Nightwing #137 - DC Comics

NIGHTWING No. 137, June 2026

Whilst many a bibliophile will doubtless agree it’s always enjoyable to see the original Caped Crusaders working together, those who read Issue One Hundred And Thirty Seven of “Nightwing” will also surely believe that Batman’s presence throughout this comic is also the only good thing about it. Sure, the notion of two snipers besieging Bludhaven Bridge from opposite ends definitely sounds like a solid basis for a modern-day, no-nonsense storyline. But the implausible purpose behind one of the shooters’ actions, and supposed unwillingness to actually kill anyone makes the entire situation rather lack-lustre and unconvincing.; “Even the woman she shot was probably a lucky hit.”

To begin with, this book’s audience are meant to believe that when Ioana gunned down a “public defender” with a single bullet to the head just as she was leaving a taxi, the markswoman was actually purposedly missing her fiancée who was busy working on the flyover’s infrastructure. Such a notion just smacks of Dan Watters being desperate to pen a reason for Commissioner Sawyer to call in her city’s masked vigilante for aid, and then later explain just how Dick Grayson’s alter-ego is only nicked in the face when he subsequently makes himself a plain target by standing still on the viaduct.

Furthermore, it’s not arguably all that clear why the Romanian woman ever agreed to her brother’s plan in the beginning, if she wasn’t going to go through with it and murder the man she loved. The English writer appears determined to mask this misguided motivation with a ghost tale about the pair’s great grand-father being buried alive in the bridge’s foundation as a sacrifice to its stability. However, none of this reasoning is ever properly explored or even shown to be true and debatably makes any spectral machinations behind the gunplay disappointingly meaningless – even if Nightwing does anxiously attempt to convince Batman that without the cold-blooded killings a fatal hairline fissure in the structure would never have been discovered.

Slightly more credible than this periodical’s plot are Denys Cowan’s pencils, which at least help imbue a somewhat statically-based script with a bit of vigour here and there. The comic’s opening view of Bludhaven Bridge being scanned by both Nightwing and Batman is particularly well drawn. Though it does raise the question as to why the Police need to call in the likes of the Dynamic Duo for something that they’re clearly trained to deal with on their own..?

Writer: Dan Watters, Pencils: Denys Cowan, Inks: Norm Rapmund and Colors: Francesco Segala

Star Wars: Jedi Knights #6 - Marvel Comics

STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHTS No. 6, October 2025

Whilst there’s undoubtedly something akin to an acceptable adventure lurking within this publication’s twenty-page plot, the way Marc Guggenheim delivers his narrative for Issue Six of “Star Wars: Jedi Knights” will probably disappoint a fair few fans of the science fiction franchise. Furthermore, the notion of starting this tale after Jedi Master Fondar Etzis has already been assassinated on Mina-Rau will surely give many a bibliophile the unshakeable feeling that they’ve disappointingly missed the yarn’s true beginning; “He was instrumental in dealing with a group of bandits who had been stealing our crop yield.”

To make matters even worse though, the American screenwriter appears to utterly waste the characters of Mace Windu and Aayla Secura, relegating the top tier Jedi Masters to insensitive bumpkins who can neither feel the “darkness surrounding Master Etzis’ remains”, or anticipate the imminent attack upon them by Corlis Rath. Admittedly, this lack of basic Force powers does allow Qui-Gon Jinn with the opportunity to face his mysterious attacker single-handed. But it doesn’t arguably say much for the likes of Windu – the so-called “ greatest champion of The Jedi Order.”

Lastly, this comic shows Count Dooku’s protégé getting rather easily out-witted by his Sinsaran opponent when he has the dual-blade wielding hit man on the ropes. Such a shocking and seemingly fatal blow to the innards, certainly seems to set the scene for this ongoing series’ next instalment – something which hasn’t really happened before. Yet, it also debatably begs the question just why Rath risked tackling three of the Jedi Council’s top tier operatives alone and head-on, when he could surely have just poisoned Jinn when he was on Coruscant in a similar almost untraceable fashion to that used to murder Fondar..?

Far more successful than this book’s penmanship is Madibek Musabekov’s pencilling, which really comes into its fore during the ‘sword-fight’ between Qui-Gon and Corlis across a humongous, fully-functioning agricultural machine as it busily reaps the annual harvest. This adrenalin-fuelled action sequence is extremely well drawn with both participants exchanging blows as they leap amongst all the deadly working parts, and it’s genuinely a shame that this frantically-paced fray is ultimately so short-lived as the pair attain some level of safety on the combine’s topmost section.

The regular cover art of "STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHTS" #6 by Madibek Musabekov & Jesus Aburtov

Nightwing #136 - DC Comics

NIGHTWING No. 136, May 2026

Described by its Burbank-based publisher as “one of the hottest books in the DC Universe”, Dan Watters’ script for Issue One Hundred And Thirty Six of “Nightwing” probably kept the majority of its audience entertained thanks to its intriguing mix of supernatural noir and modern-day motorway mayhem rather than anything its titular character accomplishes. In fact, considering that so much of this twenty-two page periodical is based upon the premise of its lead protagonist simply driving along Blüdhaven’s new super-highway and talking to his mysterious passenger, it’s arguably impressive that the comic is as good as it is.

For one thing, Dick Grayson’s alter-ego doesn’t actually do anything in this book apart from attempt to rationalise (and debatably patronise) the erratic behaviour of the Woman in White he picked up from the centre of the road. This attitude towards his distinctly witchlike companion may well irk some readers, but it rather surprisingly puts them in a better position to understand the lady’s plight than the supposed ‘hero of the hour’ – especially once the publication begins depicting her backstory via flashbacks, which clearly shows her death occurring during a much earlier time, maybe even in the dark, puritan days of the country's colonisation by Europe.

This additional knowledge will doubtless have the odd bibliophile shouting at Nightwing to stop underestimating his eerie passenger right up until the moment the Teen Titan is called upon to help evacuate several injured motorists. Admittedly, some onlookers may well argue that the original Boy Wonder wasn’t responsible for the mass pile-up which occurs following him planning to drive his bloody companion to a hospital. But if the super-hero hadn’t badly miscalculated the paranormal powers clearly at work, he might not have deviated from the route to the “crossroads” which the woman was clearly determined for him to take.

Disappointingly, the layouts of “legendary artist Denys Cowan” don’t debatably do the story justice either, despite the American illustrator apparently doing his best to make a tale set inside the front of a car as dynamic as possible. What does impress though is the subsequent mass crash which sees various vehicles slam into one another from all sorts of horrible angles. Indeed, one can genuinely hear the screech of tyres, the crunch of metal and the smashing of so many glass windscreens from his well-pencilled panels covering this horrendous event.

The regular cover art of "NIGHTWING" #136 by Jorge Fornes

Planet Of The Apes Verses Fantastic Four #4 - Marvel Comics

PLANET OF THE APES VS. FANTASTIC FOUR No. 4, July 2026

Whilst this twenty-page-periodical probably does provide “Marvel’s first crossover with the Planet of the Apes” with “a stunning and startling conclusion”, perhaps the comic’s biggest shock will actually come in it making its regular readers think they might have somehow missed an instalment of the mini-series somewhere down the line. Indeed, Reed Richards’ miraculous invention of a gauntlet which “should transfer the cosmic energy from the target to the wearer via touch” comes completely out of the blue, and may well cause many a bibliophile to pick up this title’s previous edition to double-check just where the conveniently useful device has mysteriously come from.

Furthermore, some within this publication’s audience may also become a little confused when it’s revealed that the Red Ghost has actually wiped Gaius’ memory of his attack upon the Orangutan's political stronghold, so that the President will rather handily believe his previous confrontation with the super-villain was just a “dream”. This unconvincing plot point was admittedly hinted at towards the end of this limited run’s last issue. But many onlookers will doubtless still point out that Josh Trujillo desperately needs to clarify the ape’s wavering position via both the book’s opening synopsis, as well as Ivan Kragoff’s detailed exposition at the magazine's start.

Lastly, the notion of Doctor Doom providing the Fantastic Four with the very means of their successful return to our modern-day world somewhat grates upon the nerves too. The Monarch of Latveria is well known for using his mechanical Doombots to save him from having to place his own person in physical danger. Yet in this adventure the American author would have his fans believe that the fully-armoured megalomaniac would fit one of his automatons with just the sort of in-built Di-Quantum Stabilizer and co-ordinates needed to get his greatest enemies home.

Far more agreeable than this comic’s writing is therefore the incredibly well pencilled layouts of Andrea Di Vito, which must genuinely have caught some by surprise when the Red Ghost’s Super-Apes suddenly turn upon their human master. Of particular note has to be Mikhlo absolutely socking Kragoff into the next century with a jaw-breaking wallop, as well the nostalgic use of the exercise pen as a background for Johnny Storm’s fight against General Ursus; “Climb up and get me if you want me so badly!”

The regular cover art of "PLANET OF THE APES VS. FANTASTIC FOUR" #4 by Greg Land & Rachelle Rosenberg

Nightwing #135 - DC Comics

NIGHTWING No. 135, April 2026

To be fair, Issue One Hundred And Thirty-Five of “Nightwing” does debatably bring Dan Watters’ “Cirque Du Sin” multi-part storyline to a pretty satisfactory conclusion. Indeed, with the exception of Blüdhaven City’s mayor now being the villainous Bernard Bisogni, and large chunks of the metropolis being in ruins due to “the biggest quake to hit the East Coast since the Cataclysm”, Dick Grayson’s life as a costumed crime-fighter is pretty much back to where it was before he re-encountered the Zanni.

Admittedly, having Barabara Gordon simply state that Spheric Solutions and Olivia Pearce are “gone” isn’t the most convincing explanation as to how a multi-billion dollar advanced weapons company and its headless, zombie owner have disappeared. But at least it helps provide the Justice League, the Flyboiz and the Teddy Gang with an opportunity to work together so as to assist “people in the wake” of the conurbation’s massive misfortune; “My friends prove once more that they have my Town’s back when I need them.”

Furthermore, poor Nightwing-Prime’s sacrifice to stay locked within the Fifth Dimension so he can eternally battle the Zanni seems to be a fairly well thought out solution to bring Grayson’s worries about having to mentor a Superman-like protégé to a rather quick end. Poor Bryce Moran’s presence on Earth was always going to cause a multitude of problems for anyone penning adventures set within the former Whaling Town, as anything other than a Kryptonite-laced disaster could easily be fixed by the meta-human swooping down to save everyone – including Dick. Now though, the youngster can safely develop his special abilities in isolation, whilst simultaneously keeping his fellow children’s dreams free of the sinister clown’s influence.

Lastly, regular artist Dexter Soy returns to provide plenty of tension with his pencils as Nightwing attempts to valiantly escape the Fifth Dimension with all of Blüdhaven’s stolen youngsters via a terrifyingly tall ladder. This ultimate confrontation between the two supposedly long-time adversaries is laced with drama and danger. It’s just a pity that so much of this atmosphere is then debatably lost once Bryce flies in and blasts the disconcerting, spider-like Zanni away from the original Boy Wonder just as things are looking bleak for Grayson.

The regular cover art of "NIGHTWING" #135 by Dexter Soy

The Infernal Hulk #7 - Marvel Comics

THE INFERNAL HULK No. 7, July 2026

Whilst it’s never ever really explained just how the Infernal Hulk suddenly “exerts [a] mysterious control over all mutantkind” and begins “drawing them to his growing army in the horrific Living City”, it’s probably a safe bet that many a fan of this ongoing series will give Phillip Kennedy Johnson a pass due to the unconvincing notion setting up a scintillating scrap between the titular character and the X-Men. True, the confrontation only features those super-heroes located at the Factory Merle in Alaska – so doesn’t include such notable team members such as Wolverine, Rogue, Emma Frost and Ice Man. But this comic does still show Cyclops, Magneto and Magik doing their best against Eldest’s host body.

Furthermore, having horribly killed Marrow when the firstborn of Vinruviel kidnapped the Morlock Leech, the tense atmosphere inside the Sentinel manufacturing plant is arguably pretty palpable during the fight, with a few of the lesser known mutants certainly seeming to be close to a grim, grisly death whenever the Hulk turns his attention upon them. Indeed, at one point even Illyana Rasputina genuinely appears to be upon the cusp of being cut in two by the ‘daughter of horrors’ when the sorceress' Soulsword is taken from her; “This blade is bound… to your life force. Yes? What would happen, then… If I took your head with it?”

Perhaps far less impressive though is how the American author depicts the rest of the leading members of the Marvel Universe, who seem to be huddled up within the safety of the Baxter Building. Only Iron Man has actively challenged the might of the Hulk face-to-face so far, yet the way Reed Richards talks to such untried power-houses like Carol Danvers, Spider-Man, the Scarlet Witch and the Vision, any resistance against Eldest is disappointingly already doomed before it’s even begun.

Likewise, Adam Gorham’s artwork debatably doesn’t do the pulse-pounding punch-up much good either, with poor Sarah’s aforementioned death appearing to be overly gratuitous for no obvious reason. In fact, if it wasn’t for a hastily-sketch Pyro calling her by name some readers might even struggle to recognise that the figure sketched in the comic is actually Marrow, and not some other poor unknown Morlock. Furthermore the illustrator tries to cram in so much action into such thin panels, that there’s little room to really see who is doing what to each other when the action heats up – e.g. Magik actually stabling Hulk through the heart area with her hand-weapon.

The regular cover art of "INFERNAL HULK" #7 by Nic Klein

Nightwing #134 - DC Comics

NIGHTWING No. 134, March 2026

There’s arguably a lot to enjoy with Dan Watters’ storyline for Issue One Hundred And Thirty-Four of “Nightwing”. The comic has the titular character thinking somewhat out of the box in order to defeat his arrogant adversary, there’s a peculiar high-stakes game to be “played for the souls of Bludhaven’s children” which would make both the Joker and Riddler proud, and the book also contains the surprising team-up of the Martian Manhunter and Bat-Girl. But sadly, the notion that the Zanni is disconcertingly able to destroy large parts of Dick Grayson’s metropolis by simply throwing a ball at some tin cans debatably proves a little too super-powered to fit in with the rest of the narrative.

Indeed, if the Fifth Dimensional imp really has such a destructive ability and can level vast swathes of the New Jersey city with a single action, many a bibliophile will surely be asking themselves why he went to such bizarre lengths as to covertly infiltrate the place via Olivia Pearce’s sinister Spheric Solutions in the first place, when he could surely have just smashed a few blocks of real estate into rubble and then informed the original Boy Wonder that he wanted him for his Cirque du Sin’s Ringmaster once the acrobat-turned-crimefighter showed up.?

Furthermore, the Zanni only appears to be defeated by Grayson towards the end of this book because he’s partially disintegrated by Nite-Mite’s gloopy soup first. This solution seems reasonably clever to begin with. However, it will debatably soon dawn upon the audience that it was the “godlike force” who brought “Nightwing's self-declared biggest fan" into the fray in the first place - and seemingly for no obvious reason other than to subsequently provide Batman's former sidekick with the means with which to defeat him.!?!

Fortunately, what does keep the eye riveted are V Ken Marion’s layouts, which genuinely add an aura of tension to the tent scene involving the Zanni and Nightwing throwing balls at a mock replica of Bludhaven. In addition, the aforementioned fully costumed appearance of J'onn J'onzz and Barbara Gordon amidst all the damage and destruction is extremely impactive, and probably caused more than a few of this ongoing series’ readers to suddenly wish for a mini-series featuring the two protagonists; “I think some help has just arrived.”

Writer: Dan Watters, Artist: V Ken Marion, and Colors: Veronica Gandini