Review: Nightwing- Burnback

Quick Summary

Pros: The exploration into this new version of Nightwing’s personality is unique and slightly interesting.

Cons: The main storyline is less interesting than it was in the previous volume. The book’s conflict is lackluster. The writing surrounding vigilantes is problematic.

Overall: This is a book with just a few too many problems and not enough appeal to make up for these problems. The main storyline raises some intrigue and is definitely a unique take on Nightwing. However, it feels more generic than it did before. Plus, the conflict within the book is mediocre, some of the themes are poorly addressed, and the artwork is subpar. Overall, this book may still be worthwhile for fans looking for a really different take on Nightwing but isn’t for a casual fan just looking for a good story.

Story

Nightwing: Burnback, by Scott Lobdell, Zack Kaplan, and Dan Jurgens, is just as troubled as the volume preceding it. Dick/Ric Grayon’s personal story is still interesting in how it explores the difference between eras in his life. However, his role as a generic vigilante weakens the appeal here. In addition, the sources of conflict within this book are poorly written and the treatment of police vigilantes is problematic. These flaws make this book even worse than its predecessor, which was already troubled.

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Since Dick Grayson became Ric Grayson, his personal story proves to be the most compelling element of this series. It is interesting to see him struggle to define himself as an individual, especially while considering the man he used to be. However, the way it is written here is less interesting than it was in the previous book. Previously, Ric was exploring new things while embracing talents he didn’t even know he had. Here, he becomes a pretty generic vigilante. It feels like a downgrade from a storyline that already wasn’t the best.

This is then coupled with lackluster conflict. The book starts with a quick appearance from Joker’s Daughter. She shows up for a moment and seems to have some plan for the main characters, before disappearing and having no further impact on the book. Then, the Nightwing vigilantes fight a fire monster, who they eventually learn is the tortured consciousness of a comatose police officer. It should be an emotional story but the rapid way in which it is introduced and then dismissed takes away that gravitas of the situation.

In addition, Burnback continues the problematic implications raised by the previous collection. This book has police officers torturing people to get information, refusing to call in help when dealing with a situation they aren’t even sure they can handle, and generally disregarding accountability for their actions. This is the type of thing the Bat-family does specifically because they separate themselves from the police, which makes it weird to see here. However, the book fails to put anything more than cursory scrutiny on the issue. This weakens the book’s main vigilante team’s appeal and weakens the story in general.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in Burnback fluctuates a bit but ends up looking slightly below average. Travis Moore gets the collection going on the right foot. Moore’s work looks nice and is particularly attractive when paired with Tamra Bonvillain’s colors. However, problems quickly appear as the transition from these earlier chapters to later ones introduce a dramatic shift in style. Chris Mooneyham’s work feels like it was taken straight out of the 90s, which works in action scenes but feels weird in some of the more personal and emotional moments. Here, exaggerated bodies and equally exaggerated expressions simply look strange. The volume closes with two decent chapters from Ronan Cliquet but the transition from Mooneyham to Cliquet’s chapters presents another uncomfortable shift in style, further emphasized by the fact that it takes place right in the middle of a storyline. Overall, these jarring style shifts and a few poor looking chapters prevent the volume from achieving artistic success.

Continuity

Nightwing: Burnback continues the story from Nightwing: Knight Terrors (Review).

The story here continues in Nightwing: The Gray Son Legacy (Review).

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• Nightwing was shot and lost his memories in Batman #55, collected in Batman Vol. 8: Cold Days (Review).
• The final chapter in this collection contains a tie-in to the Year of the Villain (Review) event.