Cosmic Treadmill - Reviewing NIGHTWING V. 5: SETTING SON with a Side Order of GRAYSON at FORCES OF GEEK
I’m a Bat-family loyalist, reading weekly Bat-titles, even when they fall off the rails a bit (Detective Comics) or even reach into my pockets weekly for some drawn out something or other (Batman Eternal).
I’m also a Batgirl fan and am giving the new ‘’Burnside’ creative team a shot.
One book I personally passed on the New 52 shelves was Nightwing.
Perhaps I didn’t like his new costume — but was it really that offensive to my sensibilities?
At any rate, I visited Kyle Higgin’s Nightwing Vol. 1 eventually, snaking a deal on the trade. Not bad…but then another break.
With a ‘Villain’s month’, Forever Evil and Zero Year, the New 52 has an inherent problem with it’s regularly programmed books this year.
How does one randomly pick up Nightwing Vol. 5: Setting Son without wanting to pack up and move far away from The New 52 like Grayson himself?
I attempted to do this, and like an acrobat there were highs and lows from this book.
Thankfully, more tricks were landed than fell into the net.
NIGHTWING VOL. 5: SETTING SON
Writers: Kyle Higgins, Tim Seeley, Tom King
Art: Various
Publisher: DC Comics
Price $16.99
UPC: 978140125011951699
Release Date: 12/10/14
Pre-Order HERE
Digital: readdcentertainment.com
Nightwing Vol. 5: Setting Son collects the final issues of Nightwing #25-30 plus Nightwing Annual #1.
My main criticism as a volume overall are the aforementioned inconsistencies and obvious problems with injecting crossover events into a planned out story arc.
In my opinion, most of the Zero Year stories could have been contained to the main Batman book but this Nightwing story fits in to continuity well.
I’m reminded of Batman: Year Three in which the Robin story is told revealing secrets of the circus and The Flying Graysons.
In this flashback, the superstar teenager defies his parents and ditching his parents to catch a movie in Gotham solo. Our proto-Robin saves the day and there is even a costume origin — tidbits I devour when flashback stories are told. Will Conrad nails the art, Higgins tells a great story.
It should be stated that while this might appear to be collected edition — and it is, this is more a collection of single issues, much like nearly every volume of The New 52 Superman (see the wildly erratic Vol. 4 Psi-War for example). Other top selling titles maintain a great level of integrity —even if artists change for an issue or two — like Batman, The Flash and Batman/Superman.
Next up — Batgirl in Nightwing Annual #1. The on-again/off-again relationship tension is addressed as the two team up to take on a Scooby mystery of Hollywood proportions. The cute Robin/Batgirl selfie flashback is the backbone to the Dick/Babs vignette.
[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]
