Art by: Stephen Byrne
Colors by: Adriano Lucas
Letters by: Wes Abbott
Cover art by: Bruno Redondo
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: September 19, 2023
Nightwing #106 sends Nightwing back to The Hold (Blüdhaven's Gringotts) to find out what's in the box that has his name on it.
Is Nightwing #106 Good?
Well, somebody must have shaken Tom Taylor up from his nap to remind him about the plethora of dangling plot threads waiting to be addressed, because Nightwing #106 attempts to pick up one of them.
Way back in issue #99 (yes, that was nine long, tedious months ago), Nightwing found out his hometown has a secret bank where the famous and infamous keep special items not suitable for a regular bank - The Hold. When Nightwing broke up a bank robbery attempt on The Hold, Nightwing learned there was a box in the bank with his name on it. And then... nothing. He just walked away without a mention or second thought until now. Taylor's not known for his pacing or follow-through.
Now, we learn the box was placed there by Ric Grayson with a special package Ric received from an old circus hand Dick knew as a boy. Nightwing has little memory of his Ric Grayson persona, which is why he doesn't remember placing the box in The Hold. Unfortunately, Nightwing's timing couldn't be worse as Zucco, using Heartless as hired help, breaks into The Hold to find... it's already empty. Shenanigans ensue.
What's great about Nightwing #106? At least Taylor is cleaning up one of his unfinished stories, so some progress is better than no progress. You get a decent car/motorcycle chase scene. And the ending cliffhanger ranges from interesting to mildly amusing.
What's not so great about Nightwing #106? Taylor, speaking through Nightwing, tries to explain away why he didn't go back for the box until now and why he hasn't caught Heartless yet. Both explanations are lazy hand-waving, which can only be interpreted as lazy writing. Further, there isn't a drop of drama, tension, or urgency in this issue. A chronic problem with Taylor's time on this title.
How's the art? It's good. Guest artist Stephen Byrne fills in for Bruno Redondo, and honestly, I don't see enough of a difference between the two to develop a preference for either artist. If you like Redondo's art, Byrne's is close enough.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Bits and Pieces:
Nightwing #106 wakes up a nine-month-old plot thread to find out what's in Nightwing's mysterious safety deposit box, leading to car chases, more unanswered murders by Heartless, and pirates(?). The story is fine, the art's fine, and at best, you could say Taylor is wrapping up a plot point that should have been wrapped up long ago.
6.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment