Tuesday, March 21, 2023

NIghtwing #102 Review

   
Written by: Tom Taylor
Art by: Bruno Redondo
Colors by:
Letters by:
Cover art by: Bruno Redondo
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: March 21, 2023


Nightwing #102 continues the fight to protect Olivia from the Grinning Man, a shapeshifter working for Neron.
Is It Good?

Nightwing #102 is a perfectly serviceable Teen Titans comic. If you've kept up on recent news, you know Tom Taylor will headline a Titans comic in the comic months, but apparently, he didn't feel like waiting. Nightwing is in this comic but only as part of the team and not in a starring role.

When last we left Olivia, Neron tasked the Grinning Man, a man who sold his soul to Neron in exchange for powers, to capture Blockbuster's daughter before the Titans could figure out what was happening.




The Ginning Man found the house where Olivia is hiding and knocked out Nightwing and Beast Boy before anyone noticed. Now, Nightwing regains consciousness just in time to rally the Titans and save the day, ending with a plan to break Neron's hold on Olivia.

Taylor's story is fine. Olivia's rescue works out cleanly and with a minimum of fuss. Gar gets in a few amusing one-liners. And the plan to stop Neron sounds promising.

So, why aren't I excited about this issue? It's bland. Besides Olivia's rescue, not much of note happens. The dialog is emotionally flat. The pacing is steady, but there's no energy or sense of momentum. And the lingering plot threads (Heartless, the safety deposit box) don't get a single mention.

Taylor seems to be developing a habit of starting threads and moving on to others because he gets bored or can't stay focused. If Tom Taylor is bored with Nightwing, it shows.

The art is fine. Redondo's figure work is excellent, and the one action scene has a couple of fun moments. But overall, the art is as bland as the writing.






Night at the Circus, pt 2 (Backup)

Nightwing shows Jon Kent/Superman what a Batman-style detective investigation looks like. When Nightwing shows Jon what it's like to look for clues and then look past the clues to the story behind the crime, their investigation leads to a surprising suspect.

Strange as it may sound, the Nightwing depicted in this backup by C.S. Pacat is a better version of Nightwing than in the main story. Nightwing is his own man, but he draws from his training under Batman to solve an impossible mystery. Jon Kent, relatively new to being a hero by comparison, is an eager student and awed by what Nightwing can do.

The art looks great, possibly better than the main story, and the mystery is intriguing.


About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces:

Nightwing #102 continues the conflict between Neron and the Titans with Olivia's soul in the balance. The rescue has some energy, and the Titans' plan to stop Neron has potential, but the issue is bland and lifeless overall. Oddly enough, the backup is a better Nightwing story than the main one.

6.5/10

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