Nightwing #147 review

The Great Leap part one (Batman RIP tie-in)

Nightwing goes to Manhattan to meet with Two-Face. Two-Face needs a favor, help protect a former colleague of his under Federal protection for witnessing some sort of major crime by a major...guy (it's not said who). Of course, to get Nightwing's help, he kidnaps two people and puts them in a deadly situation (being asphyxiated in a sugar refinery...go figure). Nightwing agrees, gets the information on bother the DA colleague and the two kidnap victims, then punches Two-Face the fuck out. Back in Gotham, the DA, Carol Bermingham is being escorted out of her hotel to court when the Federal agents escorting her turn out to be hired assassins sent to kill her. Yeah, Nightwing to the rescue. A bad ass rescue, actually, before she zaps him in the face with mace. The mask, apparently, comes in handy in other non-identity concealing ways. Cool. So Nightwing gets Bermingham to court and watches outside. After...well, what, testifying I guess? Maybe they were just getting some preliminary shit outta the way? Anyway, they're escorting Bermingham to a chopper when a sniper just starts popping the guys around her. They take off, but the pilot gets his head blown off. Nightwing pulls a hangglider out of his or something and flies towards the chopper to get Bermingham before the thing crashes into a building and explodes. He saves her, the chopper explodes, but now he's got a shit ton of shrapnel in his back and crash lands on a rooftop with Bermingham safe and him bleeding all over the place. To be continued...

Okay, so even if there was some stuff that lacked explanation I thought it was a pretty cool issue. Tomasi rocked it pretty well with the action. Nightwing skydiving into Manhattan, Nightwing flying through the Feds/assassin's car windshield, Nightwing saving Bermingham in the chopper and bleeding profusely on the ground.....I don't think Tomasi is happy unless buckets of blood are shed in any given comic. Man, this guy loves him some violence. Watching a bit too much anime, though, cause these characters bleed by the gallon. Still, some exciting stuff. It's light on character work, though Tomasi tries making Harvey Dent seem somewhat of a sympathetic character, talking about how he fell in love with the DA Bermingham but never wanted to break his vows to his wife Gilda (funny, cause I just got done re-reading The Long Halloween and this bit bugged me a bit).

What this book has to do with RIP.....didn't Nightwing end up in Arkham in the last issue of Batman? So where, exactly, does it take place in relation? Before part one, two or...well, clearly before part three I suppose. That's really my only complaint. Everything else, the clunky dialogue, the contrived plot devices, minor stuff that takes a back seat to some kick ass intense action. The relation to RIP, however, is the kicker. This is why I hate Batman events. HATE Batman events. Cataclysm suffered cause of DC's marketing machine and their insistence on marking the side stories as consequential chapters in line with the main story (they weren't and fans got screwed out of a couple of extra bucks). This is the same in a way, but it's not even a side story. Just appreciate it for what it is. This issue is a pretty tight thriller kinda story, and if the remainder of the arc is like this it could kick some serious ass.

Though, before I forget, there is the opening page which I guess is supposed to be some metaphorical foreshadowing stuff. While skydiving into Manhattan, Dick flies into a clowd of bats, killing at least one head on. Yeah, what's that tell you? Hinting that maybe Dick Grayson is gonna be Batman soon? Yeah? Maybe? Eh? Ah, whatever, pick the issue up anyway, it's fun shit.