The Psychotic Perspective: Nightwing #12
Inside Out
This is only my third issue of the new run of Nightwing. I thought the last issue had a lot of good things going for it, but some of the dialogue felt off, and I was dissapointed that the majority of the Republic of Tomorrow died. Still, Nightwing #11 was very good, and I looked forward to seeing the story continue.
In this issue, Nightwing finally throws down with the villain Paragon. When Nightwing follows the police to the pile of bodies which is all that remains of the Republic of Tomorrow, Nightwing discovers that Paragon has been waiting in the shadows for Nightwing to appear at the scene so he can finally kill him.
Final Round, Fight!
The fight scene was pretty well choreographed, but I did feel that Nightwing should have made a stronger showing. By placing the fight in a sewer, Higgins took away much of Grayson's maneuverability which is one of his most powerful skills in combat. Coupled with Paragon's electric whips, it makes sense that Nightwing would have some difficulty subduing Paragon, a relative amateur. However,
The Positives
There was a lot that was good about this issue. The dialogue problems of last issue are not present here. Nightwing's inner monologue is actually one of the best elements of the writing because Higgins seems to have a good grasp of how Nightwing thinks. The art, especially the rich colors, is very good, and I especially love the way Guinaldo demonstrates Nightwing's movement. In many cases, showing multiple images of a character in the same panel to demonstrate their movement becomes tired and kitschy, but since Grayson's acrobatics are such an important aspect of his skill set, I enjoy every chance I have of seeing his parkour abilities at work.
The Not So Positives
Grayson's relationship with Sonia Zucco holds absolutely no interest for me. If Higgins cannot muster up some chemistry between the two, then I hope he drops the forced romantic tension. I found the revelation of Paragon's identity to carry no emotional weight, but perhaps it would carried more weight if I had seen the entire arc, so I do not fault the comic much for that. Finally, as I already mentioned, I think Nightwing could have made a better stand against Paragon.
Guess Who Is Coming to Town?
Conclusion
I found this issue to be okay, but it did not end with the emotional resolution that I expected. I'm giving it a benefit of a doubt that this is due to me missing the beginning of the arc. Regardless, it is not a bad issue, but it is not great either. Giving some slack since I think I missed some relevant information at the beginning of the story, I'm going to say this was a pretty good issue.