Nightwing: The New Order #1

Writer: Kyle Higgins

Artist: Trevor McCarthy

Colourist: Dean White

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

I've barely seen any marketing for this miniseries, and that's a damn shame. Kyle Higgins has written Nightwing before, back in the New 52, and seeing him writing the character again is the first step for DC officially building bridges with former DC writers, evidenced further by Jeff Lemire returning to DC later this year. The Elseworlds line is also something that hasn't seen action recently, and this story is an Elseworlds tale.

This was a great issue. Nightwing is one of DC's best characters for a reason. To many, he and Superman are the heart and soul of DC, which is a statement I can agree with. So when this book opens with a scene seemingly depicting Nightwing murdering Superman among others, then you'll feel that something is genuinely wrong with this world. Higgins and artist Trevor McCarthy aren't trying to make us feel comfortable. Much like some of character interactions in the issue, things are going well until you're reminded of what vague event happened in Metropolis so many years ago that apparently lead to the state of the world. Superheroes, and metahumans in general, are outlawed. The exact reason as to why isn't revealed, and I'm glad Higgins had the restraint to hold on to some plot points to be revealed later on. I don't want to say more about the story because I think this should be experienced first-hand.

McCarthy's art is fantastic. I don't believe I've read anything McCarthy has done previously, but I like his expressive style and Dean White's colouring tones the mood in a subtle way. I expect his art will go bigger down the line since I think the story is going to get generally more explosive.

My only issue with this… issue is the exposition. It's unescapable, since Higgins is introducing us to a whole new world where superheroes are outlawed, so there must be some type of explanation frequently, despite it feeling a tad clunky at times. However, I wholeheartedly recommend this issue to fans of the character as well as those missing DC's Elseworlds stories.