Writer: Tim Seeley / Artists: Scot Eaton, Miguel Mendonça / DC Comics
Raptor really out here not giving a damn, ain’t he? After Raptor rolled on our undercover boy he started trying to run Nightwing down. It is never a good thing for a hero to take a trip down memory lane (tragic backstories all around) and this is no exception. Raptor describing the “thud” that emanated from watching Grayson’s parents hit the ground is just brutal though. Somehow, there is a comfort in seeing Raptor back to being a bastard again, as terrible as that sounds.
Raptor’s Revenge Served Cold
Raptor possess a Deathstroke-like quality. He is a villain and an anti-hero with a severely compromised moral compass. Even so, he still believes in…something. Nightwing being the object of his affection is twisted and fascinating. The story Raptor tells about his connection to his mother is only topped by Nightwing’s own version. Seeley does a great job of Nightwing building a plausible mind-palace for his foe. The exposure of Raptor’s weakness is delivered convincingly and it shows us clearly what is at stake. I’ve stated before that I enjoy how Seeley has been able to build this story piece by piece over time and now we are reaping the benefit of that world-building. Nightwing’s chickens are coming home to roost and even his place of employment isn’t safe.
The art is tag-teamed by Eaton and Mendonça which is mostly good. You can see some slight inconsistencies that often come with multiple artists or just seeing Mendonça art on this book for this long. It is unique as there aren’t all that many action sequences, mostly focusing on exposition and flashback. However, the slideshow and background while the two trade wits works out well, building the tension along the way.
The Raptor’s Revenge storyline continues as the stakes rise, Raptor makes his move, and the Runaways try to find their motivation for entering the fray. While this wasn’t an action heavy issue, it did work well to establish where everyone stands leading into the big showdown.
Reading Nightwing? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.
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