Nightwing #115 Review: A Beautiful, But Often Baffling, Middle Chapter

Nightwing #115 deflates some of the tension in "Fallen Grayson."

By Jenna Anderson

Beyond winning industry accolades and earning multiple print runs, it has been interesting to witness the impact of the current Nightwing run. Since launching in 2021, the series has, in a multitude of ways, redefined the cultural conversation around Dick Grayson/Nightwing. I have personally watched Nightwing convert some in the "BookTok" community over to mainstream comics for the first time, which is a testament to a soapy and uniquely modern work from Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, and company. With Nightwing (or this creative team's run, at least) confirmed to end later this year, it is safe to assume that the title's final storyline, "Fallen Grayson," will deliver. While "Fallen Grayson" might ultimately pack a punch as a complete body of work, Nightwing #115 exposes a few too many flaws in the series' storytelling, as well as the pitfalls of middle issues in story arcs of this nature.

As the second chapter of the "Fallen Grayson" arc, Nightwing #115 chronicles the aftermath of Dick's charity fundraiser descending into chaos, as he and members of the Bat-family attempt to plot their next moves. Once the combined efforts of Heartless and Tony Zucco descend upon the scene, the circumstances have the potential to change Dick's life and reputation forever.

Part of that change, as teased before the "Fallen Grayson" arc even began, is that Dick has mysteriously lost the ability to leap off of tall buildings. The concept of that sudden and specific phobia could be an interesting conflict for Nightwing to explore, especially when juxtaposed with the inner and public lives that Dick has cultivated for himself, but with nearly half of this arc already done, the surface has only begun being scratched. Instead, the story beats of Nightwing #115 focus on the immediate anarchy brought to life by Heartless and Zucco, as Tom Taylor's script works overboard to convey a sense of urgency from the very first panel. While effective in heightening the immediate tension, that pacing becomes pedantic as the issue plays out, especially when exchanges of dialogue are stretched across multiple panels in the second half of the issue.

It doesn't help that, especially with regards to Dick himself, there is a sense of dissonance between what is happening in Nightwing #115 and how the characters should be realistically expected to respond to it. Dick essentially spends the entire issue (even the flashback sequence that occurs at its midpoint) being painfully reactionary to the cacophony of events around him, in a way that feels incongruent to how savvy and capable we have been told Dick is. One twist later in the issue creates a fascinating situation for Dick to escape, but it loses a bit of the desired impact after nearly twenty pages of him frantically moving throughout the situation. This treatment isn't exclusive to Dick, as the Bat-fam present at the party are essentially, unceremoniously shoved out of the conflict, in a way that defies the intuition we know superheroes have. As a whole, it feels like the issue was more concerned with steamrolling its specific storyline than justifying its characters' place in it – a narrative choice that certainly isn't new in comics, but is frustrating to see in such a lauded series.

Luckily, Bruno Redondo's art maintains its consistency in spades in Nightwing #115, making even the most inconsequential panel into a visually-interesting display. The chaos of the fundraiser, as well as Dick getting bested by this alliance of villains, is rendered with countless clever panel designs and pop art influence. Adriano Lucas' color work carries that latter sentiment through gleefully, with a use of neon yellow, pink, and purple that helps the conflict become more than just a dour series of events. Wes Abbott's lettering is reliably great, but is presented in a rather small size – a decision that allows the aesthetics to shine, but at the cost of further establishing that intense flow for the reader.

Across Taylor and Redondo's Nightwing, and across the accompanying years of the DC Universe, we have been told time and time again that Dick Grayson is important. While Nightwing #115 is yet another display of pure artistry, its push towards a grander narrative accidentally calls into question Dick's elevated status as a brilliant and capable superhero. It will surely be fun to see how Dick gets himself out of this predicament as Taylor and Redondo's time on Nightwing draws to a close, but this frantic middle installment unfortunately deflates some tension. 

Published by DC Comics

On June 18, 2024

Written by Tom Taylor

Art by Bruno Redondo

Inks by Caio Filipe

Colors by Adriano Lucas

Related:

Letters by Wes Abbott

Cover by Bruno Redondo

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