Nightwing #97 // Review
He’s one of the biggest high-level crime lords in Gotham City. He was protected by one of the most powerful figures in the city’s underworld. Now that protection lies on a slab in a morgue with a hole in his chest. Now he needs protection of a completely different kind in Nightwing #97. Writer Tom Taylor delivers a fun adventure that is rendered into the visual by artist Bruno Redondo with Caio Filipe and Geraldo Borges providing inky embellishment and color by Adriano Lucas. The action is a lot of fun, but the relationship between Nightwing and Batgirl really feels like the emotional center of another satisfying issue.
They’re moving Maroni to Gotham City. And seeing as how the Gotham Police Department is as corrupt as it is, the police commissioner is aware that Maroni’s life is in danger. He’s willing to testify. And if the uncorrupted police know this, then the rest of them do as well. And that means that the entire Gotham underworld knows. So the best bet is to give him the protection of one of Gotham’s best-masked crimefighters, who’s got the aid from Gotham’s best crimefighter: his girlfriend.
Taylor has a good time keeping things moving for Nightwing...and that fun transfers to the page really, really well. The contrast between Nightwing and his former mentor is strong. Nightwing and Batgirl are working together in an issue that focuses primarily on the title character. The irony that a seasoned superhero has to look after one of the biggest pieces of scum in all of Gotham City isn’t lost to Nightwing, who has a solid sense of humor and a healthy romantic relationship with someone who is in the same line of work that he is. Taylor knows that it’s fun to hang out with Nightwing and Batgirl. He points the panel in the right direction and lets the artists go to work.
Redondo’s style fits Nightwing nicely. The inking feels a little sketchy in places, but the overarching style, rhythm, and framing of action and drama continue to look strikingly appealing and intriguing. Taylor’s humor hits the page with a visual wit that seems every bit as cool as some of Taylor’s dialogue. It’s sharp, sharp stuff from beginning to end. Lucas’s colors put a smart layer of style over everything that secures an inviting world for all the action.
The current creative team on Nightwing continues to be one of the better collections of talent in mainstream comics today. It’s smart, savvy stuff that glides across the page in a way that balances action with drama and humor. It may not fit perfectly with every other title in Gotham City’s corner of the DC universe, but it keeps in touch with the overall rhythm of everything well enough to keep Nightwing firmly grounded in one of the most totally corrupt cities in the DC universe.
