Review: Nightwing #115
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Tom Taylor
Art: Bruno Redondo with Caio Filipe
Colors: Adriano Lucas
Letters: Wes Abbott
Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
The fire in the convention center leaves Dick in the position of saving Shelton’s butler, and after that, there’s nothing straightforward about this issue. A string of surprises puts Dick in a position he never could’ve envisioned himself!
Positives
Nightwing #115 leaves Dick in a spot that is a complete surprise. There are a couple of twists along the way are all surprises. Tom Taylor may seem to be doing the obvious at first, but the added turns go one step forward to elevate the story. This leaves the reader with a thrilling issue that puts Dick in the crosshairs of heartless. One of the elements that raises the stakes is the fact that none of his allies are aware of what’s happening. Dick truly is alone by the time he realizes what’s happened.
There’s some exciting storytelling in the last few pages as Taylor and Bruno Redondo reveal the final twist of the issue. Perhaps, the reader sees it coming, perhaps, not. The choice to have the POV be from Dick, himself recalls issue #105 that was done entirely from that perspective. It’s a nice callback, but more importantly, it’s extremely effective for the surprise reveal.
When Dick goes into the fire, what at first seems obvious goes in a whole different direction. There’s a wrinkle to Heartless’ plan that takes things up a notch, because one really does not see it coming. This leads directly to the final reveal. The layering of twists is the highlight of this issue and it has a huge impact on everything else in the story as well as the overall plot.
Negatives
If there’s a negative for Nightwing #115, the position Dick finds himself in is not wholly new. We’ve seen in in stories before. However, the way we get there is clever and done in an exciting way, that the overused aspect is mostly forgotten.
Additionally, one should go back and read the previous issue so Dick’s memory of his fall as a child isn’t confusing. These are minor points, though.
Verdict
Nightwing #115 could easily be ruined by spoilers. This tension ratchets up and it’s the best issue of this series in a while. If Nightwing #114 calmly set things up, #115 puts things into high gear with Heartless’ plot revealed leaving Dick in a really sticky situation. This final arc by Taylor and Redondo is now rolling and appears that it will not disappoint.
