You can pickup your copy of Nightwing #56 now where all good comics are sold!
Synopsis
The Nightwings have been picking up the slack Dick Grayson left behind, making a dent in petty crime and cleaning up the streets of Blüdhaven. But as Scarecrow’s plan comes to fruition, it looks like they may have bitten off more than they can chew…putting Grayson in a position he was not prepared for. One where he may be forced to become a hero once more…
Review
I was pretty critical in my last review of Nightwing (here). I definitely have an aversion to stories which spin the character off on a random tangent. I won’t go over old ground again other than to say that it will feel like a pointless exercise if in several issues time Dick Ric is back in the Nightwing costume.
That being said this issue does at least go some way to improving on what we’ve seen so far in the Ric Grayson arc.
I mentioned in my last review that these stories often focus on some kind of side character/issue. We only need look to when Bruce Wayne died and the Batman series shifted focus to Jim Gordon taking over the mantle of Dark Knight.
Here it’s the gang of Nightwing cops who are the focal point. Their journey has become much more interesting than Ric’s and, rightly so, writer Scott Lobdell has chosen to focus on them.
What this issue gets right is to integrate the two. Whilst the cover will give possibly a little too much hope to long suffering fans the interior at least takes a step in the right direction.
From this point on the story needs to gain some serious traction. If Ric is going to become the mentor to a new Nightwing then he needs to make that decision soon. There’s only so much narrative steam left in having him witness the new Nightwing’s at work.
It’s comforting to see flashes of the old Dick Grayson. They are slowly bleeding in to his current characterisation. Each time he has a Dick Grayson moment it does feel satisfying as a reader but I’m still concerned about where the story will end up.
I do get the feeling we’re heading for a conflict which may see one or more of the new heroes wiped off the map. Something needs to happen which cements Ric’s involvement with the team. The issues ends with things not quite as neatly tied up as I would have hoped.
I do however now have hope for the future of Nightwing as a series.
Verdict
Nightwing #56 finally begins the series apparent return to its status quo. The cover might suggest a return in this issue but it’s more of an introduction to the potential return.
The issue is, by far, the most interesting of this arc. It teases several directions for the story to ultimately end and that, at least, is fairly exciting.
6/10
Nightwing #56 is written by Scott Lobdell and Fabian Nicieza. Artwork is by Davide Gianfelice. The cover is by Nick Filardi and Christopher Mooneyham.
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