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Nightwing: The New Order #4 Review

Comic Books

Nightwing: The New Order #4 Review

Great art and an unpredictable story makes this an arc to remember.

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Having barely escaped being captured by John Stewart and the Crusaders, Dick Grayson finds himself in the company of old allies and his estranged wife Starfire!

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DC Synopsis

When the pursuit of his missing son brings Dick Grayson face to face with his ex, old wounds are reexamined and a tentative new alliance is formed between former enemies. But when a stunning discovery is made about his son’s unique superpowers, the stakes become much higher and Grayson must take the fight straight to the Crusaders!

What’s the skinny?

For the second time in less than a week Dick’s been knocked out only to wake up confined, but this time it’s by folks who’re on the opposite side of this conflict’s coin. His old team, the Titans, have begrudgingly rescued him from being captured by resident Green Lantern John Stewart. It’s not the team you’d expect though; Lois Lane wearing the mantle of a Blue Lantern, half-transformed Beast Boy, Cyborg, and as we saw at the end of last issue, Wally West and Dick’s estranged wife Starfire.

Nightwing: The New Order #4 Review

You had better have health insurance pal.

We’ve finally found out why Kate Kane has so militantly pursued capturing Dick and Jake and to say it’s a big deal is putting it lightly. There’s a secret surrounding Dick’s son that could turn the entire world upside down. With two vastly different ideologies at play, Dick and Kory will need to put aside their past and their differences if they’re to rescue Jake.

What’s the catch?

My one small gripe is there’s only two issues left and Kate has yet to take a direct hand. I’m not complaining about the characters she’s working through, but I’d really like to see her more involved in the conflict. With everything that still has to happen, I don’t know that two issues will be enough to dig into the long festering resentment she’s had growing over the years towards Dick.

Is it good?

I love seeing Lois as a Blue Lantern; I would have never imagined her in the role, but she’s absolutely perfect for it. Besides Superman, there isn’t another character who’s more fitting to champion hope. If you look closely there’s a nice little nod to Saint Walker (the first Blue Lantern) in the dialogue. I’m going to have to start pushing for this to happen in the DC universe proper!

Another issue, another epic Trevor McCarthy cover. It’s like clockwork with this guy and I love how predictable this aspect of his work has become. The characters throughout this event are drawn with thick black outlines and heavy shadowing, while the environments around them are typically a lot lighter, which naturally draws your eyes to where McCarthy wants them. By contrast the use of super powers and abilities don’t have any outlines, which makes them stand out and doesn’t allow them blend into the image. My favorite piece of work from the art department is on the very last page and I can’t tell you what it is without spoiling things. What I can say is that it’s ominous, creepy and EPIC.

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You’d think Dick would be happy to have been rescued by his old team and reunited with the women he loves, but you’d be wrong for doing so. The pain of losing Alfred, potentially never seeing Jake again and waking up to a cold reception from his estranged wife is too much to handle. Dick’s served a dose of humiliation which helps open his eyes to the harsh truth that his choices contributed to his marriage falling apart. Sometimes the bitter pills we’re forced to swallow are the best medicine.

We’ve yet to see Dick accept the system he helped create is wrong and I’m still not convinced that’s going to happen. There’s only two issues left and while his life has been destroyed, the only identity Dick has anymore is the man he became after he took away the world’s superpowers. It’s incredibly satisfying being four issues in to a six issue event and having no real idea how the story is going to end. There’s a multitude of possibilities that could unfold and given the tone of the story thus far, I don’t expect the result to be particularly pleasant.

Nightwing: The New Order #4 Review
Nightwing: The New Order #4
Is it good?
Great art and an unpredictable story makes this an arc to remember.
Kyle Higgins makes cliffhangers look so easy
Lois as a Blue Lantern is perfect
Trevor McCarthy continues to wow me across the board
Kate Kane is working entirely through others, I'd really like to see something from her directly
9
Great

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