NIGHTWING #22

[ JUMP FOR THAT SALE, BABY ]  

When he was a kid, Dick Grayson hated ghosts so much, that when he grew up he tried to fight off this fear by walking with one. Yeah. I'm not poking your ectoplasm, pal. I saw it in this very fine tale devised by the Ghostbusting team of Kyle Higgins, and Will Conrad; Published by DC Comics, in June, 2013.

Using GENERAL terms, answer the following 4 questions about this STORY entitled 'Showtime'.

• WHAT'S THE MAIN THRUST OF THIS TALE: Using all of the means at his disposal, Nightwing tries his best to halt the Pranksters shenanigans whilst forcing the Mayor to unveil his connection to Tony Zucco.  
• ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED: No. Not at all. The Prankster has his own plans you see. Plans that quickly kicks the Mayor and his city to the curb harder than Chinese algebra.   
• ANYTHING ELSE HAPPEN: Yes. Michael publishes a picture showing Nighwing and the Prankster in cahoots.  
• HOW DOES THIS STORY END: With sh*t hitting the fan, big time.

All in all, what is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

When Tony said to his son...

'You want to be a grownup, don't you? Well, grownups take responsibility when they do something wrong'

A small part of me yelped out in amazement 'What the f*ck?'. Before I continued mumbling to myself by grumbling, 'Is Tony a changed man now? Or is he a hypocrite of sorts?'.

Hmmm. Makes you think which one is true, doesn't it?

What are the BEST bits about this issue?

(+) Will Conrad did a pretty decent job filling in for Brett Booth in this issue. Granted, he's no Brett. Yet, whilst saying that, I do feel Wills style of art complements this type of a story line quite a lot. It's very de-saturated, smooth, and has a very nineties vibe I really do dig.

(+) Seeing Tony Zucco playing it nice for a change was a very nice addition to this tale. Well, let's face it, when a 'bad guy' tries to change his spots, it is quite intriguing to see what will happen when he eventually comes face to face with the 'good guy'.

(+) To be completely honest with you, folks, I'm still sitting on the fence about this Prankster character. On the one hand his costume looks silly, and he doesn't appear imposing enough as a villain in his own right. While, on the other hand, what he did in this issue really did prop him up a notch or two in the 'bad-boy' stakes.

(+) My God, the last section of this comic book was one hell of a joyride. Now without giving too much away, I just loved the shock-value that this particular part had on offer. In fact, it was so shocking, and so brash that...

What are the WORST bits about this issue?

(-) There was something very off about this issue where its overall pacing was concerned. It started off slow. It then grew faster and faster. Before finally -- BANG -- it just rocketed to the moon and back like Bowie on acid. Very eclectic. Very disjointed. And very... errr... very? Ha!

(+) I wasn't too keen on that scene where Dick asked his new room-mate for some help. Personally speaking, this two page sequence didn't fit very well within the confines of this tale. A part of it felt 'wedged in'. Another part of it felt 'too obvious'. And another part of it didn't really show Dick in his best light.  

Choose TWO CHARACTERS out of this comic book, and then compare them to SOMETHING YOU CAN BUY ON EBAY .

A MODEL AIRPLANE AS NIGHTWING: Well, they are both well-built, air-worthy, and fun for kids!

A JOY BUZZER AS THE PRANKSTER: Hey! What else is there that can be both irritating and fun depending on your perspective?

What QUOTE would be appropriate to sum-up this story?

'Loyalty to country, ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it' -- Mark Twain

What SONG, THEME-TUNE, or MELODY, would complement this tale, as well as add and extra dimension to it by default?

'NOWHERE TO HIDE' BY MARTHA AND THE VANDELLA: One of the main reasons why I'm comparing this tune to this tale is because of the way its final section ended. Ha! Say no more.

ANYTHING Else?

Now it possible for Tony Zucco to become a changed man after all these years? And if so, how did he do it? Huh? What helped him become such a nice guy?

OK. I know that the Mayor helped. That's a given. Plus having a wife and a family to support would've also given him some extra added incentive.

Yet, one the reverse side of this argument, these two aspects could have worked in determent as well. The Mayor is a crook, and honour amongst thieves is nothing more than a myth. And having people depending on Tony could have added some pressure to his already fragile state, causing him to go off the rails for the shear release of it.

Oh! I don't know. I'm rambling now. It's just that being a bit of a crime buff myself, I've always found redemptive tales more engrossing than your usual run-of-the-mill adventure type yarns. Furthermore, I suppose what I'm trying to say, is that I hope this one ends up in a similar manner. Redemptive. Not adventurous.

Know what I mean?