Well, it seems like Tim Seeley is adamant that Nightwing will be a globetrotter. Across 27 issues, we’ve seen Dick Grayson travel far and wide, leaving behind all his troubles…until the next arc. In Nightwing #27, Dick and Huntress continue to uncover what the hell is up with Spyral, far away from Blüdhaven.
Dick thought his spy days were behind him, much like his super-tiny Robin shorts, but it now appears like his old friend Tiger and Spyral have gone rogue and are out for blood. They murdered his friend and now they want him and Huntress’s heads as trophies, too. It’s a short-lived battle between Dick and Huntress and the agents in Palermo, as the Skullgirls rescue the heroes from becoming shish kebab. The two return with the girls to St. Hadrian’s School for Girls in England and teach them a thing or two about the art of butt-kicking. However, there’s a twist in the tale that might be the explanation to Spyral’s strange behaviour.
Back in Blüdhaven, Shawn gets over Dick by hanging out with Pigeon and drifting into her old ways of crime as Defacer. To be honest, Shawn’s actually annoying me at this point since she’s the one who ended things with Dick. So, this rebellious thing of hers feels extremely juvenile. You ended it, lady, so move the hell on! Also, what the heck is up with Mouse? Has everyone gone nuts in Blüdhaven?
Seeley moves through Nightwing #27 at a rapid-fire pace. While his arcs’ contents could easily span 10 issues or more, he hits the accelerator pedal and wraps things up quicker than the average writer. Personally, I prefer this approach as there’s never any dead weight or filler material lingering in the books. Every panel pushes the story forward and isn’t there to just look pretty.
Speaking of pretty, Javier Fernandez’s art complements Seeley’s action-heavy style. It isn’t the most polished of work, but it certainly captures the spirit and heart of the series. The more I see his art, the more I’m growing to appreciate the different style he brings to Rebirth.
“Spyral” part two intrigues and hooks us into Nightwing‘s latest adventure in fine fashion. Also, I don’t believe for one second that he and Huntress will keep things strictly professional, and we could end up seeing some soapie-inspired love-triangle drama popping up down the line. So let’s see what Seeley has in store for us in the next issue.
