Review: NIGHTWING The New Order #1

NIGHTWING: THE NEW ORDER No. 1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Kyle Higgins
ARTIST: Trevor McCarthy
COLORS: Dean White
LETTERS: Clayton Cowles
COVER: Trevor McCarthy
VARIANT COVER: Paul Pope with with Lovern Kindzierski
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2017)

Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”

Batman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger; Nightwing created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez

Chapter One

DC Comics character, Dick Grayson, first appeared as Batman's kid sidekick, Robin, in Detective Comics #38 (cover dated: April 1940).  Decades later, writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez transformed Grayson from Robin into the adult character, Nightwing, first appearing in Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (cover dated: July 1984).

Nightwing has been appearing in his own comic books since a 1995 one-shot and miniseries and an ongoing series that began in 1996.  A new Nightwing six-issue comic book miniseries, entitled by Nightwing: The New Order, looks at the future of the character.  It is written by Kyle Higgins; drawn by Trevor McCarthy; colored by Dean White; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Nightwing: The New Order #1 opens in Gotham City in the year 2040.  Dick Grayson is the leader of a government task force called “the Crusaders,” which hunts people with superpowers.  Since the year 2028, superpowers have been eliminated and outlawed.  However, Grayson is about to face the Crusaders' wrath, the same way he has directed it at so many others.

The allure of Nightwing: The New Order for me is that it features Nightwing, my favorite Robin.  It is kind of thrilling to see that he has evolved into the kind of authoritarian monster that it is plausible to believe Batman would become.  Irony is not dead, and the direction of the series is telegraphed early in the series.  I think Nightwing: The New Order could end up being dark and tragic, or writer Kyle Higgins could surprise us.  I hope he surprises us.

The art by Trevor McCarthy shows flourishes here and there, some nice page design, stylish figure drawing, and solid composition, although that is somewhat crowded.  That makes the storytelling a bit tight, and this story seems to need to explode, which it may do later.

Still, I think that Nightwing: The New Order is a Batman-related title to watch.  It has potential, and does not seem like cynical sales exploitation.

7 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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Albert Avilla Reviews: Batman #14

Batman #14
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Scott Synder
Pencils: Greg Capullo
Inks: Jonathan Glapion
Cover: Greg Capullo and FCO Plascencia
Variant Cover: Trevor McCarthy variant

“Funny Bones” (Spoilers!)

This is another gem from Mr. Synder. Batman has to get out of a minor difficulty in the beginning; Synder makes it a heroic moment. The Joker didn’t kill Alfred; he kidnapped him, because he needed a butler. Synder does a masterful job of illustrating the Joker’s unpredictable and fearsome nature through Commissioner Gordon. Gordon is breaking down from the pressure that the Joker is putting on his life, and to top it off, the Joker almost kills Gordon.

The Joker is always attacking physically and psychologically. I am afraid to read this stuff. It takes great strength and resolve to face him in battle. Batman tries to outthink him, but the Joker is always two steps ahead of him. Joker has his own arsenal of gadgets that keep Batman at his wit’s end. The Joker’s new sewn on his face adds to the Joker’s maniacal persona, if that is even possible. He is awesomely frightening in the new face. The Joker throws the Bat world into chaos when he claims to know everyone’s identity and predicts that they will be dead in seventy-two hours by Batman’s hands. The Joker not only has the Bat Family in turmoil, he also has the Gotham underworld in chaos. The Joker is that relative that everybody is happy when he leaves.

We learn that he has set up the Penguin to help him in his plot to destroy the Batman in a six-page extra, entitled “Men of Worship.” This is a whole other level of heroic fantasy.

The art just adds to the terror and gruesomeness of the story. I don’t usually enjoy the dark style in comics, but this is the only way this story should be illustrated. The splash page with Gordon and Batman is a masterpiece of terror.

I rate Batman #14 Buy Your Own Copy. #2 (of 5) on the Al-O-Meter Ranking