Getting On Like Dogs And Rabbits: Reviewing ‘Nightwing’ #120

War has struck the streets of Blüdhaven, with its self-appointed protector finding himself five steps behind the shadowy string pullers.

All gloves are off, as numerous lines are crossed in Nightwing #120 from the engaging team of Dan Watters, Dexter Soy, Veronica Gandini, and Wes Abbott.

Amazing what can be accomplished with just two issues.

As the archive will show, I’ve been a fan of this series since I jumped on board to review it a few years ago. There were naturally ups and downs along the way, par for the course, but overall, it was a run that I looked upon quite fondly. This new team has put themselves into the same space, by hitting the ground running and just really getting the character and the world instantly.

Dick Grayson is very much the heart of the Bat-family in many ways as well as a heart for the DC Universe. Watters gets that and allows us to see and feel it on just about every page. From the man’s rescue of a test rabbit (how dare you Spheric) to his work to try and protect the various gangs from rogue police officers. Even the fury he feels at the end when it’s revealed that there are children in the line of fire.

It’s all pure Nightwing and it feels like Watters has been writing this character for years rather than just this short time.

As noted before, this is how it should be with more comics. A foundation was laid in the previous run, from the city to supporting characters, and rather than tear it all up, Watters picked it up and found ways to make it his own. Very much the very solid “Yes, and” style of approach that we often see in things like improv or Table-Top Role-Playing Games (TTRPGS).

Making sure to balance the heavier stuff with some levity, Watters gives us some good chuckle moments between all the harder beats. Haley and the rabbit, and Grayson’s ill-preparedness in respect to how animals will act together was definitely high up there. Our boy has a heart of gold and is a solid detective (at times), but can be a bit dense sometimes. Granted, he was a circus boy who pivoted to grow up with a billionaire who took him out at night to fight crime.

Mixing the rougher but also flashier elements is something that Soy and Gandini are nailing perfectly.

What we have with this first arc is a very street-level story, and we can instantly feel that. Soy’s work is very fluid and dynamic with a sharp roughness at its core, mixed with a lot of smoother elements. Blüdhaven feels shiny and rich but also quite dangerous on every page, the lived-in feeling emanating from every single space seen. So much depth and detail bring a perfect weight to the forefront, as the emotional range is loud and clear at all times.

Nightwing is a very emotional character, and we see that here. When he’s joyful or angry, there is no mistaking it and the level given to the emotion draws us into the web. At the end of the story, as mentioned above, I was very much right there feeling furious with the character. Just the way the panels are laid out and the energy bleeds off makes sure that we’re buying into everything.

Heavier colors need to be employed to really play into all of this. Gandini brings that really strongly with a color palette that zips and zags through the darker and lighter levels of the spectrum. This gives areas a lot of darker colors to really push the street-level and ominous tones of the story. There are splashes of bright background colors amplify many of the emotional beats, while also retaining the ingrained fantastical superhero aura.

Bringing it all home is Abbott, who continues to nail the right energy needed for this character and world. Just like in the previous run, it’s his job to take what is on the script page and make sure that the voices are present and powerful on the pages. Finding all the right ways to let it move across the page and drop in various modifications which enhance any and all of the words. Emotion, personality, tone, volume, and more are right there in our face and never miss a beat with any of the letters.

Nightwing #120 is now available from DC Comics.