Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: Batman, dc comics, dick grayson, nightwing, The Flash, wally west

Nightwing #21 Review – A Lovable Team-Up With The Rare Single-Issue Complete Story

Nightwing (a far superior character to Batman) is continuing his career in his old hometown of Bludhaven, and his pal Wally West, aka the Flash, is here to join in.

In this issue, Wally West finds Dick Grayson in the hopes of regaining some sort of social life with his close friend given the speedster's recent return to this dimension. The two go for a boy's night out of sorts, which is of course interrupted by a time-stopping villain calling himself Time Bomb. The two heroes must find a way to outwit the time-bending villain before it's too late.

This issue hinges on the chemistry between the two protagonists, and it does not disappoint in the slightest on this front. The two heroes have fantastic banter, and I would be totally satisfied if this became a Nightwing and the Flash title.

The super hero buddy cop genre has always been close to my heart, from Power Man and Iron Fist, to Green Lantern and Green Arrow, as well as the much maligned yet beloved to myself, Hawk and Dove. This issue has everything one could look for in such a book. They are an entertaining duo. Both have sort of a reputation for being jokesters, and they play off of one another very well. However, their personalities are still different enough that there would never be any confusion as to what dialogue was spoken by which character.

You feel like you get the whole package with this story too. The two are shown just having fun and seeing movies together as well as busting up a bad guy, the aforementioned Time Bomb.

While the personality of Time Bomb can be summed up with "hipster punk," his weapon that freezes time in a specific area of his choosing is actually a pretty cool premise, and it makes him a good adversary for these two given that one of them is a Flash.

The art is fantastic. The figures of the heroes are imposing and sculpted, the colors are a perfect balance of darks and lights, and the action scenes look really good. The visual design of Time Bomb is admittedly undercooked, and the red glow his weapon causes to signal that it's being used seems a little simplistic. The latter of those complaints is admittedly a bit of a nitpick, so it goes to show how good the art is that this is the worst thing I can say about it.

This issue is also one of those rare self-contained stories. Furthermore, the narrative is paced very well. It doesn't feel anemic; it's a full story. It's a full night with Nightwing and the Flash.

This comic presents the full package in a single issue. There are nice character moments with good dialogue, fun action sequences, and great art. What more could you ask for? Give this comic a read.

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