In this review of Nightwing #141, Bludhaven waits with bated breath to find out if Nightwing will come forward and surrender for the Superhighway accident…
Nightwing #141 main cover by Jorge Fornés (DC Comics)
NIGHTWING #141
Written by DAN WATTERS
Art by DENYS COWAN
Main Cover: JORGE FORNES
Variant Covers: DUSTIN NGUYEN, TIM BRADSTREET, DAN MORA
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 8/19/26
This review contains spoilers
As Bludhaven prosecutor Emily Eastbourne waits for Nightwing to turn himself in at the courthouse. Nightwing doesn’t know what he’s going to do, dressed in a jacket and blue ball cap in the crowd, and hears a loud man saying Nightwing going too far beating a corrupt cop is finally “doing the right thing”, after being too weak on crime, telling a story from the past about Nightwing letting a drug dealer go with a fright. Kate Spencer, Manhunter and attorney, approaches Nightwing in the crowd and asks him not to turn himself in, but she will represent him if he does so the Justice League doesn’t start getting convicted. They overhear another woman talking about how Nightwing talked her off a roof, literally, when her father died, and she knows Nightwing will turn himself in to clear his name. The deadline comes, and just as Nightwing is about to put on his mask and step forward, the witch steps forward, calling herself Anita Lee, claiming responsibility for grabbing the wheel of Nightwing’s car and causing the accident. As she is arrested, Nightwing notices a man who isn’t watching Anita, and chases after him as Kate Spencer is annoyed. Breaking into the man’s apartment, Nightwing learns that Anita, who he recognized as not the witch of Bludhaven, was paid to take the fall for the real Witch by Mayor Bisogni, who left a note with the man thanking Nightwing for dealing with the consequences of the Superhighway. We see the Witch still predicting doom in the company of the Mayor, as Nightwing struggles through a panic attack.
Times up, Nightwing… (DC Comics)
Analysis
Dan Watters continues to bear down on Nightwing like a skyscraper’s weight on one man with the conclusion to his Bludhaven Lore arc. With Bad Seeds coming next, it seems extremely unlikely that any relief for Dick Grayson is on the horizon, and the overall suffocation of the arc, while very effective, isn’t much fun. Though I like how he’s woven both new characters like his medical examiner from Dark Patterns and one of my favorites, Kate Spencer, Manhunter (created by Mark Andreyko and Jesus Saiz), neither of them are well integrated. The purpose of the Bludhaven Lore arc seems largely to flesh out the history and “normal” characters of Bludhaven, though unlikely that many of them will be seen again. While I heartily approve of expanding the civilian cast of superhero comics – the sense that capes only spend any time with other capes is a frustrating result of the power creep of the past 15 years – I feel the development of more of a Commissioner Gordon and other standard figures would be helpful. If the ME and Kate prove to be such characters in the ongoing arc, that would be great, but given how Martian Manhunter and other cameos have gone in Watters’ run so far, I am not too hopeful. There’s a general sense that Watters is nowhere near done slamming Dick into the ground, and while few writers are as good as it as Watters (despite a few significant critiques I’ve voiced in these reviews during this arc), I’d really like an upswing sometime soon.
Denys Cowan provides striking and appealing linework, proving once again why he’s a DC Legend, with another Legend, Norm Rapmund, providing inks for his energetic and powerful linework. Francesco Segala’s colors, carefully limited in palette, give a sense of seriousness and emotional weight to every carefully rendered panel. Again, Nightwing is one of the most consistently effective books on the stands artistically, and it’s a pleasure to see such a great team working on a book with a lot of eyeballs on it.
Our main cover by Jorge Fornes shows Nightwing being taken against his will to The Courthouse – more nice design from Fornes. Tim Bradstreet’s variant shows a Nightwing, downcast and in deep shadow, against a target. Dustin Nguyen’s variant features Nightwing semi-transparent torso against a rain-soaked Bludhaven street – very evocative. Dan Mora’s Dark Knight Returns 40th Anniversary cover features his rendition of Batman and Carrie Kelly Robin and the iconic lightning.
Final Thoughts
Watters and Cowyn weaves a well crafted tale of Nightwing as a conclusion to his Bludhaven Lore arc, but nothing is resolved and our hero remains in a horrible state.
