Nightcrawler launches into its second storyline, a two-part story about ghosts in the New York underground.

Christine Palmer, the nurse from the previous arc, is sticking around as a love interest.  I'm pleasantly surprised to see that the book is actually heading somewhere with her, although she still seems like a rather underwritten character.  Still, the relationship subplots are well handled - Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has also incorporated the Kurt/Storm material from Claremont's Uncanny X-Men, giving us a romantic triangle plot.  But a very, very underplayed one, which works all the better for being subtle.

Continuing the theme of the previous arc, Kurt again finds himself investigating something supernatural despite his protests that he doesn't really know anything about the subject.  It's a ghost story this time - from the look of it, the ghosts of workers who dug the tunnels in the first place.  Not really my sort of thing, and I'm not convinced that this is the best use for Kurt as a character.  It doesn't really fit with him.

But there's something charmingly awkward and loveable about the book's take on Kurt, which really does capture his appeal while distancing itself from the more old-school flamboyance that he used to display.  Darick Robertson does a great take on the character, and there's certainly plenty to enjoy here.

I'm just still not convinced that we need a Nightcrawler solo title, however, and the odd choice of subject matter suggests that nobody else is quite sure what his solo book ought to be about either.  Even so, I can't deny that it's very readable stuff.

Rating: B+

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