Nightwing #141 Review

 

Nightwing #141 Review

Writer: Dan Watters

Penciler: Denys Cowan

Inker: Norm Rapmund

Colorist: Francesco Segala

Letterer: Wes Abbott

Cover Artist: Jorge Fornés

Variant Cover Artists: Tim Bradstreet, Dustin Nguyen & Dan Mora

Editors: Jessica Berbey & Rob Levin

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99 US/$5.99 US Card Stock

Release Date: August 19, 2026

 

Some see it as a symbol of Blüdhaven's rejuvenation. Others, like Nightwing, believe Mayor Bisogni's Superhighway has awakened ancient terrors. Yet as intercity neighborhoods vanish, the suburbs also suffer.

 

As the media debate his culpability for the vehicular deaths in a multicar pileup, Dick Grayson learns the Mayor's intentions behind the new road that divides his city. But with the architect and his murderer dead, will anyone listen to Nightwing? And if Prosecutor Eastbourne takes him to court, will Dick Grayson end up in prison like Barbara Gordon? Let's leap into Nightwing #141 and see!

 

Story

It’s a cold morning in Blüdhaven. The chill factor comes from Prosecutor Emily Eastbourne’s ultimatum. Nightwing must surrender and face judgment for the deaths that occurred when his car plowed into others on the Bisogni Superhighway. The clock is ticking. And as Eastbourne’s deadline looms, Dick Grayson stands in the crowd gathered before the courthouse, unsure how a hero should react to these circumstances.

 

In Nightwing #141, Dick Grayson feels like he’s waging a losing battle to improve living conditions for the city's inhabitants. In his desperation to rescue abducted children from the Cirque du Sin, Nightwing and the Zanni toppled buildings like toy blocks. The Bisogni Superhighway has destroyed more neighborhoods. Nightwing cannot sleep. In Gotham, the police are gunning for his Bat-family. His girlfriend is in Supermax. And even if the cop killed a monstrous murderer, that didn’t give Nightwing the right to send him to the hospital.

 

While Dan Watters addresses the role that costumed vigilantes play in society, his story also gives Nightwing a chance to hear what people think about him. While the media have beaten Prosecutor Eastbourne's war drums, not everyone thinks Nightwing is a menace to society. They may only see a fraction of how he works on their behalf. Nightwing may not agree with their interpretation of his actions. Yet as he ponders how to respond to Eastbourne's challenge, Dick Grayson remains vigilant, wanting to protect all the inhabitants of Blüdhaven in Nightwing #141.

 

Art

Emily Eastbourne tells anyone who will listen that she is pursuing justice for the people of Blüdhaven. Yet as the readout on her smartwatch approaches zero hour, she stands atop the Courthouse steps, surrounded by her legal associates. As Dick Grayson stands amid the crowd gathered before the podium, he remembers his car plowing into two others. Then, another spectator forces people aside as he acts out his recollections. As the man makes his case, a smile spreads across his face. Dick closes his eyes and raises his hand to cover his face.

 

While Denys Cowan and Norm Rapmund portray Dick Grayson’s hesitancy, Francesco Segala adorns Blüdhaven with a limited palette in Nightwing #141. Dick Grayson wears blue and yellow as he unleashes his anger on a criminal. Prosecutor Eastbourne, Nightwing’s fan, and someone else who gives Nightwing food for thought seem united in indigo. People also project their emotions. As Billy-Boy glows yellow, his fright colors the nearby buildings and the air. And when a member of the crowd glows red, she tinges everyone around her.

 

Wes Abbott places black uppercase letters in white balloons. Narration, thoughts, and off-camera dialogue reside in colored boxes. Intonation emboldens words, while broken balloon borders indicate lowered voices. Yet as white represents shattered lives, a word in a framed photo feels like a broken promise. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

When you’re one of many, it’s easy to compare your contributions to those of your contemporaries. But operating alone, under the veil of anonymity, Dick Grayson lacks a basis for comparison. He believes he should hold himself to a higher standard. Yet recently, he’s failed to toe Prosecutor Eastbourne’s strict line in relation to two murderers. So, when she asks him to submit to a higher authority, Dick Grayson wonders if someone else should judge his actions in Nightwing #141.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To look inside see Nightwing #141 Preview. 

 

For Dick Grayson's conversation with Cannibal Colm, see Nightwing #140 Preview. 

For Dick Grayson's team-up with Dr Benas Sereika see my review of Nightwing #139. 

For Dick Grayson's team-up with Starfire, see my review of Nightwing #138.

For Dick Grayson's team-up with Batman, see my preview of Nightwing #137.

For Dick Grayson's encounter with the witch of the crossroads, see my preview of Nightwing #136. 

For Batman's team-up with Dr Benas Sereika, see my review of Batman: Dark Patterns #1. 

 

Zatanna #5 Preview

 

Zatanna Zatara has embarked on a mission. She wants to protect everyone in the magical realm. So after combating the DEO's new Occult Office to heal a plague spirit, Zatanna seeks insight from the last Prime Magus. Zehuti is the foremost scholar of the magical realm. His wisdom is legendary. And the Egyptian god disagrees with Zatanna's approach to her new office. 

After healing Aède, the mourning muse, Zatanna discovers more people in trouble. Will Zehuti's insights influence how Zatanna approaches the danger before her? And is Agent DiManes, her adversary at the Department of Extranormal Operations, the cause of more suffering?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Zatanna #5 Preview

Writer: Jamal Campbell

Artist & Cover Artist: Jamal Campbell

Variant Cover Artists: David Talaski, Bruno Redondo, And Nimit Malavia

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $3.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: August 26, 2026

 

 

The Hidden City Exposed!

 

 

Zatanna Zatara arrives in the Hidden City of the Homo Magi, the place of her mother’s birth and death. Following up a string of mysterious visions and omens, she is met with a people divided, raging chaos, and unresolved anxieties, all on the verge of erupting. And what an eruption it will be!

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For Zatanna's meeting with Zehuti, see Zatanna #4 Preview.

For Zatanna's visit to the realm of a loa, see my review of Zatanna #3.

For Zatanna's trip to New Orleans, see my review of Zatanna #2. 

For how this series began, see my review of Zatanna #1. 

For Zatanna's fight against Harley Quinn, see my preview of DC K.O.: Zatanna Vs Harley Quinn #1: All Fight Month Round Five Preview  

 

 

Poison Ivy #47 Preview

 

 

Pamela Isley tried so hard to clean up Gotham. But the power brokers disliked her methods. And the influencers turned the city against her. Now, as Gotham City Police Department TUCO squads arrest people for loitering, and signs demanding her removal proliferate, her assistants embark on a last ditch attempt to keep Pamela in the Mayor's office. 

Vandal Savage's Draconian approach to peacekeeping and the Order of the Green Knights' extremism have turned the streets into a warzone. Some of the people who should be helping the women instead see them as the problem. Can magical Juhi and Janet from HR survive the chaos and help Pamela Isley restore order to Gotham? And how is Pamela faring after her desperate fight for survival in the garden of the mayoral mansion?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Poison Ivy #47 Preview

Writer: G. Willow Wilson

Artist: Leandro Fernandez

Cover Artist: Jessica Fong

Variant Cover Artist: Noobovich, Kyuyong Eom & Manny Vincent Carbonilla

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $3.99 US/Variant $4.99 (Card Stock)

Release Date: August 26, 2026

 

 

Something Very Bad Is About To Happen.

A Batman: Bad Seeds Prelude!

 

 

Gotham City is done with Mayor Pamela Isley—there’s just one problem for everyone there: She’s not done with them.

 

The stage is set for the explosive new Batman line crossover event—Bad Seeds!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

  

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For Juhi and Julie's nightmare journey through Gotham's streets, see Poison Ivy #46 Preview. 

For what happened before that, see my review of Poison Ivy #45. 

For what happened before that, see my review of Poison Ivy #44.

 

For what happened before that, see my preview of Poison Ivy #43. 

 

For how this story arc started, see my review of Poison Ivy #42.

 

EC Shellshock #1 Review

 

EC Shellshock #1 Review

Writers: John Arcudi, Michael W Conrad, Julio Anta, Benito Cereno, Tom Fowler, William M Gaines & Al Feldstein

Artists: Shawn Martinbrough, Albert Monteys, David Lapham, Tom Fowler & Jack Davis

Colorists: Matt Herms, Albert Monteys, Nick Filardi, Michelle Madsen, & Michael Atiyeh

Letterers: Rich Starkings & Tyler Smith

Cover Artists: Lee Bermejo; Tyler Crook; Tom Fowler with Chris O’Halloran; Jay Stephens; Rian Hughes

Editors: Allyson Gronowitz, Jung Hu Lee & Sierra Hahn

Publisher: Oni Press

Price: $8.99 US

Release Date: August 19, 2026

 

The soldiers who fought in the trenches of World War I called it Shellshock. A century later, it goes by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. But whether you call it Shellshock, PTSD, or Combat Stress Reaction, it's just a label. And no label can compare to the mark war leaves on soldiers. Sometimes for a few years. Sometimes, for life.

 

EC's new Shellshock anthology begins in the charnel house of Afghanistan. Where will it transport readers next? And how will it explore the battles veterans face at home? Let's grab our combat gear, leap into EC Shellshock #1, and see what happens!

 

Story

John Arcudi transports readers back a quarter century to the Shkin Firebase in Afghanistan. In “Scorched Earth,” Corporal Rita Cruces' military service is winding down. But as her friend Denny reminds her, just because she's about to go home, she should not succumb to superstition.

 

While Rita Cruces fears venturing into enemy territory days before her release, Michael W. Conrad transports readers back to World War I. After six months of fighting in the trenches, the higher-ups on both sides have organized a holiday truce. In "Christmas," an unnamed soldier worries about abandoning the trenches to bury his fallen soldiers. But he fears meeting the monsters he's only caught glimpses of amid the fighting.

 

For this third trip through time in EC Shellshock #1, Julio Anta transports readers to Langley, Virginia, in 1964. Dr Jeremy Davis’ patriotism is the guiding force of his life in “Blowback.” As he works for the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology, he knows that a nuclear bomb could end his life in an instant. And with the insidious threat of Communism recently infecting Cuba’s leader, Jeremy hopes to succeed where the Bay of Pigs Invasion failed.

 

After examining a century of Human warfare from different perspectives, Benito Cerena and Tom Fowler venture beyond this planet wracked by conflict. In “World of the Wars," many alien races have united to forge a historic pact. The assembled species recognize the intolerable cost of warfare to their people and resources. Still, recognizing that reasonable people will not always agree, the enlightened representatives propose a means of resolving their differences without damaging their worlds or incurring civilian casualties.

 

Finally, William M Gaines and Al Feldstein return us to the battlefields of Europe in their classic 1952 reprint, "Yellow." With the Germans encroaching on their position, Colonel Clark Henderson cannot contact Headquarters in EC Shellshock #1. But while he organizes a mission to get reinforcements, Clark learns that his son, his pride and joy, may not be living up to his ideals.

 

Art

In “Scorched Earth,” Shawn Martinbrough and Matt Herms surround the soldiers with the mountainous desert. A red, white, and blue flag brightens the gray mess hall, while green and yellow link the soldiers with the foreign lands. Yet in this story about the haunting nature of warfare, yellow and orange flames symbolize the toll warfare takes on its participants.

 

Gaunt faces, protected by steel helmets, peer over sandbags at a land of stunted and broken trees. Yet burning candles affixed to barren branches symbolize common ground. When the soldiers gather, yellow and orange compete with the dominant browns and grays as darkness falls. Yet after a soldier stares at a black-and-white photo in “Christmas,” Albert Monteys paints a soldier’s recollections in vibrant green.

 

On a bright, sunny day, the US flag flies beside a building and a futuristic parking lot canopy. In their laboratory, scientists use welding torches, hypodermic needles, soldering irons, and noxious chemicals to fashion weapons of surreptitious destruction. Yet in David Lapham & Nick Filardi's dark comedy "Blowback," a white-and-red creation and blue Xs on photos symbolize the protagonist’s patriotism in EC Shellshock #1.

 

The diversity of life that gathers at an excavated comet proclaims the eternal desire for peace. Yet, Tom Fowler’s portraits of civilization and its fragility make “World of the Wars” a heartbreaking read. As Michelle Madsen enlivens a series of regulated conflicts, yellow and orange are followed by splashes of red. Yet amid the hyperreal colors of this Hollywood Tent Pole-style production, an object covered in brown cloth becomes a symbol people cling to.

 

As the Colonel studies a map, his Sergeant plugs wires into a control board while listening to headphones. Michael Atiyeh’s restored coloring adorns the characters in green uniforms and brown equipment, while faded or vibrant flats highlight foreground characters and tense encounters. As in a single-location set TV show, Jack Davis cranks up the tension as the Colonel plans, waits, worries, and barks orders in his field office. When he finally abandons it in “Yellow,” his actions lead both to victory and defeat.

 

Lettering

Rich Starkings and Tyler Smith fill white dialogue balloons with black uppercase text, while narration fills white and colored boxes. "Christmas" and "World of the Wars" are narrative-only stories. But while one bespeaks reverence for comrades, the second emphasizes following the rules to preserve the peace. Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Every action can have unintended consequences. Just as a stone thrown into a pond creates a myriad of ripples, so do the conflicts in war. Once the weapons begin firing, acts of compassion and friendship can be misinterpreted or abused. To preserve their futures, people compromise their principles in the name of peace. Yet even after the fighting stops, people pay the price for using violence to resolve conflicts in EC Shellshock #1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

For more cover art & other Oni anthologies, see EC Shellshock #1 Cover Preview.

 

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #54 Preview

 

When two US soldiers arrive in a savage, brutal land, one becomes the land's protector, while the other becomes a power-mad techno-mage. After Tyrant Rex conscripted Superman and Batman in his legion of doom, Warlord disagreed with Robin's no-killing strategy. Still, Robin helped Superman and Batman reclaim their willpower and defeat Tyrant Rex. What dangers will Superman, Batman, and Robin encounter when they return from Skartaris? And will there be hot dogs and popcorn?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #54 Preview

Writer: Mark Waid

Artist: Bruno Frenda

Cover Artist: Dan Mora

Variant Cover Artists: Miguel Mercado & Adrián Gutiérrez

Dark Knight Returns 40th Anniversary Variant Cover Artist: Bill Sienkiewicz

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $3.99 US/Variant $4.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: August 19, 2026

 

 

Play Ball!

 

 

Superman, Batman, and their fellow Justice Leaguers are forced to compete in Hell for the souls of all humanity—in the wildest baseball game of all time! Billions of lives depend on an impossible victory against a team of the vilest, most gruesome demons in the entire underworld!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For Robin's efforts to win his friends back, see Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #53 Preview. 

For the search for Superman in Skartaris, see my preview of Batman/Superman: World's Finest #52. 

For how Superman, Batman, and Robin met Travis Morgan living out his Edgar Rice Burroughs' dreams, see my preview of Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #51.

For Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent's attempt to honor their fathers, and Bat-Mite and Mr Mxyzptlk's battle for good entertainment, see Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 2026 Annual #1 Review. 

 

Batwoman #6 Preview

 

 

Some people, like Mother Despina, find their path via religion. Others, like Mr Gores, forge business empires to bring their lives meaning. When Kate Kane's sister felt lost, the beloved fiction of a classic storyteller helped her reinvent herself. 

But now, has Beth Kane become Batwoman? And why did she reinvent herself as Alice, while her "sane" sister checked into a Greek Sanatorium?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

Batwoman #6 Preview

Writer: Greg Rucka

Artist: Jeff Spokes

Cover: DaNi

Variant Cover Artists: Stjepan Šejić, Jeff Spokes & Jorge Fornés

Dark Knight Returns 40th Anniversary Variant Cover Artists: Walter Simonson & Laura Martin

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $3.99 US/Variant $4.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: August 19, 2026

 

 

Eisner Award Winner Greg Rucka 

Teams With Superstar Artist Jeff Spokes 

To Turn Back The Clock!

 

 

Broken by Alice’s death, Kate Kane was left in pieces. How did the fall that claimed her sister’s life lead to a rebirth in Petalon, and what does it mean for the future? Witness the truth of what happened that night in Gotham as Batwoman’s DC Next Level journey continues in a special issue drawn by guest artist Jeff Spokes!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

For Beth's reunion with Mother Despina, see Batwoman #5 Preview.

For Kate's reunion with someone she loves, see my preview of Batwoman #4.

For the murders that rock Greece, see my preview of Batwoman #3.

For Jacob "Jake" Kane struggle to see his daughter, see my preview of Batwoman #2.

For how this series started, see my preview of Batwoman #1.

For the Batwoman story, "Second Date," see my preview of Justice League Dream Girls: A DC Pride Event #1. 

  

Catwoman #90 Preview

 

They kept her on the move. Black Mask and Katarina Belov didn't want to give her time to think. And as she ran through the night, people with faceless masks followed her. Street parties. Magic shows. Traffic jams. Catwoman knows it's all a massive distraction. Finding the people she loves, and shielding them from Black Mask and Katarina Belov's anger, is all that matters. 

Despite how she robbed and shamed him, Carmine Falcone urges her to stay safe. But has Selina Kyle just sacrificed her life to end a great evil? And how much destruction and death has Black Mask just unleashed on Gotham?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Catwoman #90 Preview

Writer: Torunn Grønbekk

Artist: Davide Gianfelice

Cover Artist: Seba Fiumara

Variant Covers Artists: Frank Cho, Jeehyung Lee & Chloe Brailsford

Dark Knight Returns 40th Anniversary Variant Cover Artist: Joélle Jones

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $3.99 US/Variant $4.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: August 19, 2026

 

 

Game Over!

 

 

Selina Kyle has made many enemies in her life, but none who hate her with quite the same vitriol as Black Mask and Katarina Belov. With the stage set for an unforgettable night of torture and violence aimed at Selina and those closest to her, there’s only one question left to ask—when the curtains go up on the grand finale, who will live and who will die? One thing’s for certain—not everyone is making it out alive.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see Catwoman #89 Review.

For Magdalena Kyle's trauma & Samuel "Slam" Bradley heroism, see my review of Catwoman #88.

For how Black Mask strips Holly Robinson of something she values, see my preview of Catwoman #87. 

For the intruder in Selina's safehouse, see my review of Catwoman #86. 

For how this story began, see my review of Catwoman #85.

  

Wonder Woman #36 Review

 

Wonder Woman #36 Review

Writer: Stephanie Williams

Artist: Clayton Henry

Colorist: Pedro Estouco

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artist: Jeff Spokes

Variant Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Aco; Carlo Pagulayan; Jason Paz; Elmer Santos

Editors: Marquis Draper & Brittany Holzherr

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: August 19, 2026

 

When Diana died, her daughter locked herself away behind a wall of grief. So, as they traveled back through the Underworld with the Ferryman, Steve Trevor told Lizzie a story. It was a story Diana had told him when she was determined to investigate every aspect of the world beyond Themyscira. It concerned Hippolyta's decision to tell Diana about her time with the JSA. Both mother and daughter shared a desire to make the world a better place. Yet Hippolyta's experiences filled her with despair, while Diana would go on to find hope in the most hopeless situations.

 

But now, Diana lies dead. Like her mother, Elizabeth Marston Prince must choose her own destiny. What will Lizzie take away from Steve's retelling of her mother's journey? And how will the Fates react to Lizzie's life choices? Let’s leap into Wonder Woman #36 and see!

 

Story

Steve Trevor and Elizabeth are on a journey together. But in Diana's absence, what kind of trip they are taking together seems very much in doubt. This time, Steve is traveling back to the world above, and a final goodbye with Diana seems unlikely. And in her grief, Elizabeth forgets that she was once Wonder Robin, a girl who would do anything to find her father.

 

Amid the tension on the boat in Wonder Woman #36, Steve remembers being an unwanted visitor to Diana's island home. Despite his expertise as a soldier, Steve felt overwhelmed by the Amazons' battle prowess. Hippolyta had proclaimed a contest to return Steve to the outside world and serve as Themyscira's emissary there. Still, the Queen's life would be less complicated were an accident to befall him.

 

As he fondly recalls his earliest remembrances of Diana, Steve methodically paces his story. He wants to maintain his daughter's interest. Yet, he also wants to give Elizabeth sufficient time for the implications of his story to sink in. Emelie is there, but Diana's bout with her is a small part of the contest. After her time with the JSA, Hippolyta realizes an emissary needs more than swordcraft to succeed.

 

In Stephanie Williams’ story, Hippolyta becomes a tragic figure. With a throne awaiting her back home, she could never commit herself to the outside world. Yet as Diana competes with her contemporaries, Hippolyta watches, knowing that her daughter’s fondest desire is to leave her in Wonder Woman #36.

 

Art

Amid glimpses of the hooded Ferryman, the wooden boat carrying Steve and Elizabeth seems to float through space instead of across water. Clayton Henry shows the colosseum rise below it, the arena floor filled with Amazon training equipment. Hippolyta sits in the royal box, her thoughts clearly inward, while the women seated to either side look away. As the competitors line up for her inspection, one wears a mask.

 

Streaks of violet adorn the indigo sky of the Underworld, while the River Styx mirrors the glittering sky above. Steve Trevor wears green, while Elizabeth’s blue, gold, yellow, and red echo her mother’s costume. As Pedro Estouco crowns Wonder Woman #36 with warm tones and vibrant colors, golden statues line the upper walls of the colosseum. Steve's blond hair links him with the Kangas, while one animal's browband evokes the color and design of Diana's later tiara.

 

Clayton Cowles fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters. Words shrink for lowered voices and grow bold for intonation after the trials have finished. Block letters emphasizing diagonals locate us in time and space. Steve’s blond uppercase narration occupies green boxes. Sound effects enhance trials that make Steve forget he is an unwanted intruder on a woman-only island. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Diana, Hippolyta, and Elizabeth are Amazon heroes. Despite their desire to help others, they all know their limitations. As Steve Trevor returns to the outside world with Elizabeth, he doesn't want to lose her to grief. So, just as the ancient Greeks told stories about gods and heroes, Steve tells his daughter a story to help her make sense of her new reality. Because, in a world without Diana, someone must arise to take her place in Wonder Woman #36.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see Wonder Woman #36 Preview. 

 

For the first part of Steve's tale, see Wonder Woman #35 Preview. 

For Diana's battle with Lyssa in the Temple of the Moirai, see my review of Wonder Woman #34.

For what happened before that, see my preview of Wonder Woman #33. 

For what happened before that, see my review of Wonder Woman #32. 

For how The Wonder War began, see my preview of Wonder Woman #31.