Nightwing by Tom Taylor vols. 4 & 5

Blockbuster is dead, and with him organized crime in Bludhaven has lost its head.  Which means that there’s going to be a lot of crooks making their plays to either take his place or take advantage of the chaos.  Fortunately Nightwing is not only up to the task of tackling this chaos, but he’s got some powerful friends in Batgirl and the Titans to help him out.  Not that he needs it when dealing with small fish like Salvatore Maroni or Tony Zucco.  It’s just that when heavy hitters like Neron show up looking to collect on a debt owed to him by Blockbuster, or up-and-comers like Heartless start flexing their muscles, he’s going to need all the help he can get.

Both volumes continue Taylor’s run in style as the superhero action is never less than engaging and there’s plenty of cleverness to go along with the proceedings.  The heavy presence of the Titans in vol. 5 does make this feel like a spinoff of that title, but Dick Grayson is never less than front-and-center with the stories told here.  Which throw him some intriguing curves like getting his own fifth-dimensional imp, and obtaining Superman-level power to use for two hours.  Though the threats facing him never really feel that threatening in these volumes, there’s the sense that this is the buildup of good times for the character before things come crashing down towards the upcoming end of the writer’s run.

It’s still stylishly illustrated by Bruno Redondo (for the most part), while he and Taylor deliver another fun formalist experiment in a story told entirely from Nightwing’s perspective.  It even manages to tie into the ongoing storyline as a bonus.  All of the other artists in these volumes contribute strong work, from Travis Moore doing the majority of vol. 5, to the all-star lineup of “Nightwing” artists from the past who contribute to the milestone issue #100 in vol. 4.  I may be sounding like a broken record in saying that I’m not about to start reading this series in its hardcover-first form, but it remains solidly entertaining as I wait for it in paperback form.