“Wings Up”
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artist: Inaki Miranda
Color Artist: Nick Filardi
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Review by Steve J. Ray
Nightwing Annual #3 is here, less than two years since #1. I always thought that “annual” meant we got one a year, but we’ve had three in the space of 20 months.
Lucky us? Sadly, no… as I wasn’t very impressed with this issue at all.
Dan Jurgens’ story and script are on point, that much is true, but I was totally distracted from the story by art that I really didn’t like.
This annual is full of action, and we finally find out who Condor Red is! We last saw this great new character, in Nightwing #67 and #68, but now we get to see his background, and learn of his connection to our hero. Jurgens has, once again, created some new characters that truly stand out, and that I really want to see more of. The whole Condor team, and their leader, Jacqueline Hale, are beautifully written, and I think that they’ll be part of Nightwing’s future, post “Joker War.”
In The Nick Of Time
Nick Filardi’s colors are great, as usual. I love the way he uses light, natural and otherwise. Likewise for AndWorld’s terrific lettering. These two keep their standards at a very high level, and I always enjoy their work. They’re Nightwing mainstays, and I hope they stick around.
I really didn’t like the line-art in this issue at all, though. Inaki Miranda’s inks are passable, but I really don’t like his anatomy, perspective or layouts. He does draw some decent facial expressions however, and Jacqueline’s treatment of Jim and Juan is hilarious.
I also liked Nightwing’s new look at the end of the issue, and would love to see regular Nightwing artist Ronan Cliquet’s take on it… or Travis Moore’s!
Conclusion
Nightwing Annual #3 really is a mixed bag. Though I enjoyed the story, the art really put me off, which makes my rating score slip. The writing gets a solid 4 out of 5, but I can only give the visuals a 2 out of 5, thanks to the great color and lettering, but less than stellar line-art.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment
