Nightwing #30
Writer:
Tim Seeley
Artists:
Miguel Mendonça (penciller), Diana Egea (inker)
Colorist: Chris Sotomayor
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Cover: Javier Fernandez & Chris Sotomayor
Publisher: DC Comics
A review by Nico Sprezzatura
He may be back in the blue now, but the personal life of Dick Grayson isn’t in the clear just yet. Nightwing #30 begins the final stretch of Tim Seeley’s run on the character —which began in 2014 with Grayson — and it very much reads like the beginning of an end.
Opening with a wistful evening patrol of his adopted home, Blüdhaven, this issue touches on much of what Seeley has established in the fifty-odd issues he’s written: Dick’s will-they-won’t-they flirtation with Huntress, his newfound bad blood with former partner Raptor, and unresolved tensions with a group of reformed young villains (including his ex-girlfriend…) start coming to a head here. And then there’s the small (large?) matter of Blockbuster, who’s back from their recent tussle with some unfinished business for our beleaguered hero.
If that all sounds a bit busy, well, that’s because Nightwing #30 is. Like I mentioned, “Raptor’s Revenge” is Seeley’s swan song for this title, so it makes sense that he’s want to get all of his ducks in a row and set the table for Sam Humphries’ imminent arrival as writer. (Humphries, in turn, will be swapping his own enjoyable Green Lanterns with Seeley.)
To Seeley’s credit, this issue is a pretty breezy read, like his entire run in general has been. Nightwing is absolutely a character who’s best served by fun stories and a lighter tone — he’s the ultimate contrast to surrogate father Batman. While I preferred the Grayson era to his Nightwing, it’s consistently been a highlight of the Rebirth slate.
Regular artists Javier Fernandez and Marcus To are missed here, which is a shame, since they’ve been instrumental to Nightwing’s success as one of DC’s outright “superhero” books. The fill-in art by Miguel Mendonça (with Diana Egea) is fine, if slightly perfunctory, save for a few pages that are genuinely quite nice. That’s not a knock on their ability — I just miss Fernandez and To! Especially since they aren’t sticking around for the Humphries switch.
Chris Sotomayor, who’s colored every issue to date, does a good job making the illustrations consistent with the aesthetic established by the formers, while Carlos M. Mangual’s letters make Seeley’s script easy to follow. In all, the visuals of Nightwing #30 are nice, if slightly unexciting.
The Verdict
If you’ve been keeping tabs on Tim Seeley’s run since the beginning, Nightwing #30 is an obvious buy, but those waiting for Sam Humphries’ takeover may choose to skip.
