Review: Nightwing: The New Order #1

Quick Summary

Pros: The main storyline is great and ends with a fantastic twist. The world this story is set in is a beat of its own and is very fun to learn about. Nightwing proves to be a fantastic lead for the book.

Cons: Fans upset about Nightwing’s role in this series do not yet receive an explanation.

Overall: This is an extremely interesting concept wrapped around an enjoyable story. It is not your typical dystopian future with maniacal tyrants, instead it is more down to earth and realistic. Plus, it is written in a way that will hook you in from the start and leave you wanting more by the end. DC Comics fans are in for a wild ride with this one.

Story

When it was first announced, I thought that Nightwing: The New Order sounded like a great idea. It was an interesting concept that seemed to borrow from the best parts of House of M and Superman: Red Son while still being its own comic. Plus it was going to be written by New 52 Nightwing scribe Kyle Higgins, who’s work on the character we enjoyed.

Now that it is out, Nightwing: The New Order has proven to be all of this and more. It feels fresh, has a very unique setting, and is filled with so much mystery that I cannot wait to read more of it.

(spoilers start here)

The comic starts out twelve years in the past. Nightwing is walking through a destroyed Metropolis surrounded by unconscious superheroes. He promises that help is soon on the way as the flashback abruptly ends. It is a great way to begin a book as it guarantees that readers will be hooked right from the start, dying to figure out how this all came to be.

In the present, we are slowly introduced to the world our characters are now living in. Super powers are illegal and Nightwing is the leader of a government force that apprehends and treats those who have them. He also appears to have played a large role in the event that wiped out most of the world’s super powers. In addition, we learn that he has a son and mostly lives a normal life outside of his hero fighting.

All of this is an interesting enough story by itself, but the real treat is seeing Higgins tease readers with hints of everything he has yet to show. A superhero prison is mentioned, Batman is apparently dead, Wally West is still active as the Flash, the mother of Dick’s son is a complete mystery, and we still don’t know what caused this future to be so different. Together all of this turns an already interesting concept into a full out mystery waiting to be revealed.

The issue ends an already enjoyable tale with a twist ending that I did not see coming. The narration throughout hinted that Dick’s son will end up disagreeing with his father’s methods some time in the future, yet did not tell why. On the final page we find out that Dick’s son has superpowers of his own. It is a big twist with tons of potential. If you weren’t already hooked by this story, this final twist should have done the trick.

Outside of the story, Nightwing simply works perfectly as the lead for this book. Often times, in dystopian future comics, the leader’s power corrupts him and makes him an all-around darker version of himself. Injustice is the perfect example of this; Superman goes from a fun loving human to an incredibly dark tyrant. Yet in this comic, the trope is subverted. Dick Grayson still feels like Dick Grayson, he is as fun, charming, and caring as ever. It adds to the complexity of the story as he does not fit the archetypical mold of villain that we have come to expect.

The only real gripe I could imagine people having with this first issue is with the concept itself. When this story was first announced, the internet was rife with criticism as many saw this entire storyline as something Nightwing would never, ever do. This one issue has not given any justification for his actions yet, however I am reserving judgement until the truth behind this story is revealed. Higgins has done well in setting up an interesting premise, so I am hopeful that he will be able to provide a solid justification for it.

(spoilers end here)

Art

Artist Trevor McCarthy is no stranger to Nightwing, as he drew multiple Nightwing comics in the early 2000s. Drawing on these past experiences, he delivers a solid looking comic book. Though not an excessively detailed book, the art style is unique and helps to set the book even further from most of the standard DC Comics offerings. It also just looks nice in general, in particular it does a great job in demonstrating the fluid nature of Nightwing’s motion.

Continuity

Nightwing: The New Order is an alternate future in the DC Comics universe which is completely separate from every other comic book property out there. This means that there is no required reading before this and no books which directly proceed it.

Despite there being no required reading before this series, readers would benefit from knowing a little about Nightwing before diving in. We’d recommend looking back at Kyle Higgins’ run, as he may possibly repeat themes found within it. This run starts with Nightwing Vol. 1: Traps and Trapezes (Review).