batwatch's Nightwing #12 - Inside Out review

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    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,

    Paragon frequently manages to get close to Nightwing throughout the fight, and without the advantage of reach that the whips provide, I do not think the fight should have taken more than a few seconds, yet in the comic, Paragon consistently gets the upper hand in combat.

    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?

    At the end, it is revealed that Lady Shiva is coming to Gotham, and in the last town she visited, she killed off much of the city’s largest crime syndicate. Obviously, Lady Shiva and Nightwing are going to have a meeting in the not too distant future. I do find it odd that Lady Shiva would target organized crime since in her pre-Flashpoint appearances, she either killed to prove herself the best fighter, to get an adrenaline rush from completing an assassin contract, or occasionally to prevent a villain from killing in what she considered an dishonorable way. Is this a whole new take on the character or has Lady Shiva decided that all organized crime is dishonorable? Time will tell.

    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.

    Other reviews for Nightwing #12 - Inside Out

      Nightwing #12 0

      THE GOOD: Andres Guinaldo provides the pencils for this issue and it looks fantastic. The action that he draws is just great to see in this series. He also does very good facial expressions and it really conveys the characters mood well. He also can draw a very bright Gotham for when Dick Grayson is out of the mask. This issue is really, really rewarding. Thing from issue #1, and #2 are answered here with a great conclusion. The reveal was very strong and it just ups the whole story line that is...

      1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

      Nightwing vs. Paragon 0

      This has been a phenomenal series so far and I couldn't be more happy as I was wanting Dick back as Nightwing since he became Batman. This issue has been amazingly drawn by Andres Guinaldo, and yet again well written by Kyle Higgins.This story sees the final show down between Nightwing and the thorn in his side (would be villain) Paragon. Paragon has set up a crime scene to lure Nightwing in to try and finish him off once and for all. We also see how the "relationship" of Dick and Sonia Zucco is...

      0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

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