Wow! Just Wow!

Nightwing No. 83
DC Comics
Creators: Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Adriano Lucas and Wes Abbott
Release date: August 2021

If you have any appreciation for Nightwing or Dick Grayson as a character and haven’t bought and read this issue already, do yourself a favor and go out and get a copy of this book.

This issue wraps up the first story arc by this creative team on the title, and they have hit it out of the park, especially with this issue.

I’m deliberately keeping this post SPOILER FREE for a reason, but this story arc has brought about a big change in Dick Grayson’s status quo on a couple levels. One of those changes, in the hands of lesser creators, might have been a disaster, but these guys have pulled it off in such a way that I believe it could be real rather than a misdirect, and I’m onboard with the change.

The second change is the one telegraphed on the cover, which I love! Again, my acceptance and enjoyment of it is all about the execution. There are a number of cameos in this issue, some big and some small, but all of them are meaningful. I got the feels in a very good way reading this issue. I want to read it again for the first time, if such a thing was possible.

Short post this time around. I promise next time will be longer and a slightly older book. I just wanted to share that this title, and especially this issue of this title, are phenomenal.

Enjoying being in the moment

Infinite Frontier Nos. 2-4
DC Comics
Creators: Joshua Williamson, Paul Pelletier, Jesus Merino, Xermanico, Norm Rapmund, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Tom Derenick, Raul Fernandez and Hi-Fi
Release date: July and August 2021

I’m a big proponent of not judging a story based solely on a single chapter or collection of chapters. I’ve said that before, and I stand behind it. Don’t decide a story is crap based on something not making sense in the first or even second part when the author might have a perfectly valid rationale waiting for a reveal in the fifth or sixth installment.

With that said, I read these three middle issues of a six-part series in one sitting the other evening, and I had a definite reaction to them that I wanted to share.

To be fair, this story isn’t finished yet. I know at this point that the story won’t even be wrapped up after I read the sixth issue of this six-issue series because advance solicits have already revealed that it will lead directly into another limited series, a modern comics trend I tend to find very frustrating.

But I wanted to go ahead and share this particular reaction because at this precise point in time, I am enjoying this story as it unfolds.

The 2021 limited series Infinite Frontier is a follow-up to the standalone Infinite Frontier No. 0, which was released back in March 2021 in the wake of Dark Nights: Death Metal. It introduced the new DC concept of an Omniverse. After it ends in Infinite Frontier No. 6, the story threads will be picked up by another limited series, Justice Incarnate.

Now I don’t read all of DC’s titles each month. In fact, I don’t read most of them. But I read several on a monthly basis and have for a very long time. So it is safe to say that I am fairly familiar with the main DC continuity. And that is what had me enjoying this title when I sat down to read this middle chunk of story. I feel like I’m in on the overall story. I’m invested in the universe and its characters. I’ve been along for the ride through most of the Crises and reboots through the years.

I enjoy seeing Roy Harper in this title, and I’m invested in his safe return. I’ve read of his adventures alongside Green Arrow and the Titans for several decades. And I know who Lian Harper is to him, and would be happy to see her safe return, too.

I remember when D.E.O. Agent Cameron Chase had her own short-lived series, and it was nice to see her brought back for this series.

I didn’t read about Jade and Obsidian when they were first introduced in Infinity Inc., but I did read a lot of their adventures as part of Green Lantern, the Titans, Manhunter and the JSA. So they, too, are welcome returnees to my reading matter.

It was even nice to see old characters in a new light, like the re-imagined Hector Hammond in this story. I recognized the name before the in-story reveal that this was an old character being used in a new way.

I have concerns, too, to be sure. Everything seems to be headed toward a big Darkseid confrontation, and I’m not a huge Darkseid fan. But like I said, I just really enjoyed reading this story chunk the other night. I felt a little moreso than normal that this story was written with me and my sensibilities in mind. That’s not always the case, but for this brief bit of time, it was. And it was nice.

I hope that feeling continues. That’s what I read comics for — the enjoyment, after all.