To begin: this is the first issue of NIGHTWING I’ve read, and I picked it up because of the Night of the Owls tie-in. So the review is mainly from that perspective.

And let me say, this issue is great. There was no trouble following it for me, a NIGHTWING neophyte, and I imagine that someone without BATMAN experience could also still follow along as Night of the Owls begins.

Narratively this issue feels very much like GATES OF GOTHAM, at least to a point; some of it is in the past, recounting the story of the Talon who is Dick’s ancestor. But the modern-day tale isn’t slighted in the least as Dick rushes to save the mayor from the Talons’ assault. And that’s a pretty cool fight.

I quite enjoy the art in this issue, though once or twice during the fights I had to sort of double back to determine precisely what had happened. The script is also top-notch. I read this just after BATMAN #8, itself quite excellent, and would put this issue only a very minor step below that one.

I’ll certainly pick up NIGHTWING #9, the other Night of the Owls crossover, and then…who knows? Maybe I’ll be a NIGHTWING reader.