DC Comics reviews for the week of 3/20/19

Nightwing #58

Maybe the most impressive part of this Nightwing run is that practically every issue I’m waiting on Ric Grayson to become Dick Grayson again, but I’m won over by the execution.

Ric and the Nightwings probably can’t go on for years, but plotter Scott Lobdell and scripter Zack Kaplan make a strong case that it’s still got plenty of story left. This issue, the team tangles with The Joker’s Daughter. Lobdell has some familiarity with the character after using her for a brief period as one of the team members on Red Hood and the Outlaws. She’s exactly the kind of enemy this neophyte team should be encountering at this point as some are dealing with insecurity, actually selling the over their head aspect of suddenly becoming a vigilante while others relish at the opportunity to truly make a difference. And Ric is still coming to grips that although he’s lost his memory, being a hero is still part of him.

Kaplan is helping to develop the other Nightwings nicely while moving Ric away from his rougher persona. It was jarring to see Ric play ‘bad boy’ and it’s nice to see him acting more like Dick Grayson at his core.

Travis Moore takes care of the art this issue. I’d love for Moore to stick around. This book has been plagued by having a carousel of artists. With a monthly schedule hopefully that will be a thing of the past. Moore has been one of the better Nightwing artists in this era and all of his characters are better defined than some of his peers.

It’s the little things like making Sapienza look older than the rest of the squad and giving Hutch’s hair the kind of texture that looks like that of a black man. Moore’s work is gorgeous and DC editorial needs to lock him up on this title to keep it at a high level. And retaining colorist Tamra Bonvillain would be a smart move as well. Bonvillain understands the best tones to highlight Moore’s work.

Nightwing remains one of the more surprising of DC’s current late of titles. It succeeds against the odds and continues to be a fun read particularly with this creative team.

Rating: 9 out of 10