DCU Comic Book Reviews

NIGHTWING #142

Freefall, Part Three

May 2008

Written by Peter J. Tomasi

Pencils by Rags Morales

Inks by Michael Bair

Cover by Rags Morales and Michael Bair

Synopsis

At the Saint Stanislaus Cemetery, Nightwing interrupts grave robbers trying to unearth the corpse of the KGBeast.  He is attacked again by the Zombie being pieced together with the dead bodies they are stealing.  The Zombie is able to pull Nightwing away from the grave robbers, who then get away with the KGBeast.  However, Nightwing captures the Zombie, but to no avail as the creators of the Zombie use a micro-imploder in the brain to kill it.  Later, Dr. Mid-Nite performs an autopsy and discovers that the zombie is a clone.  They also determine that Talia al Ghul may be behind the grave robbers.  That night, Dick prepares to go after Talia, with Robin along to help.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

Each month, Tomasi continues to impress me with this book.  This is excellent stuff.  This issue continues a terrific balance of action, mystery, and great character moments that make for a satisfying whole, not only in terms of this single issue, but also within the larger scope of the book and the character.  We get to see Nightwing in all facets of his personality, from fighter to lover, to big brother to detective and even as an acrobat.  The great thing is that Tomasi puts all of this into the story without it feeling forced or unnecessary; it all flows for a great read.  Some of that praise also goes to Morales, whose pencils and storytelling abilities greatly enhance Tomasi’s story. 

The interaction with Robin at the end was probably the best part of the issue.  Tomasi writes the duo as good-natured friends, but also makes sure to show how much older and more experienced Dick is compared to Tim.  Yes, they are comrades, but Nightwing is still the veteran. 

What I find interesting about Tomasi’s run so far is that he is making a concerted effort to place Nightwing within the DC universe.  This is exactly the opposite to Dixon’s run at the beginning of the book when he dropped Nightwing into Blüdhaven and isolated him from the DCU.  So far, Tomasi has had plenty of guest stars populating this title, with Dr. Mid-Nite and Ma Hunkel making an appearance this issue.  Ma Hunkel’s appearance is noteworthy because it always harkens back to his days as Robin, putting Dick Grayson’s place in the DC universe into even greater context.  I say this because I think this is Nightwing’s biggest asset:  his relationship to the rest of the DC universe.  He was not only the first sidekick, but the first sidekick to grow up.  More importantly, he was able to forge a place in the DCU without replacing his mentor (like Wally West) and he is the only Teen Titan who has been given his own title.  In that regard, Nightwing is special and I am glad Tomasi is taking that opportunity to prove it to us.

 

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