DC Comics reviews for the week of 7/19/17

Nightwing #25

Tim Seeley takes advantage of the extra page count for this anniversary issue to write an atypical finale to the Blockbuster arc. There’s not a lot of action here — Nightwing spent most of last issue fighting through a villain gauntlet — but it does set the foundation for some very intriguing future developments.

But first, Nightwing has to figure out a way to escape a yacht with a bomb seconds away from exploding. Seeley concocts a smart solution to last issue’s cliffhanger that worked better than I expected. For readers expecting some big blowoff battle with Blockbuster like the cover implies, you’ll have to keep waiting.

Delaying that payoff makes a lot of sense. Blockbuster is the Wilson Fisk to Nightwing’s Daredevil and there’s no need to neatly wrap that up in their initial Rebirth encounter. Seeley is playing the longer game and that’s a lot more exciting especially with how that starts to play out by the end of the issue.

Minkyu Jung’s artwork continues to impress. Jung really has a strong handle on Nightwing and his style of movement and personality. The layouts are easy to follow without any obvious weak spots in the panels. I’m a fan of Jung’s work and hopes he sticks around on the title. Chris Sotomayor’s colors look fantastic once again thanks to the use of bright, dazzling hues.

Like a number of 25th issues, this marks a significant change to the status quo. I wasn’t too fond of one casualty as it made for some great moments for Dick Grayson when he wasn’t Nightwing. Dick’s new gig has a lot of possibilities and I’m hopeful that the cliffhanger isn’t as dire as it appears.

Nightwing remains one of the top tier Batman spin-off books. Seeley has shown a willingness to keep trying new things with the direction of the title. It helps keep the book from ever feeling stagnant. And with a character like Nightwing that’s a winning formula.

Rating: 9 out of 10