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Nightwing #69
Bridget Haines |
| Title: |
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Ins & Outs |
| Cover Date: |
July 2002 |
| Story: |
Chuck Dixon |
| Pencils: |
William Rosado |
| Inks: |
Rob Stull / Marlo Alquiza |
| Colors and Separations: |
Gregory Wright / Digital Chameleon |
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Synopsis: (WARNING! SPOILERS!)
Part 9 of "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive"
oens with Nightwing Spelunking
through the
various semi-inaccesible entries
to the Batcave
and thus the manor. Alfred comes
up with
the idea of "smoking the
hull",
the manner in which wooden ships
would be
checked for leaks before sailing.
By setting
a small controlled fire in the
hold, the
smoke would come out through
any leaks. Robin
arrives in time to devise a way
to do the
same, without giving away the
location of
the cave to outsiders. They release
a light
gas, and color it only in the
infrared spectrum.
Using a glider, Nigthwing is
directed to
the entries big enough for people
to pass
through, that are not already
known and secured.
The first lead is a no go however.
Scene change to the Bludhaven
PD serving
a warrant on a drug dealer. Amy
Rohrbach
is with them, without her partner.
Hicks
tips his hand as his true colors
begin coming
out. This is the dealer's girlfriend's
home,
and htey're going in armed for
bear.
Nightwing tracks the gas to a
barn, abandoned
on the property itself. He finds
loose floorboards,
torn up and replaced. He climbs
down to investigate.
Robin and Alfred head out to
the barn to
look for more physical evidence.
Meanwhile Amy and the BPD bust
down the apartment
door. The perp offers to make
a deal.
Robin finds some fibers that
haven't been
there long. Dick continues spelunking
through
the winding passage.
The drug dealer turns up a duffel
of cash.
Amy begins to count it to enter
into evidence.
Hicks and the perp have another
idea though.
Back in the cave, the fiber turns
out to
be of the sort professional cave
explorers
wear. Nightwing is startled by
some bats.
Amy draws her shotgun on the
crooked cops
who want to split the half million
dollars
in drug money. He plans to kill
the perp
and claim he was resisting arrest
and all
they found were some of his drugs.
When Amy
protests, he eludes they'd kill
her too and
claim the dealer shot her.
Dick finds something in the cave
at one of
the security laser tripwires.
Gunfire is heard in the apartment
of the
drug dealer. The door is blown
off the hinges.
Amy walks out with the duffel,
the dealer
cuffed, his girlfriend beside
him, and the
cops dead (or at elast bloody
and unconscious)
on the floor. She says deadpan
"Warrant
served."
Robin looses communication with Wing. He
begins to panic that something happened to
him and they should go look. Nightwing enters
moments later, covered in goop, wet and bedraggled,
with the remnants of some device that self
destructed.
Analysis:
Cover:  (3 of 5cowls)
This month's Michael Golden cover is better
than last's. The only thing I don't like
in it is the heavy use of pink. It just makes
it seem like its a barbie book or something.
I like the concept of the image, Dick bursting
out from onr of the cave openings with the
bats, while Alfred and Robin look on aghast.
It sort of points to what's in there, but
a change of perspective might have helped
it a little. The hands needed to be closer
to the front, and larger, as a better focus.
As is they are off center and a little to
reduced to be much impact. The only thing
that draws the eye is that godawful pink,
and it takes away from an otherwise strong
image.
Story: (4 of 5 cowls)
This month Chuck gets a 4, though it doesn't
have diddly to do with his foray into the
fugitive storyline. Watching Nightwing crawl
around all wet in mucky caverns seemed like
just an excuse for someone to draw him upside
down a lot. The way of finding the opening
was unique, and I liked the use of Robin
here, but otherwise it moved a little slow
and a little average. However, the return
of Amy Rohrbach, in ass-kicking fashion,
got a big thumbs up. Sticking to her guns,
my favorite minor player in this book showed
us all that she can hold her own, even without
her nighttime vigilante partner. This is
a mother of two, a wife, happily married,
tough as nails, honest, hard nosed, and someone
who can kick bad guy butt with the best of
them. Go Amy!
Artwork: (3 of 5 cowls)
A small step up from Trevor, but Rosado needs
to do some anatomy studies and stay far far
away from any more attempts at exaggerated
perspectives. He just badly distorts bodies
the way McCarthy did faces. In some panels
he showed potential, but it usually faltered
to flat looking images and uninspired seeming
renditions of known characters. I am hoping
they find a more suitable permanent artist
before interest in this book fades.
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