Written by: Dan Watters
Art by: Dexter Soy
Colors by: Veronica Gandini
Letters by: Wes Abbott
Cover art by: Dexter Soy
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: October 23, 2024
Nightwing #119, by DC Comics on 10/23/24, finds Dick Grayson coming to grips with rising crime in Bludhaven when the mayor accepts an offer from an arms company to upgrade.
Is Nightwing #119 Good?
Overall, Nightwing #119 is pretty decent and a far sight better than Tom Taylor's dramatically flaccid run. I had doubts about Dan Watters coming onto the title after botching the Destro miniseries at Skybound and spending too much of his DC work mimicking Ram V's style, but this issue turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
In Nightwing #119, we begin with a masked individual dressed like the puppet version of a harlequin. The character in question, who we later learn is a member of the Cirque Du Sin, knows Nightwing's secret identity and has a keen interest in reshaping Nightwing's life.
Meanwhile, the heads of Bludhaven's leading crime gangs meet to discuss a truce and mutually beneficial arrangement, divvying up Bludhaven's rackets. Nightwing crashes the meeting to take all the leaders to jail, but before his task is complete, someone sets off a bomb that kills all the gang leaders. Nightwing escapes the explosion.
Right off, Dan Watters starts his Nightwing run with a bang, which is a blessed relief after Tom Taylor's kinder, gentler, borderline pacifist Nightwing, who accomplished next to nothing. In a scant few pages, we understand the current status of Bludhaven, Nightwing's place in the city, and the deadly force of a new player.
Later, Dick visits his sister, Mayor Melinda Grayson (formerly Zucco), to discuss the bombing. Unfortunately, Dick interrupts a meeting between the mayor and Olivia Pearce, head of Spheric Solutions and weapons manufacturer. After Pearce leaves, the mayor explains she's accepted an offer to upgrade her police force with Spheric gear to combat the rising crime wave.
Here, Watters puts Dick in the middle of a gray area concerning his personal ethics, which presents an interesting and unsolvable problem. Nightwing can't be everywhere to stop every crime, and crime is on the rise, so he can be unhappy about doing business with Spheric, but he can't expect the police to remain defenseless. I'm curious to see what Watters does with this dilemma.
That night, Nightwing spreads the word that the leaderless gangs do not have free licenses to spread chaos throughout the city. Instead, he offers to settle disputes if the gangs choose to keep to their respective territories.
Dick isn't happy about the city doing business with a weapons company, so he decides to visit the Spheric Solutions facility. The storage area contains weapons better suited for guerilla warfare instead of typical street crime. Suddenly, he's attacked by a security drone.
The issue ends with Nightwing's fight, observed by Olivia Pearce and the leader of Cirque Du Sin.
What's great about Nightwing #119?
Dan Watters hits the ground running with action, a clear purpose to find the new player in town, and willingness to punch people in the face. As a plus, the mysterious nature and motivations of Cirque Du Sin are intriguing since the members have a possible connection to Dick's past.
What's not great about Nightwing #119?
Story-wise, there are two oddities that are minor but noticeable.
First, Dick is almost reckless in his disregard for maintaining the balance with his secret identity. He barges into the mayor's office unannounced and talks to Oracle on his earpiece while he strolls down the street in civilian clothes and more. A little more effort in maintaining his secret is warranted.
Second, everyone is fully aware that Bludhaven is the new home of the Titans, but Nightwing proceeds as if he has to protect the city by himself, which is a nasty side effect of Taylor's run. Is crime really on the rise when a whole team of superheroes lives on the former site of Bludhaven prison? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Yes, sure, you can't have the Titans become a permanent fixture in the Nightwing comic, but maybe Tom Taylor and DC Editorial should have anticipated that problem.
How's the Art?
Nightwing #119 welcomes Dexter Soy to the comic, so of course, it's going to look amazing. Soy has a grounded, moody richness that far exceeds the prior art team's output. If there's one area that could use a tweak, Veronica Candini's coloring application is a tad smudged and rough. The palette selection is excellent but not cleanly applied.
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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Final Thoughts
Nightwing #119 is another strong start in a week of strong starts for DC Comics. Dan Watters takes the criticism of Taylor's run to heart by starting the arc with action, intrigue, and impactful drama. Further, the new art team brings heaps of mood and energy to the story. This week's All In offerings are turning out to be (mostly) All Good.
8/10
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I mostly felt the same about this issue. Your review was on point. For me all the negatives for this issue have to do with the whole aftermath of Taylor's run as you also mentioned which I might add Melinda's inclusion in general as a bitter reminder that I wished didn't exist but tbf to Watters what is he going to do with the whole Titans, Melinda as mayor, Bea the pirate queen and Heartless aftermath??? Hopefully he can just ignore it quietly (maybe Titans will move out in future issues, Bea goes to explore the seven seas and Melinda loses to an actual mayoral candidate and not another OC character forced in someone's backstory) other than that, Nightwing's decision and actions here were intriguing and the bad guys seem promising so far.
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