Nightwing #4

Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Javier Fernández
Colors: Chris Sotomayor
Letters: Carlos M. Mangual
Publisher: DC

This issue follows Nightwing (and reliably untrustworthy partner-in-uh.. crime? Raptor) as he tries to foil the Parliament of Owls' plan to built a fortress using slave labor. There's action, intrigue and people trying to get into Dick Grayson's pants. That's not to say the issue is perfect though!

For one, the inks are still too heavy, this is a gripe that I've had with the book for most of this arc but it throws me off so much. The panels where Fernandez allows his lines to breathe just don't mesh well with those that are heavily rendered close-up shots covered in shadows. I do like Fernandez's layouts a lot and some of his wider shots are gorgeous. I should love the art in this book but those inks keep taking me out of it.

Chris Sotomayor's work has been lovely throughout this arc, I love the contrasts created by the bright blue in Nightwing's costume. Sotomayor's coloring looks so much better when the panels aren't mostly dark too. Mangual's lettering in this issue was a bit uneven with regards to effects, there weren't many of them but some of those looked really out of place. I would've liked to actually see some more effects as the big-owl monster stalks Raptor and Nightwing through the labyrinth.

Dick Grayson's characterization has been fantastic throughout the whole arc and that allows the writer to explore other characters. Even though Batgirl might not feature in this series in the foreseeable future, the supporting cast is still really good. Damian and Dick work really well of each other and Raptor comes out of this arc as a very interesting character. Some of the banter between him and Nightwing fell flat for me in previous issues but I've finally come around to liking Raptor this week. Building a character as amibiguous as him is complicated but Seeley hasn't rushed anything.

Seeley's writing has been very tonally different from Grayson, and part of that comes down to how different Raptor is from The Tiger. I really enjoyed how he subverts the Suyolak speech though. It's a tiny moment but I appreciate that he lets that sense of humour shine through but unlike Grayson, the humour in Nightwing is usually very understated. Nightwing has also retained some of the thriller vibe from Grayson, with members from Spyral sticking around and now rival spy agencies are starting to show up.

This issue is a satisfying conclusion to “Better than Batman”, I still feel this arc was mostly underwhelming, this comic could be something really special, but it was an enjoyable read overall. I hope this team sticks together and is allowed to grow, which might be downright impossible given the double-shipping.