Writer: Dan Watters
Artist: V Ken Marion
Colorist: Veronica Gandini
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Cover Artists: Dexter Soy; Elizabeth Torque with Sabine Rich; Phan Tuan Dat; Travis Moore with Sebastian Cheng
Editors: Jessica Berbey & Rob Levin
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock
Release Date: January 21, 2026
The Martian Manhunter is the world’s most powerful psychic. Yet the Cirque Du Sin troubles him. He realizes that a mysterious force is devouring Blüdhaven. So when Dick requests his help in tackling the Zanni, J’onn doesn't want him to go.
Still, Dick Grayson knows he can’t play it safe. The Zanni beheaded Olivia Pearce. Dick’s protégé, Nightwing-Prime, is on life support. And the Zanni has lured nine children to his Cirque du Sin. So, J’onn relents and sends Dick into the fifth dimension to free the children from the Zanni's control.
Dick Grayson grew up in a circus. He knows its rhythms and ways. But can he defeat the Zanni? Or will he end up as shapeless goo like his greatest fan, the fifth-dimensional imp Nite-Mite? Let's leap into Nightwing #134 and see!
Story
The media is baying for Nightwing’s blood. The streets of Blüdhaven have become warzones. But Barbara Gordon has tallied the numbers, and the results don’t lie. Heroes like Superman and Batman have endured greater trials. She encourages Dick Grayson to regard this crisis as a bump in the road. After he ignores her advice and throws himself into danger, Barbara confronts J’onn. Martian Manhunter opines on the power of ideas and how they shape the world around us. But Barbara doesn't want a philosophical debate. She wants to know why J’onn sent Dick into the lion’s den.
While Dan Watters' story follows Dick, J’onn, Police Commissioner Sawyer, and Barbara, Dick Grayson drives events in Nightwing #134. As J’onn tells Barbara, the fifth dimension dictates our reality. While ideas can impact our world, most are stillborn or die in infancy. The few that reach maturity often only achieve a fraction of their imagined potential. But as Nightwing faces the Zanni in his Cirque du Sin, their encounter has profound consequences for Blüdhaven.
While Dick Grayson challenges the Zanni in his stronghold, Dick's physical capabilities matter less than his mental acuity. Like his mentor, Dick must find a way around the rules his enemy imposes on him. His half-sister may have lost faith in Blüdhaven’s ability to change. Dick has entrusted her with the Pennyworth Foundation funds, believing Melinda can accomplish more with them in a less troubled city. But when Blüdhaven devolves into chaos, Dick Grayson must be the beacon of hope that Police Commissioner Sawyer has compared him with in Nightwing #134.
Art
As J’onn hovers above Titans Tower, he realizes how Dick Grayson converted an idea into reality. When he slips back inside to greet Barbara, the Martian Manhunter ponders how reality can warp an idea as he stares at Nite-Mite in a bowl. V Ken Marion provides a glimpse of Nightwing-Prime in the background to illustrate how even the best ideas are flawed. Yet as Barbara casts doubt upon the power of ideas, she leans against a doorway in a tilted panel in Nightwing #134.
Compared with the vibrant, life-affirming colors of Blüdhaven, Veronica Gandini paints the Cirque du Sin in muted tones. As Nightwing strides through the curtain-bounded big top, his black-and-blue suit contrasts with the pale green, mauve, and blue circus performers. Even the children enticed into the ghostly circus have lost their brightly colored appearance. As the beige and gray prisoners do their captor’s bidding, they portray how the quest to curtail freedom and dominate others drains the world of richness and vitality.
While characters speak black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons, Wes Abbott shares J’onn and Dick’s thoughts with white letters in colored narrative boxes. The Zanni speaks white letters into angular black balloons. The letters grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices. Yet a seemingly helpless character demonstrates the power of an idea while speaking into a blue cloud in Nightwing #134. Thanks to DC Comics for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
The Martian Manhunter fears Dick Grayson lacks the strength to withstand the Zanni's dominance. And when Dick arrives, he reexperiences the thrill of circus life. But with the fate of everyone in Blüdhaven in the balance, Dick Grayson must steel himself against the temptation of showmanship in Nightwing #134.
Rating 9.6/10
To look inside see my preview of Nightwing #134.
No comments:
Post a Comment