Nightwing #86 // Review
The Fear State crossover comes to an end in Nightwing #86. Dick Grayson, Robin, and various assorted Batgirls come together for one final assault on the big high-tech fortress of fascism in the sky over Gotham City. Writer Tom Taylor rounds out the crossover with the aid of artist Robbi Rodriguez and colorist Adriano Lucas. Grayson’s a charismatic character, but his guest stars come across in a much more appealing light than the title character in an issue that also features a preview of the new Batgirls series premiering in December by the writing team of Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad with the art of Jorge Corona.
A couple of Batgirls were quite nearly killed. Evidently, an explosion that leveled the top of the clock tower wasn’t enough to get rid of them. The relief between Nightwing, Robin, and Barbara Gordon is short-lived as they have a rather pressing concern involving the AI known as Oracle and its command center above Gotham. A team of five Batman-adjacent superheroes launches a full-scale assault on the high-tech base in an attempt to give the city back its freedom. The group is going to need to run on action hero instincts. There isn’t a whole lot of time to plan the assault.
Taylor shoots the action straight out of the first page and keeps it moving straight through to the end of the final issue in the crossover. The dialogue is crisp and witty. The action sequences are tightly directed. One scene leads to the next in quick, natural motions. There may not be a whole lot of depth to a simple assault on a high-tech base. It’s the sort of thing that’s been rolling through comics for decades. Taylor manages to make it feel fresh with an appealing ensemble of characters. The preview of Batgirls is a fun extension at the end of the issue that’s written by the talented team behind the current Wonder Woman series.
Rodriguez has a highly kinetic sense of action. Anyone following the crossover knows that the Batgirls are okay at the opening of the issue. Still, Rodriguez manages to keep the tension remarkably tight as Nightwing, Batgirl, and Robin search the wreckage of the clocktower. A quick conversation between the ensemble is graphically appealing, aided by the very appealing golden/black coloring of Gotham at night courtesy of Adriano Lucas. Gotham City looks gorgeous in the background. By contrast, Jorge Corona’s rubbery, exaggerated style wouldn’t seem to suit Gotham at all, but he finds a way to force his style to make sense in an exceedingly appealing Batgirls preview at the end of the issue.
Once again, Nightwing isn’t really the center of the Nightwing book. He’s making some fairly major decisions in the issue, but he is solidly upstaged by the Batgirls as Fear State draws to a close. Nightwing is a strong enough character to lurk around the edges of his own title to allow for a an issue or two. To Taylor’s credit, he understands this well enough to allow for a few other characters to take over fo a couple of issues. An expansion of the Batman family of titles could make for a more dynamic corner of the DC Universe.
