Future State: Nightwing #1
DC Comics
Written by: Andrew Constant
Art by: Nicola Scott
Colors by: Ivan Plascencia
Letters by: Wes Abbott
Hard to imagine there isn’t a Nightwing fan who would like to pretend the Ric Grayson era never happened, but let’s just revisit that quickly for a moment. While that run isn’t relevant to the story in Future State: Nightwing #1, this Dick Grayson a near-instant reminder of where the Ric run went wrong.
The idea of an edgy Nightwing was promising. That chapter in his life played a major part in later events, but the execution personality change wasn’t there. The Dick Grayson readers meet in Future State: Nightwing #1 might not be what they would’ve expected from Ric, but he’s clearly dealing with some darkness.
Future State: Nightwing #1 is one of the best first issues of the event. This chapter helps expand the Gotham being developed throughout the event. It’s also a dive into Nightwing, providing readers with an understanding of his role in everything and how he feels about the state of the world.
Nicola Scott and Ivan Plascencia are an exceptional pairing. Scott’s new-look Nightwing pays enough respect to the Dick Grayson fans know while altering his uniform just enough to show readers the world has force DC’s heroes to make some changes. And while Plascencia absolutely provides a futuristic vibe with his colors, Gotham remains the rough, gritty city it always has been.
For any Nightwing fans who are apprehensive about this book: don’t be. Andrew Constant and company got it right.
Furthermore, this is a good read for any fans of the Bat Family, and a must-read for those trying to find the best books from the DC’s Future State event.
Also, tough choice between Yasmine Putri’s main cover and the variant by Scott and Annette Kwok. I generally not a big fan of banners and whatnot, but Putri is one of my favorite cover artists. At the same time, Scott and Kwok put such great detail into Nightwing’s Future State armor. Have to go with the variant here.