Nightwing #119 - DC Comics

NIGHTWING No. 119, December 2024

Quite impressively becoming the thirtieth best-selling comic book of October 2024, Issue One Hundred and Nineteen of “Nightwing” certainly starts out well enough by providing its audience with an intriguing insight into the very different looking, ever competing criminal organisations which ‘rule’ Blüdhaven. In fact, at first glance Dan Watters’ twenty-two-page plot appears to be about to depict a fairly straightforward yarn involving the various mob bosses wisely teaming up with one another to both financially bleed the former whaling town dry, and fend off its costumed guardian; "Guys, I… Wow. It brings a tear to my eye. It really does. Holy plastic explosives.”

Surprisingly however, that is not actually what the London-born writer has in store for his readers and quite quickly subverts these expectations by having Dick Grayson shockingly stumble upon a massive assassination attempt upon the notorious gangsters. This fatal reversal in the fortunes of Mama Bear, Boss Bludgeon, Doctor Proboscis and the Blockbuster Gang should genuinely catch any and all onlookers completely off-guard and also rather neatly transform’s Batman’s protégé into the surviving goons’ protector, rather than their enemy.

Similarly as well delivered as this publication’s main narrative are the English author’s central antagonists, most notably the C.E.O. of Spheric Solutions Olivia Pearce. The woman absolutely oozes menace - even whilst wearing such everyday items like a simple red, high-collared cardigan, and it will debatably come as no surprise to any perusing bibliophiles that she is soon revealed to be behind the Blüdhaven Organized Crime Syndicate’s demise – along with this comic’s mysterious, and disconcertingly devilish masked narrator.

In addition to the penmanship behind this 'start of the ground-breaking new arc' though, the layouts of Dexter Soy should also be greatly admired. Coupled with colorist Veronica Candid, the creative pair quickly establish a rather dark, almost macabre tone to the publication’s proceedings, and this somewhat theatrical ambience really helps tie the action sequences in with the harlequin-like storyteller witnessing events from afar. Furthermore, the utter mayhem caused by the remaining crooks fighting over their turf in a carousel of separate incidents really does leap off the printed page, with bullets, as well as perplexing acidic vomit, flying all over the place.

The regular cover art of "NIGHTWING" #119 by Dexter Soy