Tim Seeley is pulling some familiar faces out of the treasure chest and catapulting them towards Nightwing’s way in the first chapter of the Spyral arc.
Shawn Tsang has broken up with him, his friend Giz has been assassinated, and under his civilian guise, Dick Grayson investigates as an employee within his adversary, Blockbuster’s Casino. Things are not going well for Nightwing, and in this vulnerable state, is a need of a familiar face. Helena Bertinelli aka Huntress is the familiar face that will either make Nightwing’s day better or worse. Nightwing and Huntress decide to investigate the Second Hand’s contribution to Giz’s assassination. But what will they discover? Who is running the Second Hand? What shadowy figures of the past is looming after Nightwing and Huntress? And what will happen to Shawn, and the Runoffs during the fallout of Giz’s death?
Tim Seeley is making great use of the cast of characters that he has crafted from his early days on Grayson and in this current Nightwing series. He’s leaving all the pieces on the table, carefully and cleverly moving the chess pieces across the board. Tim Seeley manages to shake up Nightwing’s cast without making it boring or played out. Whether it’s re- introducing Huntress back into Nightwing’s life after his time as Agent Grayson, or detailing the fallout of Nightwings relationship with Shawn, and The Runoffs, it feels fresh and fluid. The plot and pacing is structured smoothly, setting up what has already been placed within the foundations of the casts and stories within this series. Aside from the plot, the dialogue is handled really well. There is a humorous banter between Nightwing and Huntress, especially when Nightwing reminds Huntress not to kill by stating that in English, Spanish, and other languages just to reinforce his no kill rule. What makes this issue worthy of adding to a reader’s pull list is the stinger at the end of the issue. If you’re familiar with Tim Seeley’s run on Grayson, then you’ll be surprised by what Nightwing and Huntress will be facing.
In regards to the artwork, Javier Fernandez executed the visual narrative of the plot with fluidity and style. Each choice of panel set up, layout, And gesture are all executed almost flawlessly. When Nightwing and Huntress discover who is behind the assassination of Giz and the identity of The Second Hand, it’s the visual setup and execution of the final pages that truly make the stinger shine. The colors by Chris Sotomayor blends greatly with Fernandez’s artwork, adding flair to the comic. In truth, this series is a good example of what the current Amazing Spider-Man comics over at Marvel should be, a character who learns from his mistakes, and despite what he faces, doesn’t sacrifice of his conduct of character in a way that goes against the character’s entire fiber.
Nightwing issue 26 is a worthwhile issue and is definitely worth adding to your pull list. For those who enjoyed Seeley’s earlier work on the Grayson series, will most definitely like what he’s doing in this issue of Nightwing along with Nightwing series as a whole.
Newsdesk