Writer: Kyle Higgins
Artist: Will Conrad & Cliff Richards
Colorist: Pete Pantazis
CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER
Nightwing and Marionette reluctantly team up to stop Madhatter from stealing Kanium, a mind affecting drug, from Drexler Chemical.
The Ups: The best part of any Nightwing issue is Dick’s showmanship when he’s in costume. Being the great multi-tasker he is Dick does a great job of beating up the bad-guys and exchanging witty banter with his temporary partner at the same time. Underneath the exciting action and comedy Marionette has her own back-story which connects her to the Madhatter which we get to see more of in this issue. Higgins ends up writing her as kind of a temporary Catwoman for Nightwing in the sense that she has her own goals and methods with can differ or coincide with Nightwing’s. Marionette adds a source of chaos to the issue, and presumably the rest of the arc, that make it exciting and unpredictable. The art is spot-on as always, the art team on this issue does a good job of incorporating dynamic poses and movement which compliment Nightwing and Marionette’s acrobatic fighting styles.
The Downs: Dick Grayson’s home life falls a little short in this issue, while living with room-mates creates some tension for him it’s not quite as satisfying as everything else in the issue. Higgins has been peppering elements of Dick’s personal life into his activities as Nightwing so I do expect some more personal drama to unfold as the arc continues.
Overall: This issue hits all the beats of a great Nightwing comic, it has action, witty banter, and Dick Grayson yet again finds himself entangled with a woman of questionable character. Higgins created a complex and compelling character in Marionette, and she carries the plot well. Dick Grayson’s personal life is fairly tame but Higgins has definitely sewn some seeds for future turmoil. This week’s issue was another enjoyable entry in a solid series.
Grade 4 of 5
ComicsRefueled 