Written by: Dan Watters
Art by: Dexter Soy
Colors by: Veronica Gandini
Letters by: Wes Abbott
Cover art by: Dexter Soy (cover A)
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: January 15, 2025
Nightwing #122, by DC Comics on 1/15/25, continues Nightwing's fight to find the balance between knocking heads and keeping the peace. Meanwhile, Olivia Pearce's backstory is revealed.
Is Nightwing #122 Good?
Recap
When last we left the world's greatest Robin in Nightwing #121, Dick played nice with Olivia Pearce of Spheric Solutions to steal her digital files for Oracle. Meanwhile, Dick laid the smackdown on the Teddies for recruiting minors. The issue ended with Nightwing giving the Teddies temporary refuge in one of his safehouses until he could figure out a better solution than knocking heads.
Plot Synopsis
In Nightwing #122, the story begins with Nightwing meeting the city officials on a rooftop to explain what he found (stealing Olivia Pearce's files). Crime is dropping at a rapid rate, but Nightwing angrily criticizes the heavy-handed tactics that resulted in the death of a 14-year-old boy who was a member of the Teddy Gang.
He believes the GCPD and Mayor are being duped because Olivia Pearce is not who she says she is. Nightwing recounted a mission with Batman when he was still the Boy Wonder, wherein they confronted the Cirque du Sin. The circus was a front for a gang of circus-themed criminals, who made quick cash by robbing and killing wealthy attendees. One of the circus's unique members was a young acrobat calling herself Colombina. Nightwing believes Olivia Pearce is Colombina, all grown up.
The Mayor rightly concludes that hearsay is not proof. If Nightwing wants to level accusations, he needs something more concrete. Suddenly, an explosion rips through one of the GCPD offices, prompting Nightwing to race after the bomber to get the proof he needs. Unfortunately, the bomber, a member of the Flyboiz, isn't talking.
The issue ends with Nightwing getting broody and a planted seed taking root.
First Impressions
Readers will either love or be put off by Nightwing #122 because it gets into more social analysis and philosophical debates that never get answered. If you're into Nightwing stories that dig deep into finding the line between appropriate force and brutality, on every side of the fight, this issue and arc is for you.
How’s the Art?
Dexter Soy is a welcome addition to the series, casting the largely nighttime drama and action in scenes that carry the stark shadows of the night. Nightwing #122 looks and feels like it's part of the Batman ecosystem, helping to moor Nightwing in the origin of his character. Nightwing doesn't make sense in a city where everything is bright and sunny, so Soy is nailing the visual atmosphere.
What’s great about Nightwing #122?
To Dan Watters's credit, Nightwing is trying to find a balance between too much force and becoming a doormat in the best way you could hope for. The best stories centered on a philosophical question stay away from answering the questions for you, and Watters is doing just that.
What’s not great about Nightwing #122?
Olivia Pearce's origin story as a female equivalent of a Flying Dick Grayson comes out of nowhere, is not something anyone should easily forget, and comes off as forced. The saving grace of her backstory is the inclusion of the mysterious Zanni character working with Olivia, who may or may not be a demonic force.
Further, Watters does what he can with the philosophical debate of force in the name of security, but the story setup isn't constructed as well as it should be. Did a 14-year-old Teddy Gang member deserve to die? No, but shooting at cops during a raid is a surefire way to shorten your lifespan, whether the cops have advanced weapons or not.
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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Final Thoughts
Nightwing #122 is a perfectly fine issue that falls into the "you either love it or hate it" category. Dan Watters runs with the debate concerning how much force is too much force, which may or may not be your cup of tea. However, Dexter Soy's moody art elevates the heavy themes.
6.5/10
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I may be getting something wrong but shouldn't Nightwing already know that he has to have proof in order to convict someone? Why is it such an outrage that they don't arrest her just on his words?? What are they going to do after that in court without anything to prove all this? Also, shouldn't Nightwing try to do something so kids don't get into gangs instead of defending said criminal gangs? I thought that was all he was doing with his newfound billionaire money. Mybe he should spend it less on Nakamura's news agency and Alfred statues and more on solutions to the Teddy Gang problem and supporting the police force with necessary equipment so they wouldn't have depended on Olivia( granted he did construct shelters and a park I think and sth about a prison... don't know Taylor was veryyyy vague about it and later attributed most of that to Bea anyway lol). So far only the mysterious Zanni character is interesting to me and I feel like Action Comics addressed these issues way better and more coherently this week ( so far).
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame cause I genuinely enjoyed Dark Patterns issue 1 and 2 and wish we had gotten something similar to that quality for Nightwing, he really needs that.