Nightwing #77 Review

Humbug!

Writer: Dan Jurgens

Artist: Ronan Cliquet

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: December 16, 2020

While I am excited about Nightwing not being Ric anymore, I am worried about what's coming, or not coming, in March 2021.  With Dick doing Titans things in Future State and the constant flux this book has been in for the last four years, I am not so sure if DC has big plans for my favorite character.  If this is the end of solo Nightwing for a while, do we at least get a good final issue?  Let's find out...

Have you ever read an issue that 100% felt like an add-on to fill out a trade or fill space before a significant change?  Well, now you have!  This is a one-shot story that ties into the holidays but is so surface-level in its setup and conclusion that it's almost laughable.

You see, Nightwing doesn't know if he's going to the Bat-Family holiday party (he probably hit "maybe" on the e-vite like a real dick!), but there are more pressing matters at hand.  A big corporation has been hacked, and it's Nightwing to the rescue!  After being told so many times that they wanted Batman on the case, Dick gets to some detective work, which leads him right to the big bad who isn't so bad after all...except she stole 2.9 million dollars, but who's counting?!?  

That gets swept under the rug to jump headfirst into topical social issues, but Jurgens is diving into the shallow part of the pool.  Everything here is surface-level nonsense where Bruce Wayne throws money at the problems to make them go away.  However, there are some glaring problems here.  Bruce doesn't have his billions anymore and isn't the head of Wayne Industries.  Jurgens tries to tip-toe past both of those by saying Bruce lost lots of money but still has "enough," and while he isn't head of Wayne Industries, he always can call in favors.  That throws it all out the window and is just lazy writing!

Let's go back to Bruce throwing money at the problem.  He hands over an apartment building to some homeless people and even fills their refrigerators with food.  What a nice guy!  What happens after a week?  A month?  Bruce did nothing to fix the situation. He just made it go away for a little bit.  Nightwing does get a single mother her job back... by having Bruce buy the company that laid her off!  Way to get it done, Nightwing!!!

I know this is just a holiday one-shot that is supposed to give the readers some feels, but Jurgens could have at least put a little effort into it.  I liked the art by Ronan Cliquet, but the story falls apart with the simplest of glances, and I can only hope we get Nightwing back in March, maybe written by someone with an actual story to tell.

Bits and Pieces:

While it should be easy to write a simple one-shot holiday story with Nightwing and the Bat-Family, Dan Jurgens tries too hard to be topical but forgets to write a good story in the meantime.  The art in the issue is good, but a Nightwing story about Bruce Wayne throwing money at problems doesn't fit the current Batman situation and is just plain wrong.  Happy Holidays everyone!

5.0/10