Nightwing #130 marks the begining of a new age in Blüdhaven. After quelling an interdimensional crisis, Nightwing returns his attention to Spheric and the gang conflict. Now, Nightwing must confront a new mayor, a runaway superhero, an out of control police force, and a sinking feeling that something is watching him! Of course, it won’t be as easy as it sounds. Let’s discuss the first new chapter of this developing story below!
What He Was Afraid Of
This issue begins by setting the mood by casting Nightwing’s signature blues against a haunting reddish night sky. For the most part, Dan Watters writes #130 as an update on where Blüdhaven is at the moment. Currently, it would seem that the war against corruption and evil has taken a turn for the worst. Firstly, due to her condition, his sister Melinda is no longer the mayor. Instead, her competitor, Bisogni has taken control of the city with strong implications that he will revive the corrupt Blockbuster network that Nightwing once fought to destroy. By the end of the issue, Watters foreshadows the what the sinister big bad is up to in the background as well.
Additionally, Nightwing must face off against both Olivia Pearce’s Spheric funded police force and the violent gangs of Blüdhaven. This includes the newly mutated “Clean Cut Crew” who turn themselves into flying monkeys with their own poorly thought out mixture of venom and Man-Bat formula. Meanwhile, Nightwing has the tough job of dealing with Nite-Mite’s accidental mutation of a child into a powerful superhero, Van-Zee. Naturally, all of these issues tie into an expositional narrative centering upon Nightwing’s growing fears for the city. In a sense, Watters positions the corruption, escalation, and growing uneasiness in the city as something that spiritually challenges Nightwing. At the very least, the consequences of the previous storylines are creating a new status quo for the city.
Doing It For The Plot
Undaunted, Nightwing faces his fears one by one. Attempting to remind him that “he is watching,” Nightwing attacks Bisogni while he meets with unsavory characters. Somehow, Nightwing’s bird shaped projectile hits the building’s massive bay windows and creates a massive bird symbol. If readers take the display as a visual metaphor, then readers can ignore the silliness of the skill it would take to do it as a literal feat of art, even in comic books. Not to mention, Nightwing’s mid-battle quips aren’t landing so well in this issue. Again, while Nightwing faces another mutant gang, the police deploy their ED-209 styled drones. At this point, Nightwing loses control of the situation and can’t handle the overwhelming conflict alone anymore.
Moreover, Nightwing must also contend with Bryce Moran and his brand new superheroic identity. Much like Gotham Girl, Bryce uses his newly bestowed abilities to help Nightwing with uncomfortable success. Mostly, because Bryce is still a child in a strange adult body with the alternate persona of a Kryptonian folk hero whispering in his mind. Luckily, Nightwing already procured an antidote out of Nite-Mite’s cells off panel. Yet, in a shockingly irresponsible move, the “responsible adult” sees a use to Bryce’s very wrong transformation instead of urging him to cure himself. In any case, several members of the JLU find out what’s going on, check in, and offer their help. Bruce, in particular, bonds with his son in the all too common wooden, distant, but caring way. Anyway, Watters arbitrarily measures the threat as an “S-level” which can mean anything.
Recommended If…
- You’re ready for the next big chapter of Nightwing.
- You enjoyed Tom King’s I Am Gotham.
- You are a sucker for a Justice League cameo.
Overall
In many ways, the sad case of Bryce Moran is like an uncomfortably corrupt version of Shazam. After the Totality storyline in Titans, the demon superpower thing from Nightwing #104, the Gotham Girl saga, or just common sense should be enough for Dick to end this “Nightwing Prime” story before it starts. Otherwise, this is a decent return to the main storyline. There are some standout panels, such as Bryce crying in the rain at the grave, and the pleasing contrast in the skyline in the begining of the issue and the cover. Narratively, the character has plenty of conflicts to deal with amid the growing menace of the haunting big bad. Even with the issues in dialogue and flaws in internal logic, readers can start to get on board with the next phase of the series.
Score: 6.5/10
DC Comics have provided advance copies of books for review.
English (US) · 