The Super Powered Fancast

Nightwing #111

DC Comics

Written by Tom Taylor and Michael W. Conrad

Art by Sami Basri and Francesco Francavalla

Inks by Vicente Cifuentes

Colors by Adriano Lucas

Letters by Wes Abbott

The Rundown: A gruesome murder in Gotham leads Nightwing to believe a deadly enemy may have resurfaced. After his father’s death, a young man seeks revenge.

When the parent of a young boy is found dead, Batman turns to Nightwing for assistance. During a brawl on the docks, father and son discuss the current incident and soon head to the police station to interview the only witness. In the meantime, Bruce remembers the time when he first adopted Nightwing and muses over the young man’s sentimentality. Afterwards, Batman and Nightwing review evidence, while an orphan is reunited with his relative.

The Son of Gray
A familiar looking religious figure narrates the demise of a suspected thief and the subsequent activities of the son who seeks vigilante justice against the killers. Finally, the young man and the religious figure meet.

The Story: Batman takes the helm of this emotionally charged narrative. This introductory episode of a new story arc is the perfect jumping in point for new or returning readers. Taylor returns to Nightwing’s roots through the eyes of his father as Bruce’s inner monologue focuses on the similarities of the current investigation to his that of Dick’s family. I like that this story deals with not only an old school crime investigation, but the legacy of trauma that has permeated the lives of the original Dynamic Duo. I am also impressed with the way legacy and the differences between the two superheroes are addressed. In my opinion, this was one of the best episodes of the series and I am looking forward to the continuation of this storyline.

I was particularly enraptured by the prose crafted by Conrad. The language was beautifully written and fully captured the mindset of the narrator. I love it when a character’s intentions are made known to the reader, especially when their status of hero or villain is muddled through perspective. Great job!

The Art: The realistically styled A-Story has some interesting action scenes that do a great job with captivating the reader’s attention. However, it is the quieter scenes that are the most impressive as the detailed character drawings focusing on expression and form intensify the emotions presented by the story.

The B-Story has a medieval design and uses a traditional style to compliment the story art. The blue and red colors scheme gives the work and eeriness that perfectly fits the tone of the tale.

Nightwing #111

10

10.0/10