Nightwing #68: A New Hope

So close, we’re so close homies just hang in there. With the latest issue Dan Jurgens at least in part has restored Dick’s memories of his former life. Recharged by the remembrance that he’s truly a hero and not some puppet of a shady organization he puts the smackdown on Grandpappy Talon, which of course will only fuel William Cobb’s desire to double down on mindjacking Nightwing in the future. The faux Nightwings surviving this ordeal is cool, they aren’t bad characters just victims of a up to now poorly-conceived plot. So seeing them around when the real Nightwing makes his grand reintroduction won’t be a bad thing by any means. Seeing Dick Grayson run his own “Birds of Prey” team of rookies could definitely be interesting. I mean it’s already been well-established that Grayson, while lighthearted at times, is still one of the most capable leaders in the DCU so seeing what he can make of this group of mooks is definitely something worth exploring. In the hands of Dan Jurgens I think we can trust him to make it something unique and fun while not dragging it out past the point of being interesting.

All things considered, while not a ton happens this issue, the fact that it is a solid step in the right direction, restoring the Nightwing we all know and love, is more than enough here. The art is still good, Ronan Cliquet has a style that fits Nightwing just dandy and even the small flashbacks are great because they reaffirm that Grayson’s original history pre-New 52 is still in tact aside from just being good art. There’s not a ton to report back on here but sometimes that’s just fine, sometimes in an issue like this it’s quality over quantity and a concrete move towards Nightwing being Nightwing again is exactly what the doctor ordered.