NIGHTWING #72, available in comic book stores Tuesday, July 14th, adds more fuel to the chaotic fire that is Dick Grayson’s life. Our hero is still sorting the conflicting memories in his head, leading to bouts of frustration. But when he starts acting unusually happy and carefree, it’ll be up to Batgirl to investigate.
Story
Our story opens with Dick’s friend and love interest, Bea, wandering alone in a park. Curiously, the young woman is seen marking the Bat-Signal in the grass with fire. Barbara Gordon, a.k.a. Batgirl, meets with her in her civilian guise, only to learn of Dick’s unusual behavior. So, she sets out to bring in the lost Bat-Family member.
Deep down, Barbara still sees Dick as family, new identity and all. And Bea seems to be comfortable accepting his past life. But when the former confronts Dick, a third person comes into the picture: Punchline, the Joker’s new partner. And she reveals that the former Nightwing has been brainwashed into joining their side.
Dan Jurgens’s narrative continues to up the ante in Dick’s ever-changing life. The characterization of both Bea and Barbara shows how each one is fully committed to preserving their unique relationship with him.
Artwork
Ronan Cliquet’s penciling and ink work, Nick Filardi’s coloring, and Andworld Designs’s lettering provided readers with well-crafted illustrations. The panels depict the characters’ action through the use of sharply penciled lines, generating a sense of movement. This is combined with flashes of bright color amidst the dark backdrops to further highlight Dick, Barbara, and Punchline. We also found that the lettering bubbles followed the trail of action so as to further frame the scenes.
Conclusion
Overall, NIGHTWING #72 drives the memory loss narrative an unexpected yet intriguing direction. We’re anxious to see if Barbara can break through to Dick before he’s lost forever.
Do you think Dick will ever sort of his scrambled memories? Let us know in the comments below.
