Review: Nightwing- The New Order
Quick Summary
Pros: The world here is creative and leads to plenty of exciting situations. Characters are all well-written and bring out plenty of emotion. The collection has a solid message. The artwork looks good and assists in telling the story.
Cons: The pacing is a bit fast and a few details are left underdeveloped.
Overall: This is a creative book filled with great characters and an entertaining storyline. It features an exciting story, some great looking artwork, and a message that feels relevant and relatable. Plus, the unique setting and emotional moments ensure that readers will stay engaged with everything that is going on. The volume has a few small flaws but these are easily outweighed by the positives. Overall, this is a great book for anyone interested in possible futures for the DC Universe.
Story
In a comic landscape filled with alternate futures and dystopian realities, Nightwing: The New Order finds a way to stand out. This comic, written by Kyle Higgins, features a world where powers are illegal and the traditional role of superheroes has been dramatically altered. This creates an environment populated with wonderfully creative takes on familiar characters, allowing for some awesome and emotional interactions. This environment is also the prime location for some solid criticism on authoritarian politics, providing a real-world warning in an already entertaining comic. All of this comes together to make a great book, one that longtime DC fans are sure to appreciate.
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The New Order starts out by introducing its unique premise. This is a version of the DC Universe where superpowers have been outlawed, leading to crackdowns against powered individuals and rebellion against this oppressive authority. This premise is constantly built upon as the story progresses, revealing a renegade team of Teen Titans, a Blue Lantern version of Lois Lane, and a Superman and Lex Luthor who have put their differences aside to fight for the greater good. All of this is incredibly interesting and will be particularly satisfying for those with a familiarity with DC Comics. Overall, Higgins brings a lot of creativity to the creation of this unique universe.
This inherent tension found within this setting is then leveraging to create a sense of drama and excitement. Dick Grayson starts off by facing down a few random threats but the situation quickly escalates. Soon, he becomes an enemy of the government he once served, putting him in a position where it feels as if he is going up against the might of the entire world. This turns the book into an intense underdog story about a man facing all odds in order to ensure the safety of his child.
The story isn’t just fighting and action though, as it also has a solid message and a meaningful theme. The crusade against superpowers highlights a government where genetic conditions are condemned and conformity is demanded. As readers learn more about Nightwing’s history, they see how a dystopian future, like this one, can be built out of good intentions. This makes the situation here seem possible, which serves as a nice warning about the inherent dangers present in all forms of fascism.
In addition, The New Order does a fantastic job in highlighting emotions between characters. The heart of this story is a tale about a father’s love for his son, which is a situation that already lends itself to emotion. However, the rest of the volume goes on to show friends grappling with betrayal, lovers falling out of love, and father figures passing away. All of this turns the volume into a satisfying emotional rollercoaster, heightening reader’s connection with the characters.
The volume’s only significant flaw is that it is just a bit too short. With only six chapters to create and establish an entire universe, there is a lot going on within this single collection. This means that events happen rather quickly and characters make decisions faster than usual. It also means that little time is spent delving into some of the story’s smaller details, like Kate Kane’s vendetta against Dick Grayson or if Luthor’s bomb actually gave the whole world superpowers. The series is still good but it does leave fans wondering how great it could have been, had it run a chapter or two longer.
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Art
The artwork in The New Order is just as entertaining as the story. Trevor McCarthy’s pencils and inks give the characters and locations a great level of detail, ensuring each page is visually pleasing. When paired with colors from Dean White, this book ends up looking just as nice as fans would want it to.
However, the real treat here is the way in which the book’s structure enhances the story. Some pages are filled with a few small panels and a lot of text, allowing a ton of exposition to happen in a small amount of time. Meanwhile, other pages feature little to no text at all, allowing the beauty of a great-looking splash page to tell the story. Even the book’s more standard pages have a structured where well-placed panels make the story easier to follow and understand. This is already a good looking book but little details like these make reading it even more enjoyable.
Continuity
Nightwing: The New Order is a miniseries with no prelude or sequel. As such, there is no required reading before or after this volume.
Nightwing: The New Order is also set in a continuity separate from the standard DC Universe. The world shown here resembles a future version of the pre-Flashpoint DC Universe but does not have any official connection