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Batman, Bruce Wayne, DC Comics, Dick Grayson, Future State Nightwing #1 review, Future State Nightwing#1, Gotham, NCBD, Nightwing, The Next Batman
Future State Nightwing #1
Review by Paul Bowler.
Dick Grayson carries on the good fight in Future State Nightwing #1 as he leads the resistance in Gotham against the Magistrate’s oppressive regime. Batman is gone and Bruce Wane is believed to be dead. In order to stay one step ahead of the Magistrate and his cybernetically enhanced troops Nightwing has established a base in the abandoned Arkham Asylum, but a visit from Gotham’s new Batman could prove fortuitous — at least so long as he can fight like a Dark Knight!
DC Comics Future State is in full swing now following the aftermath of the multiverse saving events of Death Metal, and it looks like this possible glimpse into the future is going to be very dark indeed for Nightwing. Now as Nightwing’s mission to keep the citizens of Gotham safe from the Magistrate’s police state begins to escalate, writer Andrew Constant quickly establishes how grim the situation has got in Gotham since Batman was murdered by Peacekeeper-01. Right from the get-go the stakes are raised as Nightwing intervenes to help a couple being harassed by a Cyber, although everything isn’t quite what it seems, and plans are being hatched in Magistrate HQ to take Nightwing out — permanently!
Nicola Scott’s artwork and Ivan Plascencia’s vivid color palette stylishly conveys every nuance of the plot as scenes shift from Nightwing’s vertigo inducing rooftop skirmish, to the gleaming Cyberpunk vista of Gotham, the high-tech interiors of Magistrate HQ, and the gloomy ruins of Arkham Asylum that Nightwing now calls home. Nightwing’s costume for Future State is a nice blend of the classic look with some cool looking futuristic refinements. Although the story is primarily action driven, its in the quieter moments where Dick talks via video link to his allies, especially Barbara, where Nicola Scott’s art really shines and accentuates the scripts emotional beats with powerful effect. Yasmine Putri’s cover portrays a stunning depiction of Nightwing – its almost as if Gotham has a new Arkham Knight!
The face-off between Nightwing and the Next Batman is easily the big highlight of the issue. While I found this new Dark Knight’s debut in Future State The Next Batman #1 rather underwhelming, his characterisation here in Future State Nightwing is much less one dimensional, and far more satisfying as a result. Andrew Constant really fleshes out the characters and their motivations in these scenes, which, though heavy with exposition, skilfully adds an intriguing plot twist into the mix as the Magistrate’s forces close in.
It seems the future hasn’t been kind to Dick Grayson, but he’s still very much depicted here in Future State as the character that can resist the darkness and remain in the light — despite all the friends and allies he’s lost. Although Future State Nightwing #1 might not exactly be the most groundbreaking chapter in DC Comics current line-wide Future Sate event, the exciting story by Andrew Constant and impressive artwork by Nicola Scott nevertheless still provides a fascinating glimpse into these dark times for Nightwing in Future State.
Publisher DC Comics
Writer Andrew Constant / Artist Nicola Scott
Colorist Ivan Plascencia / Letterer Wes Abbott
Cover Yasmine Putri
About The Author
Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS4.You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook
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Sounds like a riveting story. I can see DC is still on their multi-color kick, and that’s a good thing in my book. Tally-ho. 🤠
It was a very exciting story with very impressive artwork. Been enjoying Future State. Great to see Nightwing meet the Next Batman as well in this issue.
So Batman is dead and there’s a new one?
DC is going to lose itself trying to outdo itself every couple of years….
Yes, Batman was hunted down and assassinated by Peacekeeper-01, but unbeknown to everyone Bruce did manage to survive and reach medical help. His adventures continue in Future State Dark Knight Detective. Meanwhile Nightwing has gone on to lead the rest of the Bat-Family and the resistance against the Magistrate. There’s a new Batman (from Future State The Next Batman) as well, who is Lucius Fox’s son. Yes DC are spinning an interesting new take on this possible future for the characters of the DCU. Future State concluded next month and the regular DC titles will resume as normal in March. Whether the events in Future State will actually ever come to pass remains to be seen though.
Love the classic cover! Nightwing with that pose is looking a lot like Batman!
This cover for Nightwing has been my favourite Future State cover so far, its so atmospheric and spooky. Very dark knight!
Some of these Future State titles certainly sound interesting and I do plan to eventually check some out, I definitely have my eye on The Next Batman but as that’s a mini-series I’ll wait for the collection on that one (and Swamp Thing, curious about Superman as well).
I definitely have to check out that Robin issue you reviewed last week as well Paul, especially for the Eddy Barrows art.
On the whole I’ve enjoyed the Future Stare books that I’ve tried so far, especially Swamp Thing, Dark Knight Detective, Robin Eternal, and Nightwing. I did read Superman of Metropolis, that was ok. Must admit I wan’t that mad about The Next Batman thought, that’s probably the weakest out of all the Future State books I’ve read so far. As events go, Future State has turned out a lot better than I expected, and it certainly seems to have something for everyone to enjoy.
Really? Darn, I was hoping the Next Batman was going to be decent…ah well can’t win them alll I suppose!
The Next Batman just didn’t work for me at all, it just felt very contrived, and the art wasn’t that great either. Best Future State book I’ve read so far have been Swamp Thing and Robin Eternal.
Would’ve been interesting to have read your thoughts on that then haha!
Yeah, maybe I should have done.I would’ve if I’d had time that week. It had a lot of hype so was quite disappointed by how poor the Next Batman was. I didn’t bother with the 2nd issue but maybe I’ll check it out again before Future State is over.
I love me some NIghtwing. I like him as much as I dislike the Bat, so if Batman is missing I might give it a try!
I really like Nightwing as well, Future State is only for a couple of issues, but its fun to see a potential future version like this. If your a fan of Nightwingin get ready for March 2021, when the regular Nightwing DC Comics series resumes and sees a return to Blüdhaven for Nightwing / Dick Grayson along with his partner Barbara Gordon–helmed by the new creative team of Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo.
I have actually really been enjoying these books and Nightwing was no exception. Love this whole storyline, especially how it has been unfolding in the Bat-books. This is probably their best event in a long, long time.
I agree, as comic book events go, Future State has turned out far better than I expected. I think its also been a good showcase for new creative teams as well. Overall, most of the Future State books I’ve tried have been very good, especially Swamp Thing, Dark Detective, Robin Eternal, Nightwing, and Superman of Metropolis. The back up stories in some of the books have also been quite good.