Nightwing #2
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Javier Fernández
Colors: Chris Sotomayor
Letters: Carlos M. Mangual
Publisher: DC
I've never been fond of Batman as a character. I realize this is a hot take (please don't yell at me) but I find the explicit-ness and sheer misanthropy that is a part of Batman in some characterizations kind of alienating (mind you, this is the first Batman comic I read, probably not a great introduction). That's why discovering the larger Batfamily through Rebirth has been so surprising for me. There's this larger cast with a variety of well defined, unique characters who I just wasn't acquainted with at all, that don't have that same overbearing feel. And reading DC's new ongoing series (especially Tynion's Detective Comics) has motivated me to go back and start reading Grayson and Puckett's Batgirl, which I also like a lot so far.
But after enjoying Nightwing: Rebirth, I've felt somewhat disappointed by Seeley's writing in the last 2 issues. This book opens with a flashback to Batman dropping a guy (a.. criminal) from the roof of a building, I'm not sure how that ties into the book thematically but it does try to set the tone for the rest of the issue. And while there are flashes of that same sense of humour that defined Grayson, Nightwing is a darker book. Not as dark as Vulture from the Terrible Trio being eaten alive by… vultures, but still dark.
In Nightwing #2, Dick Grayson and Raptor go on their first Parliament of Owls-assigned mission, which is to raid a boat to recover unspecified cargo that was stolen from the Parliament. After a short action sequence, we find out that the ship is full of refugees that the Parliament want to use as slave labor. This issue does little more than hinting at that subject but Seeley uses that conflict to flesh out Raptor as a character. While he's more similar to Dick than The Tiger (who was also reluctantly paired with Dick often during Grayson), he's also more ruthless and conniving (and kind of obnoxious) so far. I haven't loved the story we've been told so far, but I'm willing to keep reading as there's some interesting details, like the contrast between Raptor and Nightwing.
Javier Fernández is undoubtedly very good at drawing action scenes but his art is clunky on quieter settings. It's a little jarring because the characters' facial expressions during fights are on point but on more subtle scenes, they just seem off. With a larger focus on Raptor, I noticed how much his costume mirrors Nightwing, it's a clever detail but I'm not a fan of that hoodie-vest-dress thing he seems to wear occasionally.
I had a problem with the layouts last issue, the book alternated between white and black frames with little rhyme or reason and it made the book look ugly but here that same change is actually used to enhance the mood of the book with black frames being used only during the second act as Raptor and Nightwing raid the aforementioned ship. Fernández constructs some of his layouts with a full-page panel as a backdrop to a handful of smaller, narrow panels. I loved this detail, as it allows Sotomayor's stylized coloring to shine through. Those wider landscape shots are gorgeous. The book has a lot of darker warm colors and Sotomayor very cleverly highlights Dick Grayson making the blue in his costume really bright and surrounding him with luminous tones. Mangual places dialogue and captions in such a way that they don't cover up the art, while still helping to build atmosphere through a few well-positioned sound effects.
Maybe long-time fans of the character will appreciate this more than I do but the book lacks the playful tone that I liked so much from Grayson and the Rebirth one-shot. The art by Javier Fernández improves from last issue but it still has its problems. On the other hand, Chris Sotomayor's coloring is fantastic and Mangual's lettering is perfect. The book has a good team so hopefully next issue will be better.
Artist: Javier Fernández
Colors: Chris Sotomayor
Letters: Carlos M. Mangual
Publisher: DC
I've never been fond of Batman as a character. I realize this is a hot take (please don't yell at me) but I find the explicit-ness and sheer misanthropy that is a part of Batman in some characterizations kind of alienating (mind you, this is the first Batman comic I read, probably not a great introduction). That's why discovering the larger Batfamily through Rebirth has been so surprising for me. There's this larger cast with a variety of well defined, unique characters who I just wasn't acquainted with at all, that don't have that same overbearing feel. And reading DC's new ongoing series (especially Tynion's Detective Comics) has motivated me to go back and start reading Grayson and Puckett's Batgirl, which I also like a lot so far.
But after enjoying Nightwing: Rebirth, I've felt somewhat disappointed by Seeley's writing in the last 2 issues. This book opens with a flashback to Batman dropping a guy (a.. criminal) from the roof of a building, I'm not sure how that ties into the book thematically but it does try to set the tone for the rest of the issue. And while there are flashes of that same sense of humour that defined Grayson, Nightwing is a darker book. Not as dark as Vulture from the Terrible Trio being eaten alive by… vultures, but still dark.
In Nightwing #2, Dick Grayson and Raptor go on their first Parliament of Owls-assigned mission, which is to raid a boat to recover unspecified cargo that was stolen from the Parliament. After a short action sequence, we find out that the ship is full of refugees that the Parliament want to use as slave labor. This issue does little more than hinting at that subject but Seeley uses that conflict to flesh out Raptor as a character. While he's more similar to Dick than The Tiger (who was also reluctantly paired with Dick often during Grayson), he's also more ruthless and conniving (and kind of obnoxious) so far. I haven't loved the story we've been told so far, but I'm willing to keep reading as there's some interesting details, like the contrast between Raptor and Nightwing.
Javier Fernández is undoubtedly very good at drawing action scenes but his art is clunky on quieter settings. It's a little jarring because the characters' facial expressions during fights are on point but on more subtle scenes, they just seem off. With a larger focus on Raptor, I noticed how much his costume mirrors Nightwing, it's a clever detail but I'm not a fan of that hoodie-vest-dress thing he seems to wear occasionally.
I had a problem with the layouts last issue, the book alternated between white and black frames with little rhyme or reason and it made the book look ugly but here that same change is actually used to enhance the mood of the book with black frames being used only during the second act as Raptor and Nightwing raid the aforementioned ship. Fernández constructs some of his layouts with a full-page panel as a backdrop to a handful of smaller, narrow panels. I loved this detail, as it allows Sotomayor's stylized coloring to shine through. Those wider landscape shots are gorgeous. The book has a lot of darker warm colors and Sotomayor very cleverly highlights Dick Grayson making the blue in his costume really bright and surrounding him with luminous tones. Mangual places dialogue and captions in such a way that they don't cover up the art, while still helping to build atmosphere through a few well-positioned sound effects.
Maybe long-time fans of the character will appreciate this more than I do but the book lacks the playful tone that I liked so much from Grayson and the Rebirth one-shot. The art by Javier Fernández improves from last issue but it still has its problems. On the other hand, Chris Sotomayor's coloring is fantastic and Mangual's lettering is perfect. The book has a good team so hopefully next issue will be better.
A Look Inside
