Nightwing #28 – Review

By: Kyle Higgins (writer), Russell Dauterman (art), Pete Pantazis (colors)

The Story: The more things change, the more they stay the same…

The Review: Dick Grayson’s time in Chicago has been something of a renascence period for the character. He felt at home, solidified his status as a solo hero, and finally started to put down some roots. It’s been a beautiful run, but we finally stand at the precipice. We all know that those roots are gonna have to come up, but while Dick is slow to tie himself down, the bonds he forms are iron cast and cutting them is going to be hard. Appropriately, Kyle Higgins delivers a wonderful introspective issue as the series begins to wind down.

While it’s something of a reflective issue, Higgins makes sure to give us another of his uniquely acrobatic fight scenes, calling back a character that I admit I was not expecting to see again. The surprising villain’s powers suit the style of the issue’s artist, Russell Dauterman, perfectly. The twisting combat is beautifully rendered and, while the snaking paths hurt the momentum of the scene at times, Dauterman pays particular attention to Nightwing’s movements, creating an impressively clear fight scene.

Higgins crafts a scenario that highlights Nightwing’s inherent heroism, while raising serious questions about what a mystery man hero like Dick can accomplish in the sci-fi madness of the DC Universe. It sets a tone for the rest of the issue, and an interesting one at that.