on his hand. But overall, I really enjoyed how Conrad used the landmarks Chicago actually has in the story. Makes the fantasy of it all a little more real.
And some major kudos should be given to Andrew Dalhouse, for his consistency throughout the arc and through the changing artists. While Conrad did some stellar work, Dalhouse’s colors really connect everything together.
This storyline just keeps getting better and better and I can’t wait to see how everything turns out. I mean, at this point, who’s more screwed: Nightwing, the citizens of Chicago or the imprisoned cops?
4.5 out of 5 nerds
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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