[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artists: Miguel Mendonca, Diana Conesa, Chris Sotomayor
Summary
Nightwing worms his way out of Blockbuster’s trap, after falling into Tiger Shark’s lair and having been confronted by a swarm of enemies fixing to test their new high-tech weaponry on our Dickster. Blockbuster reveals his real intentions to Nightwing, exposing a higher calling than Tiger Shark’s own nefarious scheme.
Positives
This issue is a very quick and brutal fight sequence, with a lot of action and the trademark Nightwing funnies. This series has reflected on the shifting identities of Dick, Defacer Shawn, and Blockbuster Roland, but this book serves as a sort of release from the more complicated aspects of these characters’ development and allows some space for some good ole fashioned arse-kicking.
It was made clear in previous issues, Nightwing needs to feel alive in the moment, in the motions of doing something, hence the tension created when he is forced to think about his future, like finding a real job or forging a life for himself and Shawn – so having him run this super-charged, super-villainous sprint through the bowels of Tiger Shark’s ship was perhaps the most satisfying sequence of the series so far.
This book also gave us Roland, the second Blockbuster to explain his personal reasons for taking Nightwing out of Blúdhaven – rather than the weapons to be won from Tiger Shark if successful, or because of his brother’s imprisonment, but because after a life spent in this city a smug masked messiah shows up from Gotham and acts like he knows the place well enough to become its guardian angel. Roland doesn’t want to cause damage, so much as to help his home town without the meddling of tourists. Whether Roland will actually do anything good or helpful will remain to be seen, but I’m betting he’ll be in a cell next to his brother pretty soon.
Negatives
When a teenage tech wiz named Giz is talking shop, using the phrase “2000 gig hard drive” rather than “2 terabyte hard drive” is a little jarring. I know millennials that throw baby boomers into volcanoes for that kind of thing.
Was Clock King on the boat to kill Nightwing too, and got distracted by a heist; or did he plan a robbery on the same night Tiger Shark sprung his trap, because that’s hella reckless Mr. Tockman.
Verdict
This issue is action-packed. It’s funny, it’s quick and Nightwing gets to kick butt. Roland keeps getting better and better as a villain and I’m looking forward to whatever the hell he does next.
