Nightwing: Get Grayson

It's been three weeks since reading Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo's first arc of Nightwing, Leaping into the Light. Since then it's been a two week wait for my LCS to get my order in and an additional week to catch up on my pull list.

Finally, however, I have reached the opportunity to read the second volume in this so far fantastic run of Nightwing: Get Grayson.

So Dick Grayson has moves forward with his plans to save Bludhaven. However, this has not gone down well with everyone and the original Boy Wonder finds himself with a price on his head for his benevolence. Fortunately, Nightwing isn't so hunted as Dick's alter ego (along with all his superpowered friends) set about putting a stop to any assassin who wants to take up the Bounty.

I continue to love this run as Tom Taylor continues to present a truly epic take of Nightwing. In fact, probably going so far as to say it's planting the seeds for Taylor's Titans run, this arc goes about showing Dick Grayson as the true linchpin of the superhero community.

I find this rendition of Nightwing a phenomenal character to follow as Taylor portrays him as a worthy successor to Batman; a character containing all of his strengths but very few of his weaknesses. This is best shown by much of the guest cast, particularly the Flash, who all display such a love and loyalty to Nightwing that it makes the eventual announcement of Taylor's Titans a natural extension to this story.

That said, it does falter in a couple of places, notably the near exclusion of the mystery villain from the story. This feels a little unsettling, as if the character is no longer important, although he does have a brief appearance which certainly cements his ongoing danger.

Meanwhile, the Superman arc, while a nice crossover, certainly feels like a pit stop which is unnecessary in the overall plot. That said, it's such a minor detour that it doesn't really affect my enjoyment.

Of course, the true MVP of this series continues to be Bruno Redondo's artwork. I've said before how I heard of the praise on the work Redondo contributes here, but seeing his work first hand makes that praise seem understated in comparison.

Again, with the mix of David Aja's Hawkeye-like set pieces and the Terry Dodson-esque close ups, Redondo's art style is a breathtaking masterpiece from cover (which is also fantastic) to cover.

Get Grayson doesn't quite hold up to Leaping into the Light in my eyes, but the difference between them is so minimal that even VAR would have trouble seeing that difference.

Nightwing has, in the space of a few weeks, become my favourite new series and the only downside is finding the money to go and Immediately buy volume three.

Fantastic Four #16

Continuing to catch up, post illness, today's read was Fantastic Four #16 as Ryan North offered up another single issue story focusing on the newly returned youngest members of the First Family.

Having permanently relocated to the Grimm farm in Arizona, the temporally displaced quartet of Franklin, Valeria, Nikki and Jo-Venn dace a new challenge in the vein of a new school. However, the school is nothing compared to the homework as the foursome attempt some mad science in an attempt at extra credit, leading to some mad capped shenanigans.

I really enjoyed this issue, with North producing a fun one-and-done issue that brings a nice bit of levity to a run that was starting to feel a little overly series. The idea of building the story around the children of imaginauts trying to impress their science class felt novel but what I enjoyed most was the nice dynamic amongst the kids.

The Grimm kids feel really well built from their introduction in the Slott run. I love how all four get on what astounds me the most are the Richards kids. Having been reading a long time, it's both disconcerting and a joy to see Val being so nice and less precocious. Meanwhile, as Val is very much her father's daughter, Franklin seems have become more his mother's son as he's shown to be so capable compared to prior appearances.

New artist Francesco Mortarino comes aboard with a while new style which I thought would be an adjustment given my love of Ivan Fiorelli's work up until now. However, Mortarino has brought a vibrant, youthful energy with pencils combined with Brian Reber's colours that it really works for the story that is being told.

After the first 15 issues being about 'retrieving the Baxter Building', this issue feels like a great pallette cleanser to set up what will probably be a similar length second act.

That said, if rather it's the beginning of many short stories then I'm equally on board with this.

Sensational She-Hulk #4

I was starting to catch up a little bit recently and then i got sick and I have fallen behind again.

Oh well, lets try again.

Last week I picked up and read Sensational She-Hulk #4. This most recent issue from Rainbow Rowell saw Jen dealing with the fallout from her recent Hulk battle. As media vilifies her and the public cower in fear of her, there's only one thing that help: a night out with Hellcat and Captain Marvel.

I thought this was another good issue which built nicely on the foundation that issue three laid in the sense of giving Jen's life new direction. I do find it weird that, after 15 issues of Rowell rebuilding Jen's life to something moderately happy, she would be so quick to devastate it once again. However, Rowell has shown that she can depict the Jade Giantess quite impressively and here, while she's down, there's little evidence to say she's out.

Ig Guara is new to the art duties on this book, but his/her style, while very different to Iban Coello's, feels very fitting for the emotional place the story currently finds itself. Guara's style has me thinking of Joe Madureira's work, although maybe something grittier instead. Kenneth Rocafort's work is more than likely a closer comparison (I'm thinking of his work on Action Comics just before the New 52), with the look being less dreamlike than Coello's, thus giving the vibe that She-Hulk has fallen and come back to Earth with a bump.

Sensational She-Hulk #4 feels, much like its predecessors, seemingly directionless at present. However, for me, this can't take away the earnest sweetness that the book seems to exude. The series continues to be an enjoyable read and would have no problem if She-Hulk maintained this trajectory for a good while to come.

(Although I truly look forward to its awesomeness once the greater narrative is revealed.)

Fire and Ice: Welcome to Smallville #5

Today's read was Fire and Ice: Adventures in Smallville #5, the penultimate issue of the Joanne Starer and Natacha Bustos series focusing on the titular JLI'er's ... well, adventures in Smallville (as the title attests.)

This issue sees the pair, still seemingly on the outs, continue to deal with the troubles of the town as their villainous employees decide to forgo their second chance, their home/salon goes up in smoke and a 'new' villain attempts to muscle in whole an old finally shows its face.

This issue came across as a marked improvement on the last couple as Joanne Starer moved all the pieces to their correct positions in order to begin this series' endgame. This issue felt far more 'full' than some of the others, as the tying up of loose ends seemed to require a lot of differing ends. It does make me wonder if some of it could've been better distributed to issues 3 and 4 to spread the load. However, for now, this cramming for the finish line has helped to make this issue more intriguing.

The artwork continues to maintain the standard I've been enjoying so far. I still love the Terry Dodson-esque look Natacha Bustos brings as well as Tamra Bonvillain's deep colours, to give the comic (and Bea in particular) a nice, unique look. Between the two types of work, it's given Fire and Ice's look a nice balance and consistency that the the story may have lacked.

I'm looking forward to the final issue now (although given how confused I felt as I started this issue, I would say a recap page night be nice). After a bit of a rollercoaster trip so far this series, issue five appears to moved the car up high for what hopefully will be a thrilling final drop.

Although, I will also try and remain prepared in case that doesn't happen.

Fantastic Four #15

To start the new week, I returned to my pull list, finally getting round to last week's new comics, beginning with Fantastic Four #15.

This issue continued the story from issue 14 as the Baxter Building still hadn't returned (talk about flogging a dead horse). However, as the Four (and Alicia) scramble to find out why, the answer is revealed by Megamind, the phone app turned superintelligence who knows the only threat to his existence are the Fantastic Four.

I've been enjoying Ryan North's and Ivan Fiorelli's run for the most part, but I have been beginning to think that the wait for the return of the Baxter Building has become far too drawn out. However, this issue felt like a real breathe of fresh air.

More than any other story so far in this run, North seems to have created a truly fantastic, high science story that is most in keeping with the idea of the Fantastic Four, the imaginauts. Indeed, everything, from the reveal to the twist, to the Four's attempts to save the day feels to me as the most reminiscent yet of stories from the Mark Waid/ Mike Weiringo run.

Speaking of that run, Ivan Fiorelli's art continues to really mesmerise me and is so reminiscent of Wieringo's work on this title, albeit Fiorelli does provide it with a new age twist (as I've mentioned so many times before).

Now that the Baxter Building is back, I'm hopeful that the book is going to have a sort of fresh start to its adventures. However, this final instalment to what could be called North's first arc was a tremendous read and I'm hoping for a lot more stories of this quality to come!!

Sensational She-Hulk #3

So, with Nightwing having taken up the majority of my reading time during the first week of 2024, I decided to cap it with a smaller read in the form of the Sensational She-Hulk #3

And small was most definitely the word!!

Picking up from where issue 2 cut off, the Hulk cousins continue to face off against the Booths, the Hulk obsessed Power couple from the previous She-Hulk run, who are attempting to find a fix for their own plight.

I have to admit, this could be, without doubt the quickest comic book I've ever read, as I burned through it on five minutes. Rainbow Rowell seems to have taken her foot of the gas in this issue to provide a quiet middle issue to her story.

Of course, this (along with its speed) doesn't mean that it was a bad issue because I thought, despite its relative quietness, the was a nicely heartfelt issue focusing on the dynamic between two cousins with Rowell's writing moving a nice consistent, if brisk, pace.

Meanwhile, Andres Genolet continues to provide some beautifully stylish artwork, maintaining the Jade Giantess' adventures with the sort of glamour look which feels in keeping with the character.

There isn't much I can say about this issue. The Sensational She-Hulk's third issue is very much a quiet affair, to the point one could call it filler. However, it's such a poignant and we'll written placeholder that I'm kind of sad I read through it as quickly as I did.

Hopefully, the next issue will take me a little bit longer to get through.

Nightwing: Leaping into the Light

I decided to start 2024 with a bang as I continued the readthrough of all my birthday comics (that had started with Star Trek Lower Decks).

This time, I opted for Nightwing: Leaping into the Light, the first volume of Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo's award winning run.

This arc saw Dick Grayson return to the town of Bludhaven, now a little older, a little wiser and, thanks to the will of Alfred Pennyworth, a lot richer. However, as Dick tries to decide how to best use his newly gained riches, he must also contend with the all controlling crime lord, a newly emerging killer and a new mayor whose last name means a deep and painful connection to the former Boy Wonder.

I absolutely loved this story. Tom Taylor shows a deft handle of Nightwing straight out of the gate. Confident, easy-going, optimistic, this rendition of Dick Grayson, which imbues the best parts of Spider-Man and Daredevil, comes across as a perfect culmination of the decades of growth we've seen of the character.

The pacing to this tale feels perfect to me, gliding effortlessly from beginning to end with no bumps or issues which cause it to screech to a holt. If there is one thing I am concerned about, it's a late twist that feels ripped from Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino's Green Arrow run. However, this isn't enough to hamper my enjoyment as Taylor rebuilds Bludhaven into its own place and Nightwing into a hero outside the shadow of the Bat.

Of course, prior to reading this arc, there was only ever one standout (despite the greatness of Taylor's writing) and seeing Bruno Redondo's art first hand, all of the hype I heard certainly makes sense. Redondo's style is breath-taking, looking like an amalgamation of Terry Dodson's visuals, Chris Samnee's Daredevil action scenes and David Aja's Hawkeye panel layouts. Coupled with Adriano Lucas' vibrant colours which remind me of Stephen Byrne's work, every page of Redondo's work here (including the covers) is phenomenal and an absolute joy to look at.

Long story short, I really feel that this run of Nightwing deserves all the praise and hype I've been hearing for all if these years. It was such an impressive read and feast for the eyes that I've already been to my LCS to order in the next volume.

Just a shame the wait will be a couple of weeks.