DC Comics reviews 9/21/21 – Batman #113, Nightwing #84

Nightwing #84

Nightwing ventures into Fear State with this issue. This might be the first time in the various volumes of Nightwing where Dick Grayson’s adventures unfortunately take a back seat to get dragged into a Batman crossover.

Writer Tom Taylor dutifully puts his ongoing plots on the back burner to send Nightwing to Gotham to help Barbara Gordon and Batman. Taylor does add in a terrific nod to previous Nightwing runs with an appearance from an older fan favorite.

Regular artist Bruno Redondo misses this issue so Robbi Rodriguez gets the call for fill-in duty. No other artist has been on as hot a streak as much as Redondo and it’s almost unfair for Rodriguez to fill in at this major crossover point— let alone Batman and Nightwing in action together.

Rodriguez crafts some solid pages, but it’s not at the same level regular readers expect from Redondo.

Nightwing is a special book that doesn’t need the Batman crossover rub to attract readers. Taylor sets up an intriguing angle for Nightwing and a returning hero that should ensure this will be one of the stronger side quests of Fear State.

Rating: 8 out of 10