(DC Comics, 2013)
Review by Zakk Saam
Written by: Kyle Higgins
Pencils by: Daniel Sampere, Jason Masters
Inks by: Vincente Cifuentes
Color Artwork by: Chris Sotomayor
While Nightwing Annual #1 is being marketed at a tie-in to the Batgirl: Wanted arc, it’s definitely not required reading material. I picked this book up because Nightwing is my all-time favorite hero and has been since I was a kid watching Batman: the Animated Series of the early-to-mid nineties.
Written by Kyle Higgins (Gates of Gotham, Deathstoke), NA #1 is a one shot book following Nightwing and Batgirl as they solve the mystery of a pyromaniac-murderer Firefly, another character I’ve loved since he appeared in BtAS. Firefly has been murdering everyone close to film star Cindy Cooke, and it’s up to Nightwing and Batgirl (who’s no longer fighting crime as Batgirl) to find Firefly before it’s too late.
The running theme throughout the book is timing, whether its arriving just in time to save someone from tan explosion, or it’s a the misting of Dick and Barbara’s on-again off-again relationship. They spend a bit of the comic discussing their relationship and the possibility of them getting back together, something that would add fuel to the fire of what many think may be the death of Nightwing in the Forever Evil crossover event that afflicting the entire DC Universe (Nightwing takes place before Forever Evil begins and will not catch up until the end of FE).
Pencils were provided by three different artists; Jason Masters, Daniel Sampere, and Vicente Cifuentes, and I’m not sure why it took three artists to get it done. Their styles blend together so well that I didn’t notice there were multiple artists until after I finished the book and started this review. Upon further looks, I still can’t find where one artist’s work ends and the next begins.
Overall, I enjoyed this book tremendously. It has action, suspense, and even some love, something I think more comic books could benefit from.
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Follow Zakk Saam on Twitter: @zakksaam