Nightwing #86 Review

 

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Writer: Tom Taylor

Artist: Robbi Rodriguez

Release Date: November 16, 2021

Cover Price: $3.99

Tom Taylor has been doing all he can to keep the momentum of his Nightwing book going during Fear State. Unfortunately, this so-called event hasn't had enough story for its flagship book, so these tie-ins are pretty much fighting for scraps.  Luckily, Tom Taylor has stuck to his game plan of fan-service feels, and it has given us some excellent Dick and Barbara moments.  While I can't wait to get back to the regular run, we have this one last issue to deal with so here we go...

If you have already read this week's Fear State finale, this will fill in a little bit of the cracks in the story.  After discovering Cass and Steph are alive after the Clocktower explosion, Nightwing, Barbara, Tim, and the Batgirls do a little Peacekeeper dress-up to infiltrate the Magistrate's Skybase.  If you've been following Fear State, you know Babs has been losing her mind over Seer taking her identity, and while it would have been so satisfying to see the Anti-Oracle get hers, we will, unfortunately, have to wait on that.  Barbara does get to punch out Simon Saint, though, and while it doesn't quite jive 100% with the Batman issue this week, that sort of thing is bound to happen, and I can't get too upset.

What I'm upset about, though, is the continuing feeling that James Tynion's Fear State story wasn't big enough to have to include this book and the other tie-ins.  Tom Taylor has nothing to work with here, so he has to force in some stakes, but they end up feeling last-second and silly.

While I love every character in this book and like how Taylor writes them,  I want to return to his regular run to tell his own story.  The art is decent enough, and fans will get a smile from Steph's redaction to "the kiss," but there is not much else here, and unless you are a Fear State completist, there is no reason you have to read this issue.

Bits and Pieces:

Tom Taylor tries to squeeze something out of the little bit of Fear State story he's been given, but in the end, this is a pretty unnecessary issue of Nightwing.  If, for some reason, Fear State introduced you to this book, come back next issue to see what the real hype is all about.  Fans of this book will back me up on that, I'm sure!

7.0/10