Nightwing 2025 Annual #1 – Dan Watters, Writer; Francesco Francavilla, Artist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: This series is always enjoyable, but takes a massive level up whenever iconic horror artist Francavilla jumps on for an arc or one-shot. This oversized annual takes place during the current bizarre takeover of Titans Tower, as Maggie Sawyer finds that her command of the Bludhaven PD may now be secondary to the orders of the mysterious Olivia Pearce. This leads her to start investigating the Spheric head’s background – only to come up with nothing. Olivia Perarce doesn’t exist. Of course, we know that the corporate tyrant is just a disguise for a woman deeply embedded in the Cirque Du Sin, a criminal organization obsessed with Nightwing – and seemingly in thrall to the Zanni, a supernatural being who views itself as the spirit of the circus. And as Maggie digs closer to the truth, a twisted tale unfolds revealing that Olivia’s dark roots date back to her early childhood.
It’s a brilliant choice of Dan Watters to tie this into the comic book scare of the 1950s, although the timeline doesn’t match up – but this issue reveals that Olivia was the daughter of an anti-comic crusader who abused her relentlessly to try to break her love for Grey Ghost comics. But in this case, there might have been something off about her love for it – she was fascinated with the deathtraps, stalking the writer and trying to convince him that he needed to create a deathtrap no one could escape from. And that’s where Zanni comes in, a twisted genie offering her a way out and a way to make her dreams come true. This issue winds up taking on elements of some of the best horror stories of all time, like Stephen King’s Misery, as it deals with topics like toxic fandom and misinterpretation of an author’s work – while also working as a straightforward chiller with great visuals. The twists and turns here should really be experienced for oneself.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
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