Nightwing #112: Perched on a Ledge

Nightwing #112 – written by Tom Taylor with pencils by Sami Basri, inks by Vicente Cifuentes, colors from Adriano Lucas, and lettering by Wes Abbott – continues to spin its wheels in the lead-up to the conclusion of this run. Dick Grayson/Nightwing is still plagued by his new fear of heights while the child from the last issue is kidnapped by his uncle to gain the inheritance. The issue sees Batman join up with Nightwing in trying to determine the cause of the sudden phobia while multitasking to solve the sudden disappearance. 

Taylor’s scripting starts the wheel spinning of this issue that trickles down the book. There’s a strong sense of stagnation that comes off as Taylor buys time until series regular artist Bruno Redondo returns for the final stretch of issues. The plot, both an echo of Dick’s orphan origin and the undercut confidence of Nightwing, is not just repetitive of the larger Nightwing canon but harps on other beats from the current run. Rather than an organic evolution or exploration of these topics as the book progressed, Taylor instead drops tired beats that do little to advance the plot, character development, or engage the central themes of the run. 

The refusal to engage with anything different in terms of Nightwing as a character or his ongoing struggles in the community showcases the frustration with the run. Taylor can set up an excellent status quo but falters in exploring it, instead choosing to focus on the most worn, tired tropes for easy narrative shortcuts. There’s nothing new established in the inclusion of Batman within the Bruce/Dick dynamic, and his appearance is more relevant in a small beat with Beast Boy. The shapeshifter turned reluctant antagonist for Beast World asks for Batman’s advice on being feared, and the Dark Knight expresses the sentiment of doing the work and ignoring the rest. Not groundbreaking stuff, but still, it gives an emotional anchor the rest of the issue is missing. 

Much of the transitional feeling is a result of Redondo’s missed presence in the issue. In another world, or within another title/run, Basri and Cifuentes would have been an excellent pairing to ground a Nightwing adventure. Here, it’s just a lackluster imitation of the magic that Redondo brings through the use of graphic, simplified linework. All of the characters in the issue look like themselves, the bits of action are easy to follow yet bland, and emotion is expressed well. The art feels safe and of a typical house style, lacking an edge in favor of prioritizing clarity. 

The action is the weakest part of the issue, with the duo missing the kinetic element of the moment that the writing tries to overcompensate for. Batman’s running monologue describes Nightwing’s movements as a result of the less armor. Instead of coming across as a dance of fluid movement, the sequence is stilted and a flash before the return to static imagery. The blocking and compositions do little to captivate or sell the grace that this book has exhibited previously, but at least can keep the expressions in focus to try and appeal to the emotional side of the reader. 

Even Lucas’s coloring, which has been one of the most consistent parts of this issue, cannot elevate the book past just okay. The most surprising pops of color to this issue are the eyes of various characters. The warm greens of Barbara’s eyes and the cool baby blues of Bruce stand out in every panel and do a lot of work to not only humanize the characters but also make them compelling. Lucas does his best to try and channel that pop of coloring to the last action sequence but even with the explosive oranges and yellows there is a real lack of narrative buy-in.