Nightwing #101 Review

    

   

Written by: Tom Taylor
Art by: Travis Moore
Colors by: Adriano Lucas
Letters by: Wes Abbott
Cover art by: Bruno Redondo (cover A)
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: February 21, 2023

Nightwing #101 picks up where the demon attack on Blockbuster's daughter left off with a scheme by Lord Neron to retrieve the precious soul under Nightwing's care.

Is It Good?

Uhh. Yeah, sure, this is fine. After the shockingly lackluster story in the big #100 issue, it would have served this series and Tom Taylor to come out of the gate swinging in Nightwing #101. Alas, it's not meant to be. We're starting a new arc with a nice, safe, sedate conspiracy by Lord Neron to retrieve the soul of Olivia Desmond.

Now that the destruction of Bludhaven prison and the events of Dark Crisis are firmly in the past, we catch up with Blockbuster's daughter, Olivia Desmond, under the loving care of the Titans while they try to figure out a permanent living arrangement for her. Little do they know that Lord Neron has hatched a plan to infiltrate Raven's safe space (*heh*) with a shapeshifting demon called the Grinning Man to get his grubby hands on Olivia's soul (see issue #98 for the reasons why).

And that's all there is to the plot without reciting it verbatim.

 

In fairness, Tom Taylor's writing execution is technically sound. The pacing is steady, the dialog feels natural, the scene transitions are smooth, and things happen. What needs to be improved is any sense of urgency or dramatic tension. In other words, the plot has no ebb and flow to make it exciting. It's tonally and energetically flat.

Moore and Lucas deliver fine visuals to accompany the pleasantly placid story. The pencils/inks are pristine, More's panel compositions are top-notch, and Lucas's coloring work is exceptional. The book looks gorgeous, even if the story is forgettable.

  

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces:

Nightwing #101 picks up where issue #98 left off with a plot by Lord Neron to steal Olvia Desmond's soul. The technical aspects of the writing (pacing, dialog, scene transitions) are solid, but the story needs more urgency and energy. However, the art team delivers a rock-solid performance.

7/10