Review – Nightwing #19 (DC Comics)

Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artwork: Javier Fernandez, Minkyu Jung
Release Date: 19th April 2017

Tim Seeley has been having a great time with his cliffhangers for the Death Of Nightwing arc, but it’s only now in part four where he’s really cutting loose.

After teasing us that Deathwing was the villain of the piece, then making it look like it was Professor Pyg behind it all, he dropped the bomb last time that it was actually Dr Hurt all along.

Yep, Grant Morrison’s big bad is back and he’s got another twisted plan to fit in with his obsession over Batman and the traumas that made him who he is. Only difference is that this time it’s Dick and Damian on the sharp end of his madness.

After Nightwing’s girlfriend/reformed villain Shawn was kidnapped by Deathwing (with Pyg pulling the strings), Robin was himself captured aiding in her rescue, with the trail leading to Egypt, where Dr Hurt lies waiting.

In case it’s not to obvious, this is a crazy amount of fun. A globe-spanning adventure, with a deftly-layered plot, each issue dropping more revelations than the last, this is riveting stuff.

There are lovely little insights into Dick’s psyche and his relationship with Shawn, while his resolve as a hero is tested over and over again as he tries to save the ones he lives from one trap after another.

Seeley is still playing a teasing game it seems, as Hurt isn’t in this issue much after the big revelation last time. Saying that, when he is, it has maximum impact, hammering home yet another cliff hanger that has you gagging for the next issue.

Art wise, Javier Fernandez and Minkyu Jung have just the right balance of gravelly horror and dynamic action here, making them a solid choice. This is still a Nightwing comic, so you can’t go too far down the rabbit hole, but Dr Hurt is a nightmarish character and any story with him in it is always going to have more than a little of the horrific in there, so the pair’s scratchy style works a treat.

Nightwing has been one of the stronger titles in the whole Rebirth world since it started and, if anything, it’s still getting better all the time.

Rating: 5/5.

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