Nightwing #107 - Comic Review

 

Someone high up in DC editorial hated Dick Grayson, they hated the Dick jokes, they hated that he aged Batman, they wanted him gone (I'm not naming names but we know who it was), and as such Dick Grayson was shot in the head, given amnesia, and became Ric Grayson. However, the series still proved to be popular, and Dick eventually returned. But whilst Ric is a part of Dicks past he can't always remember, its still having an effect on him in the present, as he's off on a high seas adventure with his ex to try and find a mysterious package that Ric had.

The last issue left us with the revelation that Beatrice 'Bea' Bennett, Ric's ex girlfriend, is the daughter of Captain Blud, and that following his death she is the new Quatermaster. This issue deals with the next stage in Dick's journey to find his property, with him agreeing to help Bea to stop her evil brother along the way. This means he's having to leave his home behind him, and set out on the open seas for adventure. However, something odd begins to happen during the journey, not only is there an attempted killer on board, but Dick's beginning to freeze up in the face of danger.

Nightwing feels like a book where the chief driving force behind stuff is 'have fun'. Every arc so far, and even every issue, has felt very lighthearted and fun, even when darker stuff has been going on. Tom Taylor is making an effort to inject a lot of humour into things, and this issue is no exception. As you can see from the cover, with Dick looking like Fabio, and the very romance novel text of  'Come for the sea's immaculate beauty... Stay for Nightwing's pirate booty', seriousness isn't high on the list of things here. The book even comes up with a reason, albeit a flimsy one, for Dick to be dressed the way he is, and whilst it's not perfect it's fun enough that you just kind of go with it.

Dick having to confront his time as Ric is also fairly interesting, and has been teased as coming for a while now. What makes this more interesting is the inclusion of his ex, and the complexity around the fact that she dated a version of Dick that doesn't really exist anymore, and the odd behaviour and fear that Dick is experiencing on the ship. It very much feels like the groundwork for this particular arc is still being put into place, and that there's going to be more interesting stuff to come. 

The art on the story, by Stephen Byrne with colours by Adriano Lucas, looks decent, and fits the feel of the book. Since Tom Taylor took over the series has had a very consistent style to it, and even when artists change it manages to feel like the same book, with very little visually different to it. There are slight changes here and there, and you can see each artists peeking through, but on a whole it's been one of the most visually consistent series around that isn't using the same art team. This issue has some great looking moments in it, and Dick in his pirate gear looks goofy and fun in just the right ways. And of course, as the book contains Bitewing, she once again steals the show by being super adorable back at base with Barbara. 

This issue also contains a back-up feature, written by Michael Conrad with art by Serg Acuna and Ivan Plasceencia, which continues on from the last issue. The mysterious figure following Dick Grayson around continues to try and get close to him, this time as Dick heads to a bar to have a few drinks with Jason Todd. The characters are written really well here, and are shown to be decent friends rather than having some kind of animosity between them. They refer to each other as brother, and I love that Conrad is making a point in this story that these characters are all one family.

The two heroes get waylaid by a gang of the campiest, leather wearing biker guys I've ever seen in a comic, in an attempt to kidnap Dick. However, the two of them are able to easily beat their assailants, leaving a warning note for the person following Dick. It's clear that this guy has no idea that Dick is Nightwing, and as such I'm interested to see what other bizarre scenario he'll find himself in with the next part.

Overall, this is an enjoyable entry in a series that's consistently enjoyable. Things are moving forward to the next phase in the story, and the book just seems to be enjoying itself as it takes us there.

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