It took a long time to get here but we finally made it. The final installment of the Saiko saga is here and it also directly connects to this week’s issue of “Batman”. In fact, the final pages of “Batman” and “Nightwing” are almost identical except this book’s conclusion is taken from Nightwing’s perspective. But even more than that, you get way more information on the exact process of how the Court of Owls recruits its Talons.
But, I’m not sure if the “Batman” scene getting thrown into this issue was jarring or not. See, I read “Batman” before this so I was able to fill in all the blanks. It’s a very paraphrased version of the scene because Nightwing describes himself as only “partially listening” which doesn’t really seem like him. So if you haven’t read “Batman” I can imagine the
It’s pretty interesting to compare Capullo and Barrows work together side-by-side, though. It’s rare that you see two artists draw the same scene in two different books. Speaking of Barrows, he and Geraldo Borges do an awesome job with this book. The flashbacks look extraordinary and the action on every page is easy to follow and there are some very unique page layouts that could have been cluttered and confusing, but really paid off!
As far as story content goes: you came for the Saiko saga, but what you get is a hardy portion of “Night of the Owls” set up. Sure, all the loose ends of the Saiko threat get tied up (mostly, you’ll see on the last page…and it’s good!) but what you’ll really spend a lot of time discussing are the flashbacks and the loads of new info regarding the Owls. Answers that readers who only read “Batman” only got hints of. However, those folks who have only been reading “Batman” got the answer to the “Mystery of Haly’s Circus” in today’s “Batman” issue without having to read the 7-part Nightwing adventure. Also, if you already read “Batman” before picking this up, you’ll probably get bored with the final few pages because, like I said, they’re almost exactly the same. Same goes for if you read “Nightwing” before “Batman”, those final pages will feel repetitive.
SCORE: 7/10
