Nightwing #153
	Story Title: ‘Black Down’ Writer: Peter J. Tomasi Penciller: Don Kramer Inkers: Jay Leisten, Sandu Florea, Rodney Ramos Colorist: Hi-Fi Cover: Don Kramer, Jay Leisten Letterer: Sal Cipriano Editor: Michael Siglain Published by: DC Comics
	Reviewed by: Bruce Logan

The last issue for yet another much loved (for me) series and I can’t help but feel even more disenchanted with current DC.

That the series tie very closely to the Bat-family makes the loss seem just that much harder. Add to that the current absence of Bruce Wayne and the seeming end of the “Nightwing” persona for Dick Grayson and now we are entering torture overkill territory.

Nightwing, both as a series and as a character, has had a good time the last few issues. Since taking over, writer Peter Tomasi had not only undone all the crap from all the Post-Infinite Crisis issues preceding him, he almost completely wiped away the memory of the bomb (not in a good way) issues of the Devin Grayson’s run. As any Nightwing fan will attest to there are quite a few bombs in that run. Tomasi’s run returned the tone and levels of the Chuck Dixon days. Even the sales had stopped their downslide and even drawn back few of the old and/or new readers.

All these positives makes this series (and character) a prime candidate for Dan Didio to work his crap-magic on. After all, he is such a fan of Dick Grayson’s character. I mean come man; the guy tried his best to “award” Dick a heroic death in Infinite Crisis. If that isn’t an act of a fan I don’t know what is.

As for the story itself, it’s a simple ‘wrap-up’ tale with Dick closing shop in New York and returning home to Gotham. There are farewells and meetings galore right from the JSA helping Dick move his stuff out to the best-friend offering help in making the trip to the new place/home to spending some time with the family, (given the loss they have suffered). Although nothing ground breaking this is safe, solid story telling ending to one of the longer running DC series.

Don Kramer’s artwork is consistent as ever. In his run on Nightwing Kramer has given the character and series a mature (not in an adult kind of way) yet lively feeling and this issue is no different. There are a couple of panels where I would have liked better definition but somehow given that it’s all drawing to a close I can’t bring myself to harangue over it too much.

Conclusion: A toast to one of my favourite (memorable) series and to the hope that once Didio & Cronies are drummed out of DC the new management has enough sense (and less Silver Age fetish) to bring back the ‘real’ Nightwing.

RATING: 8/10