Nightwing #132 – Dan Watters, Writer; Dexter Soy, Artist; Veronica Gandini, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: It’s a big issue for Nightwing this month, but one that reads very fast. With Bryce in a coma and children going missing thanks to the haunted circus stalking Bludhaven, Dick has been pushed too far – and is ready to take the fight back to Olivia Pearce and the Zanni. These two initially seemed like an odd fit as dual villains – a sadistic trickster clown and a tech baroness – but we know that Olivia is actually an insane serial killer obsessed with supervillainy. In this issue, she dons a new costume, fights Dick and pushes him to the limit – while also hinting at the dark truth behind her origin. The reveal is a fantastic jump-scare, but it’s also sort of out-of-nowhere, completely changing the genre as soon as the mask comes off. It seems that from here, we’re going to be descending into the circus and leaving the comfortable world of superheroes behind – something Watters is definitely comfortable with.
Justice League Red #4 – Saladin Ahmed, Writer; Clayton Henry, Artist; Arif Prianto, Hi-Fi, David Baron, Colorists
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: The concept of this series has always been a bit of a mystery, obscured in-story by Red Tornado himself as he sends his hand-picked team on missions. But now, with Red Canary and Deadman completing the squad, things become a little clearer. Red Tornado has essentially turned himself into an AI-computing machine to calculate scenarios, and he’s concluded that Black Adam is an existential threat to the world. Red Canary’s true nature and powers are the biggest dangling thread in this title, with her seeming to have some sort of cosmic ability that allows her to tap into the Red, but that’s only hinted at. This issue spends about half explaining the apocalyptic scenario that’s about to unfold, and the other half sending the team into Khandaq to deal with Black Adam. It doesn’t go well, as the dictator is always prepared and far more powerful than anyone here, but the various subplots the creative team is building are intriguing.
Catwoman #81 – Torunn Gronbekk, Writer; Danielo Beyruth, Artist; Patricio Delpeche, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: The latest arc has been intersplicing scenes from Selina Kyle’s childhood with the modern day, and the former parts are by far the most compelling. This issue has several scenes taking place shortly after Maria Kyle’s death, and the grief is raw as Selina briefly leaves her group home to pay tribute to her mother – only to find her sister missing. In the present day, she’s attending an elaborate mob confab to keep tabs on Carmine Falcone and get her hands on a priceless treasure. But several enemies are there, the rules of the masquerade ball are bizarre and easy to violate, and dangers lurk around every corner. This issue is nice and tense, pulling in subplots from the entire run so far, but it wouldn’t work as well without the emotional grounding of the framing segments. Gronnbekk has done a good job setting up the conclusion of this arc with some big players waiting in the wings.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
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