Review: Nightwing #111
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writers:Â Tom Taylor and Michael W. Conrad
Art:Â Sami Basri, Vicente Cifuentes and Francesco Francavilla
Colors:Â Adriano Lucas and Francesco Francavilla
Letters:Â Wes Abbott
Reviewed by:Â Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
Gotham City: Batman investigates a murder with an M.O. that matches Heartless and the Dark Knight calls in Nightwing to help…and more begins to feel familiar as the investigation begins.
Positives
Tom Taylor is playing the long game with Heartless. I don’t think he’s writing for the omnibus, but I think he’s got a long plan for Nightwing that casts Heartless as not just a “big bad,” but a thematic opposite of Dick Grayson. It seems likely that Taylor saw the interruptions in the series over the past couple years, “Beast World,” “Knight Terrors,” “Fear State,” etc…, and planned the long story with this in mind. Nightwing #111 brings Heartless back into play, but also includes a smaller story that allows Taylor to focus on Dick’s relationship with Bruce and related themes of adoption and being an orphan. The moments between Dick and Bruce are particularly strong and it succeeds in focusing the issue on character. Along these lines, Taylor also settles any lingering Bea vs. Babs questions with a caring question from Bruce, and insightful but straightforward answer from Dick.
This provides Nightwing #111 to include some touching moments from Dick’s childhood in parallel as a comparison to Heartless’ past which we first saw back in Nightwing Annual 2022. These plot lines point to a larger scope that promises Heartless to become a true epic as well as developing Heartless into Nightwing’s true opposite number.
The back up story takes the reader on a journey deep into the past of Dick Grayson’s family. The art by Francesco Francavilla provides the atmosphere that one expects in his work. It pairs well with the period nature of the story and whets the appetite for something from Dick’s family’s past.
Negatives
It would be nice to have Bruno Redondo back on this title. He’s still providing covers, but his art has been a big part of this series and his work is missed here.Â
Verdict
Nightwing #111 feels like a return of sort. The plot gets back to Heartless which brings the reader back to where Tom Taylor’s run began back with Nightwing #78. Perhaps, Taylor has moved past the events which have been interrupting the DC Universe and Dick Grayson will soon face off against Heartless in a definitive if not final confrontation.
