Review: Nightwing #1

It's a testament to how well his Batman stories were written that so many perceived Dick Grayson's return to Nightwing as a demotion. Before he spent a significant chunk of time in the cowl, Nightwing was one of DC's ultimate tales of growth. Dick went from a goofy sidekick in a pair of green hotpants to a competent, respected hero (who also made some questionable fashion choices).  The last run of his solo title lasted 153 issues, which saw Dick become the protector of Blüdhaven, spend time on the police force, and develop a rogue's gallery of his own.

In the new Nightwing #1, writer Kyle Higgins takes the character back to basics while keeping his recent past up front and center. Dick acknowledges his time as Batman on the issue's very first page. He's clearly glad to return to his Nightwing role, but seems grateful for his time in the batsuit, saying that it taught him a lot about himself. But as Dick strives to move forward, his past pulls him back as Haly's Circus makes a return to Gotham. I think reintroducing Dick's circus past right from the get-go is a smart move. It's one of the things that differentiates him from the many other street level heroes in Gotham, and it's something that writers haven't played with in a long time.

I miss you, fingerstripes.

This story doesn't feel like a rehash, but it does feel like a return to the old. Artist Eddy Barrows experiments a little, but in general, his style seems very much in keeping with the look the last Nightwing run. Even the new Nightwing costume looks incredibly similar to the suit Dick sported as undercover supervillain Renegade. Fans of the old run should be thrilled, but those who never got into the book before may be a little less enthused. Thankfully, Higgins keeps this tale away from the angst the old series was often drowning in, even though he does give Dick plenty to worry about. I wish some of Dick's last Batman tales had a little more of a presence here, but it makes sense to keep this as new reader friendly as possible.

Nightwing #1 succeeds in doing everything that it needs to do. Readers are given necessary backstory, we get some nice character moments, and several chances to see the character in action. The story ends on an interesting hook that appears to tie it into the story going on in the main Batman titles. But with so many other titles coming out, many of them great, I just wish Nightwing had done a little more to push itself to the head of the pack. There are some bits I really love here- Dick eating cereal out of the box while his crumpled costume    lies on the floor, his acknowledgement of his weakness for redheads- but this issue just didn't get in my head the way that some other titles this week did.

Right now, I think Nightwing is still finding its feet. The book is off to a good start, but I don't think it's really hit its stride yet, and I think we'll see some pretty great stories when it does. Right now, I'd recommend this book to any longtime Nightwing fans, those who want to learn more about the character, and anyone really craving a street level superhero title. If you didn't enjoy Nightwing in the past, but grew to love Grayson while he was Batman, I'd recommend waiting on this book a bit. Nightwing is usually a pretty easy title to jump into, and waiting on his first great story is the best way to assure you remain a Dick Grayson fan.

By Marceline with 1 comment

Review: Deathstroke #1

Deathstroke is a character who could really benefit from being rebooted. Over the years, writers have gone back and forth on almost every aspect of the character, from his motives to his power levels. This is a guy who went toe to toe with the entire Justice League and almost won, but repeatedly had his plans foiled by those meddling Teen Titans. As a reader, I haven't really enjoyed Deathstroke since the Teen Titans storyline "Judas Contract", and had I not pledged to try all 52 books, I probably wouldn't have given this a chance. I'm happy to say that this title was worth taking a chance on.

I was unsure as I read the book's opening pages, in which an unseen character gushes to the audience how awesome Deathstroke is. Characters talking about other characters being awesome is a pet peeve of mine, and I feel like it crops up in comics way too often. On the other hand, this dialogue was displayed over scenes of Deathstroke actually being badass, which made it a lot easier for me to swallow. I also really appreciate that writer Kyle Higgins avoided pages of backstory and instead quickly gave readers the basics, and then jumped into action.

It was when we saw Deathstroke being offered his first mission that the real story kicked in, and when the comic really won me over. While many characters in the DCnU have been deaged, Slade Wilson remains older and experienced- so much older that he is paired with a group of teenagers (who I suspect spend a lot of time on Xbox Live). Putting him in a position where he needs to prove himself in spite of his record is a good way to make him feel fresh without undoing his history. While I'm guessing Deathstroke won't regularly work with a team, I hope we still get more moments like the ones we had here. I found his interactions with these guys to be hilarious.

While the comic's interiors were never going to be as awesome as Simon Bisley's covers, they're still quite visually pleasing. For the most part, colorist Jason Wright uses muted tones, which really makes Deathstroke's costume pop. Artist Joe Bennett does solid work throughout the comic, but where he really shines are his facial expressions. Often, just seeing the way Slade reacted to a line was enough to crack, and you can bet this comic will be featured heavily in this week's reaction image post. While the new Deathstroke costume is still too busy for my tastes, Bennett draws it well enough that it's never a distraction.

I was impressed with the fact that Kyle Higgins told a complete story in a single issue, while still leaving me curious enough to come back for more. In these days of decompressed comics, a oneshot tale is rare, and I'm always impressed when I see a writer pull one off. While he's fairly new to the comics scene, I really think Higgins is a writer to watch. His work on titles like Gates of Gotham and Supreme Power has been strong, and I think this is the title he's really going to hone his skills on. I'm really excited to watch his career develop.

The ending of this issue is either going to be what sells the reader on the comic, or what really turns them off. For my part, I appreciated that Slade was established as a ruthless, villainous guy, no ifs, ands, or buts. Much like a certain height challenged Canadian, Deathstroke is good at doing things that aren't particularly nice, and he revels in that. I'd love to see more character development for Slade somewhere down the road, but I hope Higgins never casts him in the role of the tortured anti-hero. This is where he works for me, as a guy who genuinely loves what he does, no matter how unpleasant that might be.

I'd recommend this comic to fans of Deathstroke, to those who long for the days of done in one stories, and to anyone who's enjoyed Higgins work on Supreme Power. If you prefer your protagonists to be less than heroic, and were considering Suicide Squad, I'd suggest picking this one up instead- I think it's the better comic by far and is very accessible to new readers. Those turned off by high levels of violence will want to avoid this one, although it's much tamer than what we've seen from Batwing and recent Lantern titles. Overall, this is a solid start and a nice surprise, and I'm really looking forward to reading issue 2.

By Marceline with No comments