NIGHTWING #23

[ A BLOODY BARGAIN BASEMENT ] 

So there he was, Nightwing, finally primed and ready to face the killer of his parents. When suddenly -- BOOOFFF!!! -- sh*t happens! A shed load of freshly defecated sh*t smeared by the rather dandy creative team of Kyle Higgins, and Will Conrad, Published by DC Comics, in July, 2013. Sniff-Sniff! Can you smell something or it just me?

Using GENERAL terms, answer the following 4 questions about this STORY entitled 'World Turned Upside Down'.

• WHAT'S THE MAIN THRUST OF THIS TALE: After saving a damsel in distress, Nightwing does his damndest to track down the Prankster, and stop him from blackmailing the money grabbing b*stard we all know as 'The Mayor of Chicago'.
• ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED: No. Not yet anyway.
• ANYTHING ELSE HAPPEN: The Zucco family are reluctantly thrust into the media spotlight.  
• HOW DOES THIS STORY END: With a murderer coming face to face with the lad he made into an orphan.

All in all, what is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

Picture the scene. Tony and Dick both finally meet on the final page. One single solidarity page that ended with Zucco saying to Grayson...

'... we have to work together'.

Ka-Pow! Heart attack city, here we come!!!!

What are the BEST bits about this issue?

(+) It's done it again, folks. Once more this book has delivered such an amazing and intriguing cliffhanger ending, I cannot wait to see what the f*ck is going to happen next. But can they do it, huh? Can Dick and Tony work together? Or will it end up like it did with Bruce Wayne and Joe Chill over in 'Batman: Year Two'? BANG!!!!!

(+) Now I feel pretty bad for saying this, but... err... how can I put it? Oh! I know. Will Conrad's artwork on this book has grown on me over the last couple of instalments, and has made me want him to take over on the art chores commonly provided by Brett Booth. Sorry, Brett mate. You're a pal. Honestly you are. It's just deep down inside me I feel Conrad is much more suited to this series, because he has that Dick Giordano vibe I think is ideal for a title such as this one.

(+) Although it was conveyed it in a very comic book fashion, I must say that I did enjoy how the topic of political corruption was handled by this issue, because it had that verve about it that made me want to punch the air with zeal and praise the Prankster for his bold shenanigans. Viva la revolution!!!! 

What are the WORST bits about this issue?

(-) If truth be told I wasn't very keen on how this issue was focused or structured as a tale in its own right. 35% of it was about Dick. 20% of it was about the Prankster. 10% of it was dedicated to Zucco and his clan. And the rest of it just flimflammed all over the shop like a wasp with ADHD. Hey! This isn't a bad-bad thing of course. It was just less of a Nightwing tale than I was expecting. 

Choose TWO CHARACTERS out of this comic book, and then compare them to A REAL-LIFE HISTORICAL FIGURE.

JOSELYN MARTINES AS DICK GRAYSON: Alright! I know what you're thinking to yourself, dear reader. 'What the f*ck?' Right? 'How can this very pretty lady have anything in common with our Wingster?'. Well, simply put, Joselyn tracked down and came face to face with the murderer of her parents. A man named...

JUSTO SANTOS AS TONY ZUCCO: Hmmmmm. Say no more.

What QUOTE would be appropriate to sum-up this story?

'Sooner or later nigh on everyone becomes an orphan' -- Eddie Izzard

What SONG, THEME-TUNE, or MELODY, would complement this tale, as well as add and extra dimension to it by default?

'FORTUNATE SON' BY CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL: A part of me feels compelled to compare this song to this story because they both convey a political message, and relay the dichotomy between what's the right thing to do, in contrast to what's the wrong thing to do. Think about it. You know it makes sense.

ANYTHING Else?

If you haven't guessed by now, folks, in my opinion one of the most shocking and thought provoking aspects about this adventure was the question its cliffhanger poses. You know. How will Dick react to working with the killer of his parents next month?

You see, how I see it, this dichotomy can turn out in one of six ways. Because Dick could either...

• Hate the idea so much, he'd tell Tony to f*ck off -- Ha! Wouldn't that be a right turn up for the books?
• Start a friendship with him during their subsequent adventure together -- Well, he does have a thing for his daughter. So it is entirely possible.
• Reluctantly go along with his assist come what way -- Yeah. That seems more than likely.
• Unanimously say 'Screw the Mayor and Chicago', and open up a porn-shop somewhere in Metropolis -- Preferably somewhere where the rent isn't so high.
• Kill him on the spot -- Nah! That'll never happen.
• Be killed by him in turn -- Nah! That wouldn't happen either.

Anyway. That's enough of my stuff and nonsense for this month. All I have left to say is that overall this issue of 'Nightwing' was a very nice read. The art was spot on. The story was both captivating yet slightly unfocused. And simply put, I can't wait to see what Will and Kyle will have in store for us next month.

Nuff said.