Nightwing #25

By Kyle Higgins, Will Conrad, & Cliff Richards

It seems that no matter how far Nightwing goes from Gotham and Batman he will never escape the dreaded Bat family tie-in. Nightwing issue #25 goes back six years to the blackout The Riddler has caused in Gotham. The issue deals with a pre-Nightwing Dick Grayson who is still in the circus and shows more of his relationship with Raya and Raymond.

Kyle Higgins writes this issue with a horror story vibe. The introduction of Amygdala as a monster chasing Dick and three other kids through the back alleys of Gotham offers up a fun detour from the seriousness of past issues. Amygdala’s rage and simplistic dialogue offers up a few chills as he chases the kids through the streets for no other reason than just because.

While this issue offers a fun horror take, it doesn’t offer much substance. It falls into the same pit that most tie-ins do, they don’t have much connection to the overall Nightwing series plot and one issue isn’t enough time to make readers care about new characters. The three new kids don’t get enough time for the readers to care what happens to them.

In the art department, Will Conrad and Cliff Richards offer a grittier look than has become common with this series. It fits in nicely with the horror/monster movie feel of the issue as well as fitting with the darkness from the Gotham power outage.

Nightwing #25 has some fun moments in it, but overall there isn’t much that readers of the series would miss if they skipped this issue. If you need a monthly fix of Nightwing then this should tide you over, but don’t feel inclined if you’re on a budget.