Bullet Review: Nightwing #104

Nightwing #104 came out last week. It included the final part of the back-up Jon/Dick story written by C.S. Pacat. This was a story which I was pretty excited about after reading the first part. But the story has kind of fizzled.

Over the last couple of months, I have struggled with the Jon Kent character. His own book wrapped up in an understated way, filled with overly simplified political message stories in which Jon was a more a guest than a lead. In his latest mini-series, Jon has been whisked away to the Injustice world, where again he is a leading man in a world that isn't his. The story that book should've told, Jon dealing with Ultraman, was truncated. 

Now this story started with a great premise, Jon being trained by Dick to fight physically. It took a left turn into a circus mystery which highlighted the differences of the heroes upbringing. It downshifted into a 'very special' tale about parents pushing kids into careers they don't want. And now it concludes with a simple ending to the circus mystery. 

The opening idea about Dick training Jon? Never touched.

Daniel HDR is on art here and there is something off brand about his take on Jon. I wish I could put my finger on it in an intelligent way. But the close-ups of Jon here seem strange. 

I was hoping this story might rekindle my interest in Jon's character. 

On to a few moments including my favorite moment.

Bullet Review: Nightwing #103

Nightwing #103 came out a bit ago but deserved a quick peek here. Over the last several months, there has been a back-up feature in the book. Writer C.S. Pacat and artist Eduardo Pansica have been telling a story of Nightwing and Jon Kent teaming up.

Now the story has had some twists and turns. I wonder how it would/will read if all the backups are read in one sitting. What initially got me excited was the premise that Dick was going to train Jon on how to use his powers physically ... how to fight. This physical aspect of hero-ing was something sadly missing in the Son of Superman title, written by main Nightwing scribe Tom Taylor.  

That kernel of the story has been pushed a bit to the background as the two are now investigating an explosion and a trapeze mystery at a circus. Someone cut one of the trapeze ropes, almost killing the mother in a mother/son trapeze act. Sounds pretty similar to the Grayson murders, no? With the new element of mystery added, this story has instead become a compare/contrast tale between Dick and Jon. How Bruce is different than Lois in investigating, for example. 

Ultimately, this chapter has them solving the trapeze rope crime. The solution is a bit saccharine for me but might be playing in on the theme that children (like Dick and Jon) are sometimes pressured into following in the family footsteps and that isn't always healthy.

Eddie Pansica continues to bring us very good art on the story even if this one is mostly people talking about clues and feelings. Not much action here ... something I hope we eventually get.

But there was one moment that stuck out that deserved a nod here.

Bullet Review: Nightwing #102

Nightwing #102 came out last week. As with #101, there is a back-up feature written by C.S. Pacat with art by Eduardo Pansica. 

Last issue, I was struck by the feature. Once again we see Dick stepping in as a mentor for Jon. Last issue there was a whole bit about Jon not using his strength to fight with villains. Perhaps Dick could give him some fighting tips.

Now I could say that maybe his father ... or even cousin Kara ... could give him some tips on throwing a Kryptonian haymaker. But maybe Jon is too timid ... or even embarrassed ... to ask them. Or maybe you ask your 'older brother' for tips like this. 

That discussion around fighting and strength isn't really touched on in this issue. But once again, we see how Jon and Dick interact. With a mystery of a possible murder at a circus, trapeze ropes cut almost leading to the death of of an acrobat family (sound familiar), Nightwing and Superman decide to investigate.

Now one of my favorite things about Super Sons was hearing Damien and Jon compare and contrast their fathers. Here, we see Jon and Dick compare their parents approaches to mysteries. 

It is interesting, especially when Jon talks of both Clark and Lois. 

A quick review.

Bullet Review: Nightwing #101

This will be an extremely short look at one aspect of Nightwing #101.

Writer Tom Taylor has been writing Nightwing for about 2 years and has injected a breezy feel to the proceedings. Dick Grayson is social justice warrior, using his money to help Bludhaven. Using his heroic activities to fight corruption. Taylor definitely has strong political opinions and he has put them in these stories. Somehow it works here better than in other titles. Perhaps street level stories lend themselves to more realistic stories and issues.

Taylor was also given the keys to Jon Kent in Superman: Son of Kal-El. He injected the same politics into that title. But in a book with someone as powerful as Jon, the political stories felt silly and ham-fisted. 

Taylor also tamped down the super-heroics of the Superman book. Jon seemed like a guest star in his own book. Taylor even bragged about how Superman never threw a punch the entire time the title was running. 

I never quite became embraced with the Son of Kal-El book. It ended when Kal returned to Earth. And now Jon will be heading into his own mini-series getting ready to battle both Ultraman and the Injustice Superman. Might be hard to do that if you don't jab now and then.

So ...

Review: Lazarus Planet: Assault On Krypton

Lazarus Planet: Alpha #1 was a brilliant opening to the latest DC event. The story had legitimate stakes, moved at a brisk pace, showcased some of my favorite characters, and had beautiful art. 

Now the aftermath of the Lazarus volcano are being felt throughout the DC Universe. We'll see this in one-shots and mini-series, setting up the next year of stories. Today it is Lazarus Planet:Assault on Krypton. Really it should have been called Assault on the Super-Family. This book takes a peek at Dreamer, Jon Kent, Mercy, and Power Girl, all characters with connections to Superman. 

Each character gets their own story in the anthology. We know Jon and Power Girl will be getting their own stories, in the Adventures of Superman and Action Comics anthology respectively. I don't know where Dreamer and Mercy will end up, although the Lex-centric new Superman book is a good place for the latter. 

The stories themselves are quite solid, each ending on a sort of cliffhanger to get us interested in reading more. The Jon story was probably the best of the bunch, introducing a new villain, charming and irreverent. 

The art includes stories by veterans like Scott Godlewski,Sami Basri, and Marguerite Sauvage. Skylar Partridge pencils the Dreamer story and is a new name for me. Her work is stylish enough to work in the dreamscape. Partridge draws a pretty good Supergirl to boot.

If you're a fan of the Super-Family, I'd say this is worth the $4.99. On to the stories.