Comic Book Review: Nightwing #133

In this review of Nightwing #133, Dick says goodbye to his family and dives headfirst into danger – just like always.

NIGHTWING #133
Written by DAN WATTERS
Art by V KEN MARION
Main Cover: DEXTER SOY
Variant Covers: DUSTIN NGUYEN, ELIZABETH TORQUE
Page Count: 32 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
Release Date: 12/17/25

This review contains spoilers

Nightwing #133 begins, as Nightwing’s grotesque confrontation with Olivia Pearce plays on all the TV news. Dick sits next to Nightwing-Prime’s medical unit as the people in his life say goodbye to him. First, Maggie Sawyer analyzes Nightwing’s position between Batman and Superman archetypically, and his constant scapegoating – then tells him to regroup and then find the missing children stolen by the Zanni and the Cirque du Sin. Next, Dick’s half-sister Melinda says she and her wife are leaving Bludhaven, and Dick gives her access to the Pennyworth Foundation’s funds and asks her to do good with the money. Lastly, Barbara tells Dick she believes that she and Dick will save the day, like always, then takes Harley on a walk. 

While all of Dick’s support structure leaves him, the Martian Manhunter observes the chaos of Bludhaven, repeating over and over again “A Thing That Should Not Be.”

After Maggie, Melinda, and Babs have left, Dick invites Martian Manhunter to appear and make a plan. Against Manhunter’s warning, Dick is determined to penetrate the Zanni’s Fifth Dimensional world of the Cirque du Sin. So the Justice Leaguer helps Dick to dive into that world of danger, where he faces a child shaped monster trying to eat his face, then a simulacrum of Oliva Pearce holding her own head, leading him to the ringmaster.

Martian Manhunter waits in Titans Tower, worrying about Nightwing, hearing the Zanni’s music, and Nightwing Prime’s finger twitches.

Analysis

In 2001, Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker spearheaded a major Batman crossover storyline of Officer Down. Though it metafictionally serves as a touching farewell to Bat-Group Editor Denny O’Neil, in-universe, the story is incredibly frustrating as Batman literally just sits psychotically silently by Jim Gordon’s hospital bed for nearly the entire crossover. In this issue of Nightwing, Dick does exactly the same thing as Maggie, Melinda, and Barbara all talk about him and he barely responds. The whole issue only exists to shuffle around Dick’s supporting cast and get him into the Zanni’s world. And while I appreciate that yes, a superhero must confront his supervillain, the extent of the plan we are privy to is “Nightwing demands that Martian Manhunter help him dive into the Fifth Dimension where his enemy controls reality.” In the immortal words of Iron Man in Avengers (2012), “Not a great plan.” While the metafictional commentary on the Fifth Dimension as the space of creativity is fine (though still very poorly defined in what the themes are trying to actually say about storytelling, the Comics Code, etc), it doesn’t diminish just how stupid Dick’s plan is. Unlike Barbara’s plan to help Dick through the Fifth Dimension with metaphysical soup (referenced in the issue with the still soupy Nite-Mite in a bottle), there’s nothing but sheer “go find the bad guy and let’s him and me fight” given for Nightwing’s plan. Perhaps Dick’s plan will be revealed in the next issue, but in this issue, all we see is despairing recklessness, which is just a hairsbreadth from sheer stupidity.

V. Ken Marion’s art is delightfully energetic – nice to see him add some of the action and expressiveness he loves in his favorite Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner, to Dick Grayson, a similar character in look, with a very different moveset. While he doesn’t quite have Dexter Soy’s ability to evoke somber horror, the grotesquerie of Marion’s rendering of the monsters of the Cirque in the final pages was quite nicely rendered.

Dexter Soy’s main cover features Nightwing, face in shadow, holding fists ready to fight, as Martian Manhunter floats behind him above a red circus. Dustin Nguyen provides a more ethereal look, as Nightwing’s torso floats above ghostly buildings in his trademark watercolor style. Elizabeth Torque’s strong linework combines three Nightwing images – a violent fight, Nightwing’s face in intense concentration, and Nightwing falling from a building with his escrima sticks – in a vivid variant composition divided by the outlines of the Nightwing symbol.

Final Thoughts

While Watters deploys some fun structural pieces and V. Ken Marion’s art is delightfully energetic, this issue revolves around exactly one significant choice and act, and feels incredibly padded.

Ian Miller

A latecomer to comics - I started reading Bruce Wayne: Murderer, Birds of Prey, Hush, and War Games in college. Over a decade and a half later, I'm still inspired by Batman, and especially the Bat-Family (Stephanie Brown!) I started out listening to BTO, then Stella drew me to TBUCP, I volunteered to write reviews, and the rest is history! Love recording the podcast, especially with my amazing cohosts. Also a huge fan of Jane Austen, C. S. Lewis, Tolkien, and many more books!