DCU Comic Book Reviews

NIGHTWING #130

Bride and Groom, Part 2:  The Proposal

May 2007

Written by Marv Wolfman

Pencils by Jamal Igle

Inks by Keith Champagne

Cover by Michael Golden

Synopsis

In 1790 in Salem Massachusetts, Thomas Larson encounters Violet, who can take the energy from people that makes her immortal.  Now...Nightwing has tracked a group of looters pawning jewelry taken from dead people tossed at the local garbage dump.  Later, Nightwing learns that Dahlia Lorens and her family have been killed.  Philip Lorens is missing.  Nightwing tracks him down to a ferry boat on the East River, being held captive by Thomas and Violet.  Instantly, Nightwing knows these two killed the Lorens’ and were responsible for all of the dead bodies collecting at the dump.  Nightwing is able to free Philip, but Violet and Thomas get away.  Nightwing vows to find them, no matter what.  Later, Thomas proposes marriage to Violet and she finally agrees. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

Somehow, somewhere I need to write a stock, generic review about middle storyline issues that I can just copy and paste when needed.  This issue would be the prefect place to toss that fictional review.  I am not even sure the bride and groom is a three part story, but even if it isn’t, this still feels like the middle part of the story.  All of the threads from the previous issue are touched upon, from the bride and groom’s past, to the runaway bride, to the Lorens family.  And there is no real resolution to any of the plots, just a slow build to the climax in the next issue.  Ultimately, this wasn’t ab ad issue, but there is not really exciting about it either. 

What exactly is going on with the bride and groom?  I get their relationship:  he can “see” people’s energies and can easily identify the ones that will keep Violet immortal, which in turn she feeds back to him to keep him immortal.  That is actually quite interesting.  But what was the deal with the engagement?  Why was so important for him?  Why did she keep turning him down?  And what was happening on the boat that made him freak out?  Sadly these questions don’t necessarily reflect interest as much as confusion and trying to sort out the character’s actions.  It’s a muddled mess and detracts from the story. 

So, Wolfman creates the Lorens family for a storyline and keeps them around just so they can die off-panel?  Does this make sense?  One would think that Dahlia’s death should’ve mattered a little more or Wolfman would’ve given the reader a little more meaning to the death.  Unless there is something more that Wolfman is planting the seeds for now that will pay off later. 

 

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