Nightwing is on a chase to find his kidnapped girlfriend and Damian Wayne demands to tag along. Tim Seeley is writing one of the best thrillers in superhero comics today, but the serial format is rife for a slow or less than stellar issue. We review!
Nightwing #17 (DC Comics)
So what’s it about? The official summary reads:
The first stop on Nightwing’s international quest brings him to Paris, where he must face off against his own great, great grandfather: the Talon known as William Cobb!
Why does this book matter?
Last issue started this latest story arc and it did so with a lot of moving pieces in a very well paced and balanced way. The character dynamics between Damian and Nightwing are carried over from Morrison’s run when they were Batman and Robin together, which makes for fun call backs to a time when the two of them were very tight.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Batman is always close to Dick and Damian’s hearts.
The pace continues to be fast and exciting in this issue opening with Damian and Nightwing stretching their legs a bit and letting the tension between them out in words. Also in fists. Tim Seeley does a good job showing Damian’s childlike but calculating point of view, which allows Nightwing to reason with him. It’s nice to see they may not be a duo anymore, but their relationship hasn’t changed all that much.
The plot thickens in this issue, going in a direction I did not see coming. It’s got that classic hero-fights-himself thing going on, but dialed up to a 11. There’s a compelling and trippy sequence Dick goes through which seems to suggest the plot ties into the Multiversity storyline so be on the lookout for that if you’ve been following DC’s bigger story.
The art by Javier Fernandez has a gritty look and feel that suits the street fights going on in the book. The fighting is exciting, with a splash here and there to kick it up a notch. The villain is particularly freaky looking with a face only a mother could love. That gives the book an almost horror-vibe that suits the cliffhanger. While this issue is basically one long action sequence, Fernandez packs a lot of emotional punch in the facial expressions which helps convey Nightwing’s desperation to find his girl.
Time to motivate.
It can’t be perfect can it?
There’s a bit of a deus ex machina going on in this issue that reduces the enjoyment of the conflict’s resolution. That makes the ending a tad less satisfying. On top of that, there’s some kind of element forcing our heroes to see into the multiverse that’s unexplained and because of that a bit confusing.
Is It Good?
The plot thickens as Nightwing and Robin must take on…themselves! Tim Seeley and Javier Fernandez continue to create one of the more thrilling comics on the stands.
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