The Good
Nightwing has been an incredibly solid and fun book since the New 52 reboot and the newest arc comes to a solid conclusion here.
What Kyle Higgins does best with this issue and the series as a whole is develop Dick Grayson as his own character within the comic. We aren't just getting Nightwing running around and fighting. We get to see real relationships Dick has with the world around him. What I found most interesting in this issue was how the relationship with Sonia Zucco will progress as the series continues on. While I find Higgins to be a solid super-hero writer, I think his strongest work is when Dick isn't wearing the mask in this issue and in this series. The Sonia/Dick relationship is something to keep your eye on as the series continues because of something big that happens towards the end of the issue.
I really like the tie-back to an early issue of this series as we find out who Paragon is. I like the idea of small moments in a super-heroes' career coming back to haunt them in later issues and that's exactly what we see here.
Also, it may be brief, but I really like how the Penguin is depicted here. I loved his few panels of dialogue and you really get a feeling for how he speaks here. I can't wait to see more Penguin in this series, if we get to see him.
I immensely enjoyed the art team on this book, and it pulled me in from page one. Andres Guinaldo (pencils), Raul Fernandez & Mark Irwin (inks), and Rob Reis (colors) do a fantastic job here. Early on, we get a beautiful two page splash featuring Nightwing and Paragon fighting that does an wonderful job of showing movement, and it's just really pretty. Another panel that really caught my eye was a close-up profile of Paragon where he was just on the left side of a longer panel. It's a very nice use of negative space, and I loved the small details like blood dripping off the mask.
The Bad
Two close up panels were pretty awkward in the facial expression department. In one instance, with Dick Grayson, the eyes look too big and it gives the panel a cartoony effect. The second problematic panel is the Paragon reveal. Half his face is hidden in shadow, yet it looks very off. It's hard to tell where the light source is coming from here because the shadows don't match up.
I'm not into Paragon. I just don't care for the character either way. I didn't find him incredibly interesting, until his reveal.
The Verdict
I can't wait to see how this book continues on. Nightwing has been a very solid book thus far, and this issue sets up a lot of interesting future story lines. I enjoyed the Paragon tie back to earlier issues, and I really liked all one page of the Penguin here. The art team is fantastic, and I enjoyed their work throughout the issue.
On the downside, there's a couple of close up panels that do not look so great, and I found myself not liking or caring about Paragon until his reveal and tie back to an earlier issue.
Overall, I highly recommend this issue and series.