Creative Team
Writer: Peter Tomasi
Pencils: Don Kramer
Inks: Jay Leisten, Sandu Florea, Rodney Ramos
Story Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Nightwing, under Peter Tomasi’s guidance, has become one of my favorite comics. It will be missed since this is the last issue before it gets cancelled to make room for “Battle for the Cowl”.
Tomasi developed into the perfect Nightwing writer. This was a very good wrap-up to the series. What was amazing was that I did not realize there were no fights with villains until after I finished reading the book.
Tomasi crafted an interesting story out of Dick’s move from New York and return to Gotham. He sets up the new status quo by having Dick accept that Gotham (and Wayne Manor) is his home. Little touches like having the JSA assist with his move, his heart to heart discussion with his old friend Wally (the Flash), the rescue of “Abe” the giant penny (I loved Alfred’s comment about Dick and Tim not having to polish it), and Nightwing replacing a street light bulb (because he is a good citizen).
One of the things that makes Tomasi a great writer is while he is writing with an eye on the future, he also remembers the past. The last page tribute to Denny(O’Neil), Dick(Giordano), and Julie(Schwartz) was very touching. It is a remake of a classic shot of Batman’s head with Nightwing swinging into the city.
If you do not know any of the three creators listed above, take the time to Google them. Maybe it is time to start a series of profiles of comic book creators. My sons and I were fortunate enough to meet Julie Schwartz the year before he died. The short time we spent with him was something we will never forget.
The art was not up to the usual standard. Some pages were great, others were just o.k. I blame this on the multiple inkers. When multiple inkers are brought in to work on the same issue, it does not lend itself to consistent quality.
Thank you to the creative staff behind this series. You have done a great job.
