Imperceptibly, Nightwing makes use of its cat meme cover and tells an actual “cat person” story. By the convenience of Beast World, Nightwing and Jon Kent team up to track down Damian when he goes missing. Although, they may need to pry him out of the hands of DC’s newest “Beast Woman.”
Good Cop, Super Cop
In last issue’s backup story, Apex Ava captures Damian Wayne mid-investigation during the Beast World event. In response, Nightwing enlists the help of Superman to look for his friend in Gotham. Still, I hope Taylor isn’t including Jon just because he wrote his solo book. As best friends and “Super Sons,” Jon can usually find Damian’s distinct heartbeat like his father can with Batman. However, I’m happy that disturbingly convenient skill doesn’t work in this story. Instead, Jon and Nightwing break into the new Iceberg Lounge to question the Cobblepot siblings for information. Surprisingly, they tell the duo about an underground fight club for beast men. The venue itself is a sunken hockey stadium half a mile beneath Gotham.
When they finally arrive, the heroes discover that someone is forcing the mutant victims to fight to the death. Naturally, this includes the newly cat-like Damian, but simply in his regular uniform. Despite Damian’s goofy moniker of “Mr. Mittens,” he gains a quick and violent reputation in the arena. This is important because as an avid animal lover, Damian wouldn’t want to hurt them or any innocents in general. Although initially restraining themselves from interfering, the heroes step in to protect their brother from making a mistake he’d regret. In fact, the thought of what he could have done under the influence of the parasite deeply haunts Robin even after the battle.
Ava, The Hunter
Of course, all of this is just a sick game to our new antagonist Apex Ava. Apparently, Ava was once an inmate within Arkham Tower suffering from Sakutia. Careful readers may remember this to be the same disease plaguing Beast Boy before he receives his abilities. Anyway, upon learning about her sickness, Ava allegedly went on a hunting spree. She even got several tattoos of her kills all over her skin. In many ways, Ava’s backstory and design are not much different from Marvel’s Kraven, The Hunter. The only difference besides inheriting Beast Boy’s abilities, is her strange control over the Garro spores. Honestly, this cheap trend of introducing new versions of heroes and villains like The Gardner, Phantom-One, Shush, and Doom Patrol’s Beast Girl has got to stop. Hopefully, the character ends up growing out of being an “evil” Beast Boy.
The third act mostly focuses on the trio of heroes taking on Ava and the rest of the traffickers. While the way Basri frames the action isn’t very dynamic, the book is still entertaining. For instance, Nightwing and his Robin fighting together is nostalgic. Yet, Tom Taylor ignores Damian’s “life threatening” injuries from his fight with the bear to make it happen. Furthermore, the most dramatic feat in the book comes in a show of Jon’s herculean strength. Jon’s awe inspiring moment reminds me of the third act set piece of Superman Returns (2006). Ava’s design isn’t that bad, but I can’t get a sense of her personality. Her body language on her character sheet implies insecurity, but she is despondent and shows bursts of sociopathic bloodlust. In any case, she’s able to evade three experienced heroes in her first appearance.
Recommended If…
- You get a kick out of anthropomorphic heroes.
- You need a breather from some of the more intense Beast World stories.
- Following Tom Taylor’s Nightwing with enthusiasm.
Overall
Overall, Nightwing #110 is certainly an entertaining spin-off of the larger event, but lacks verisimilitude. Tom Taylor expects readers to believe that within three days of getting abilities, Ava starts a fight club with elite real estate. Who are these sick Gotham citizens more interested in monetizing a crisis than figuring out how to survive it? Gotham can’t be that dense, right? Additionally, Damian ignoring his injuries until he feels like being in pain is a bit too convenient. Not to mention, PSA they give to ease his mind from his actions as a feral monster is impersonal and dull. Luckily, Sam Basri really does a decent job illustrating this issue, while Taylor manages to insert some character interactions I appreciate and others may too! The question is, when will she show up next?
Score: 6.5/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purposes of this review
