Nightwing Vol. 2: Rough Justice (Pre-52) Review

Are the 90s... when everything- and I
mean everything bulged.

Nightwing Volume 2: Rough Justice

Writers: Chuck Dixon and Devin Grayson

Artists: Scott McDaniel, Karl Story, Greg Land and Bob McLoed.

Collects: Nightwing 9-18, Nightwing Annual #1

Background Information:

When bodies washed up in Gotham's harbour, Nightwing moved down to Bludhaven to find out how those bodies got there. He found out that the whole thing was connected to a man known as the Blockbuster. He also developed a shaky alliance with corrupt detective Dudley Soames.

So, he lives in Bludhaven now. It's a thing.

Review:

Nighwing's second volume, Rough Justice, is the comic equivalent of eating pizza for every meal; you can only take so much of it before it gets bad for you. Rough Justice stops just before that happens, but damn if it doesn't cut it fine.

So now that Nightwing knows who's responsible for all the problems in Bludhaven. Of course, now that Blockbuster knows that Nightwing's there, the battle between them is heating up. In the midst of all this, who should show up but Batman to remind us that Nightwing is a
Batman character and since Batman is a Batman character who happens to also be Batman, this book has to have an appearance by Batman.

Okay, so there's an actual context given to Batman's appearance and his insistence that he be Batman. Turns out Bruce is there to check on Nightwing and that makes Dick think that he doesn't trust him to do anything right. A large amount of the this volume ends up being given to Dick simultaneously saying "I hope you approve" and "Go the hell away!" It's a good look into the character and helps the whole series feel that little bit more "coming-of-age-y".

Writer Chuck Dixon should be congratulated also for the way he continually makes sure that Nightwing is different in every way to Batman. There's hints early on in the volume that Nightwing will be geting a sidekick that gets totally dashed the very next panel, he gets himself a car that is nothing like a Batmobile and his lair is his apartment. It's these differences that really help to set Dick apart from the rest of the Bat-Family.

The book ends with Dick chasing down the Man-Bat before Deathstroke can capture him for a filmmaker. I had expected the appearance of Deathstroke to be a big deal; a high-stakes fight between a hero and best-known adversary.

Contrary to the look on his face, he's actually a pretty jovial
guy.

It wasn't. And it wasn't for a number of reasons- not the least of which being Deathstroke's ridiculous 90s costume. Firstly, the story around Man-Bat gave me no reason to care for what happens to anyone- the stakes aren't high in the least and Deathstroke's talents seem wasted on what is really more appropriate for an issue of Batman '66. Then there's the ending; it's WAY too abrupt and fails to cash in on what should have been the emotional core of the story. It's a disappointing pair of filler issues, but that's not the worst part of this volume.

That awards goes to the Annual issue. It's written by Devin Greyson and is about Dick faking a wedding to catch a killer. It's boring as hell, ugly to look at, and completely pointless in the grand scheme of things. I shudder to think of what future volumes are under Devin Greyson's pen, because the current evidence suggests that things will be truly atrocious.

Rough Justice is a book for Nightwing fans... and just about nobody else. It gets a three out of five Batmen being Batmen because Nightwing is a Batman character.

***

+ Effective as "coming-of-age" story.
+ Continues to differentiate Nightwing from Batman.
- Deathstroke/Man-Bat story falls flat.
- That Annual...

Alternate Option: Nightwing: Bludhaven

The better of the two Pre-52 Nightwing books.

Nightwing: Year One review

Nightwing: Year One

"I'll even let you swing first."

Writers: Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon

Artist: Scott McDaniel

Collects: Nightwing (2005) #101-106

Background Information:

In the 1980s, we got Batman: Year One. Though technically an elseworlds story, it’s considered the definitive, canonised origin of Batman. Well, once that happened, we wanted more Year One stories. And we got them. Wildcats, Green Arrow, Huntress, Robin and Batgirl all got stories that explained their origins for new audiences. Amongst them, Nightwing got a solo title all to himself.

Review:

Origin stories are always difficult; they need to be succinct, yet broad enough to be believable; somehow convincing us that heroes don’t happen overnight without boring us. And thankfully, Nightwing: Year One nails it.

Bruce auditions for Horrible Bosses.

So, Dick Grayson hasn’t been doing so well as Robin. Between the Teen Titans, his job as Batman’s sidekick and his own studies, it’s fair to say he’s stretched a little thin. Now Dick’s been late to the fight one too many times. Batman’s had enough, and now Dick has been fired from the role as less-cool sidekick. Lost and alone, Dick must find a new purpose. And sure, a new, fancy costume wouldn’t hurt either.

One thing you’re bound to notice about Nightwing: Year One is just how character-focussed the story is. Dick isn’t fighting a single villain in this one (I mean, he fights Killer Croc, but he’s more of an afterthought to the whole process), because that isn’t the point. The point is the character’s journey from boy to man, and that journey is a joy to read. Dick exhibits everything that there is to like about him; his joking attitude, trust of others and hopeless romanticism all come to play here. It’s less of a superhero story, more of a personal journey, and that brings a surprising level of depth to a genre that’s often criticised for being shallow popcorn-munching stuff.

There’s still plenty of popcorn-munching stuff, though. Nightwing flips around, dodges bullets and that final battle with Killer Croc balances fun and intensity perfectly. Like I said, the action is hardly the point, but it’s fun to see a few kicks to the face every once in a while.

Along with Dick’s transition to Nightwing: Year One gives us the origin of Jason Todd as Robin. Jason is in many ways the perfect foil for Dick. Angry, overly cocky and verging on criminal himself, Jason and Dick engage in near-perfect banter and the difference in their style becomes immediately apparent. The eventual respect that comes between feels rewarding because of it, and you can’t help but feel that Dick is vital to the Bat-family.

Batgirl also makes an appearance here, and it’s here that we revisit an oft-discussed part of Dick’s character- his love life. This arc makes reference to Dick’s relationship to both Barbara Gordon and Starfire, scoring an excellent double-whammy. The issue that highlights this may feel like a diversion, but again, this is about character development, not the defeat of a villain.

I'm pretty sure the first rule of that costume is "keep your
legs together."

Before I go on to talk about art, I have to mention continuity. Originally, Nightwing’s first appearance was in a Teen Titans story called The Judas Contract. Interestingly enough, writers Dixon and Beratty don’t retcon this story away; rather, they integrate it into the narrative. Reading the two stories together, it’s perfectly reasonable to believe that these stories happen in tandem to each other- even to the point of explaining how Dick ended up with one of the most ridiculous males costumes ever conceived for the Teen Titans story. And to emphasise how impressive that is, there’s a difference in publication date of around twenty years!

The art is just about what you’d expect from a comic that’s ten years old. Not bad by any means, but definitely dated. I didn’t mind the cartoonish style, nor the sometimes over-thick outlines of characters. In fact, they help to give Nightwing a certain “bounce” about him- which, for a character who grew up as an acrobat, is a definite plus.

Nightwing: Year One is a book that no Dick Greyson fan should miss. It gets a four and a half out of five ridiculous male costumes.

**** ½

+ Works well within previous continuity.

+ Fantastic character study.

+ Excellent interaction with Bat-family.

- Art a little dated.

Alternate Option: Nightwing: Bludhaven

Start the same Nightwing volume at the beginning.

Nightwing Vol. 1: Bludhaven Review

Nightwing Vol. 1: Bludhaven

And here is the most iconic picture in
Dick Grayson's history.

Writers: Dennis O’Neil and Chuck Dixon

Artists: Scott McDaniel, Karl Story, Greg Land (ewwww…) and Mike Sellers

Collects: Nightwing (original mini-series) #1-4 and Nightwing (1997) #1-8

Background Information:

So, the New 52 Nightwing is cancelled, but that’s okay, right?

Riiiiiggghhht?

What, no? You want a Nightwing series?

Well, to celebrate Dick Grayson’s 75^th year, I’m giving you two Nightwing reviews!

Review:

“I’m really getting sick of Nightwing.”

Is something that I’ll never say.

Ever.

And the first time Dick Grayson looked awesome.

There’s something just awesome about a sidekick rising to the occasion and forging his own path. More to the point, Dick Grayson really feels like the emotional core of the DCU in any of its versions; a character that the entire DCU knows and cares about. His mentors have included Batman and Superman, he’s been leader of the Teen Titans, and the unofficial president of the former Robin’s club. In my view, it doesn’t get any better than Nightwing, and doesn’t get more exciting than the orginal 90s series collected in Bludhaven.

So there’s two things happening in Bludhaven, in the original mini-series, Dick finds out a disturbing secret that may give new clues to the death of Dick’s parents which takes Nightwing to Kravia with a new (now iconic) black and blue suit. This story isn’t the best, but I can admire it for one reason; it was definitive proof that Nightwing could hold his own in a solo series.

And by the time the ’97 series comes around, that proof results in something grand. Dead bodies have been washing up in Gotham Harbour. The bodies belong to gangsters from Bludhaven- Gotham’s ugly step-sister, so Batman sends Down downriver to see why gangsters are being knocked off and by whom.

I started reading about Nightwing with Kyle Higgins’ New 52 series. Reading this one, I was amazed at how consistent the character was between both books. This wasn’t an old, outdated version of Nightwing, but the exact character I read about in Higgins’ book. He cracked jokes, was genuinely nice to people and exhibited joy at being able to do what he does.

But what this series has over the New 52 is that, excluding the mini-series and first issue of the ongoing, there is no sign of Batman. There wasn’t much sign in the New 52, but Nightwing was continually in the bat’s shadow. Here, Dick feels like he’s truly his own man. He takes responsibility for Bludhaven and it’s a joy to read.

On top of that is the inklings of a supporting cast. There’s no Jim Gordon, no Harvey Bullock, no bat-support in a 10-mile radius of this book. That lends a lot to making this book both accessible and appealing. This isn’t “not-batman”, this is Dick Grayson showing every reason to like him.

The villains in this book are mixed bag. You have great ones like crooked cops and the man who is truly running Bludhaven, the ordinary ones like the false facers…

This is Lady Vic. Yes, she's from the 90s, why do you
ask?

And then the plain horrible ones like Lady Vic.

She’s really the only downside to the writing in this trade. A stupid, too-busy costume design and a go-nowhere story don’t endear her to anyone, but the worst part is the name. See, Lady Vic reveals that the “Vic” part of her name doesn’t stand for “Victoria”, which would actually make sense, the name stands for “victim”. Yep, “Lady Victim”… I’m not as terrified by that name as writer Chuck Dixon thinks I should be.

But that’s a small downside to a trade that feels both accessible and exciting. Bludhaven gets a four out of five “Lady Victims”… urgh, I feel dirty just typing that.

****

+ More than “Not-Batman”

+ Great for those who got to know Nightwing in the New 52

+ Hugely accessible

- The mini-series isn’t so great

-  “Lady Victim”… really?

Alternate Option: Nightwing: Traps and Trapezes

Another new-reader friendly Nightwing series.

Nightwing Vol. 5: Setting Son (The New 52) Review

Nightwing vol. 5: Setting Son (The New 52)

Dan Didio just squealed like a schoolgirl.

Writers: Kyle Higgins, Tim Seely and Tom King.

Artists: Will Conrad, Cliff Richards and Russell Dauterman.

Collects: Nightwing 25-30 and Nightwing Annual #1

Background Information:

Okay, to understand this, we need to explain some things about Forever Evil. So, yeah; SPOILERS.

Nightwing was supposedly killed in Forever Evil… or was he?

Prior to that, you also need to know that he’s in Chicago now, as a result of hunting down his parents’ murderer. Like Bludhaven before, Chicago quickly became his home afterwards, which is awkward, since the town hates superheroes with a passion.

Review:

Series cancellations are the pits, especially when you’ve spent countless issues setting up the next story. You suddenly have to pull all of those strings together and it pretty much never works to anyone’s complete satisfaction.

With that in mind, Nightwing ends relatively gracefully. Sure, there were a fistful of plot ends that I wish were resolved before what really feels like a premature end to a great series, but you have to commend Higgins on making the best of a bad situation. Higgins’ run on Nightwing ends with plenty of warm fuzzies, and makes me miss the writer (he’s not solicited for any books post-convergence).

Is he talking to Kyle Higgins?

Setting Son is a collection of pretty short stories, featuring an array of villains. In the Zero Year tie-in, young Dick Greyson, tries to navigate a blacked-out Gotham. It’s a fun diversion, and definitely one of the better tie-ins to the story that I’ve read thus far, but it feels insanely unnecessary. In the Annual, Dick and Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) reconsider their relationship while taking down Firefly. There’s two issues devoted to Marionette, a villain introduced in the last trade; and Higgins finishes his run with a story about Victor Zasz.

These are generally good stories, but their let down by the fact that this whole trade feels like Kyle Higgins waiting around for his own execution. Short stories stop his run from ending with a bang. And that’s a shame. I’d like to see more of the Marionette, and Higgins definitely leaves room for her return. There’s also no resolution to the story of Detective Morgan, who the last volume sets up to be Dick’s next big enemy. There was so much here that I wanted to see more of, but can’t because Nightwing’s picture makes Dan Didio cry.

That doesn’t make it awful. Higgins’ nowhere stories are actually quite forgivable. What isn’t forgivable is the pathetic issue 30 written by Seely and King. It features a fight between Batman and Dick for no conceivable reason other than “grrr!” I hear Grayson is a great series, but Nightwing #30 does nothing to spark interest in it.

Can we make this an elseworlds story? PLEASE?!?

I miss Brett Booth’s work in the last volume. It worked perfectly with the new era in Nightwing’s story. Will Conrad, who takes the majority of Setting Son’s art is admirable enough, but I was looking forward to a more consisted team on the title. Russell Dauterman gives by far the best art in the volume. His Nightwing #29 left me wondering why the title didn’t always look like this. It’s highly distinctive, and strangely colourful for a title that crosses over into Batman.

It’s hard for me to recommend or condemn Setting Son. I would have liked it more were it not for that final issue; but as is, it gets a three out of five Dan Didio tears.

***

+ Good, short story arcs.

+ A graceful end.

- Nothing really gets resolved.

- That awful issue #30…

Alternate Option: Nightwing: Bludhaven

See the blog for more info.

An Open Letter to DC

Some great stuff here, but improvements are needed.

Dear DC,

I don’t hate you guys; in fact, I really don’t hate you guys. In fact, you’re my favourite publisher. The New 52 has been great for me in ways that Marvel NOW! hasn’t. It’s been, in my opinion, a pretty fun ride from Green Lantern, Superman Action Comics, Batman, Aquaman, The Flash, Talon, Nightwing and even Justice League have very much entertained me.

I’ve also loved, I repeat, LOVED Arrow. It’s been a great series with a thoroughly entertaining take on the characters. I even loved Man of Steel. I realise that will lose me my seat at the cool kids’ table, but I did.

There are, however, certain things I really REALLY want you to do with 2015. Below is my… well… wish list for this year. I hope that most of these things will happen, if not all.



I'm not satisfied by Greyson
in the place of this.

Bring back Nightwing



Look, I know there are artistic reasons for it, but cancelling Higgins’ Nightwing felt like the ultimate betrayal to someone who got into DC precisely because of this title. And yes, I’m sure Greyson is great, but be honest- it’s not like having a Nightwing book. I’m sure he will return, but make it soon!

There are more than one way of doing this; I wrote an article a while back on how Nightwing could still be Nightwing post-Forever Evil. Any one of those ideas could be fine, or you could come out and do something totally unexpected (I’m hoping Convergence will allow for Nightwing to return), but please, I need a Nightwing series!

Diversify Superman

This would be MUCH better
that Supergirl's current design

This year saw you do some truly amazing things with Batman, Batgirl, Gotham by Midnight and Gotham Academy saw the Bat-books become something amazing- there was some stylistic diversity that reinvigorated the title. Batgirl’s look was fresh and contemporary without making her look like what some perverts hope girls will cosplay as; and Gotham Academy, by all reports, is more-or-less superhero-free.

There’s no other way of saying this; apply this thinking to the Superman family of books. There’s no reason not to revamp Supergirl’s costume, or to bring back Superboy with a bold new direction. You can even bring other Super-characters into the mix. I would pay to read a Krypto book, or even a Mon-El ongoing.

Put Good Writers on Diverse Titles

This guy deserves better.

When you started the New 52, you had good intentions, books like Blue Beetle, Static Shock and Mr Terrific were all books that you made a show of caring about to make you look like you gave a damn about diversity of characters in comics. Unfortunately, they didn’t last long. Not because these aren’t characters that couldn’t hold audience interest, but because (in Mr. Terrific and Static’s case) they didn’t have that great creative team.

So here’s what I propose; get the most well-loved creators on these books. I defy anyone to tell me that a Grant Morrison-written Mr. Terrific wouldn’t sell. As for Static? What about Tomasi? He’s proven himself with Batman and Robin, give him a shot. As for Blue Beetle, just bring it back!

Give Teen Titans a rest



How many more strikes do
these guys need against them?

So, we can cancel the okay titles, like Batwing but titles that have been terrible, like Teen Titans need to be kept alive? Two series since the New 52 began and they haven’t gotten better. It’s time to put the franchise away for a while. If you really have to have teenage super heroes, considering putting them all together in a Young Justice title.

I’m talking all the teen characters together- the Titans, the Ravagers, Legion Lost, all of them. This would allow you to maintain copyright and might placate the fans reeling over the cancellation of the Young Justice cartoon. Just…



Sadly, this isn't the worst of it.

Stop Sexualising Characters

There’s a reason I’m not buying Greyson, as much as I love the character: I cannot feel comfortable reading a comic near my wife and kids that features a one-page spread of a woman in orgasm. I wish I could say that that was the worst of sexualised characters from you guys, but it isn’t. Catwoman, Starfire, and a swathe of other female characters are dressed I-wish-it-was-only-half-naked with impossible poses bent (no pun intended) on emphasising lady parts. You’ve shown us that Batgirl can be just as, or even more successful when sexed-down, time to apply that logic to other female characters.

And I wish I could say it was just the women, but the men get similar treat (although, yes, not as much). There is NO reason for a lingering shot on Henry Cavil’s abs and Steven Amell can do every one of those cool exercises with his shirt on. See, sexulisation isn’t bad because you shouldn’t do it to women. It’s not bad because you shouldn’t do it to men. Sexualisation is bad because people deserve to be admired for their character, not how they look naked.

So that’s it. I’m still along for the ride, DC, and I’m looking forward to a good one, but if these issues aren’t addressed, I’m may find myself disillusioned.

Nightwing Vol. 4: Second City (DC's The New 52) Review

Nightwing Vol.4: Second City (The New 52)

Psst: Don't tell X-Men: Days of Future
Past that you stole their cover!

Writer: Kyle Higgins

Artists: Brett Booth, Will Conrad and Norm Rapmund

Collects: Nightwing #19-24

Background Information:

The Nightwing series in the New 52 started off great- a six-issue story arc. The two volumes that followed it... weren’t as great. Being tied to the New 52’s Batman meant that stories outside the crossover had to fill in the blanks. To say that they did so poorly would be unfair; they weren’t awful stories Paragon’s story arc certainly wasn’t totally awful and the fallout from Death of The Family felt relevant, but Lady Shiva’s story definitely fell flat. Sure, Nightwing’s Death of the Family and Night of the Owls arcs were entertaining, but they definitely hurt the series, leaving other story arcs to become filler (I’m convinced that the Paragon story arc could have been fantastic if it was six issues instead of four). At the end of the day, I came out of Volume 3: Death of the Family certain of one thing; if Nightwing was going to catch my interest again, he would need to be separated from Batman.

Review:

I was right. Can I say that? I WAS RIGHT!!!

"Why So--" STOP!!! THAT'S NOT YOUR
LINE

Nightwing’s separation from the rest of the Bat-Family in the previous volume the shot in the arm that his series needed. No longer reliant on Scott Snyder’s, I’ll admit, excellent run on Batman, Kyle Higgins feels like he’s truly in his element- something we’ve not seen since his first volume; Traps and Trapezes.

The notion of change has been a constant thing for Higgins’ Nightwing. He went from re-joining the circus to taking the circus to not having a circus anymore to now moving to Chicago. Here, he hopes to track down Tony Zucco; the man who killed his parents. The problem? Chicago isn’t exactly super-hero friendly. An unspecified incident has led to the city banning anyone wearing a flashy costume. Things aren’t made better when Nightwing finds himself forced to team up with psychotic hacker, the Prankster.

Firstly, yes, his name is the Prankster. And yes, there’s a certain amount of Joker-lite about him. Mostly in the way he justifies his actions by saying “where’s the prank?” when he’s about to nearly kill someone. But this is Nightwing; who, even in Higgins’ run, has been referred to as “Batman-lite”. In a weird way, the character works. Actually, he soon shakes off that Joker-lite-ness about him later in the issue when we finally get a background story. So far, the Prankster has to be the best Nightwing villain of Higgins’ run.

But it’s about more than just the villains. The society in which Nightwing finds himself fits Dick Greyson like a glove. I’ve never been to Chicago; it may as well be any other American city in my opinion. Nonetheless, a certain sense of grittiness comes across here. It actually comes across as a new kind of Bludhaven- full of dirty secrets, evil mobs and no hero in sight. Dick Greyson’s not hiding his identity because he wants to protect those he loves here. Due to Chicago’s inherent hate for superheroes of any kind, Dick really has to hide his identity to stop being arrested. It’s a realistic take on superheroes that not even recent Batman comics has managed to pull off, but Higgins handles it with aplomb.

Tony Zucco makes up a huge portion of this story, naturally, and his character is SO interesting. Having changed his name and taken up a new life, he freaks out when Nightwing comes to town, and tries his best to hide from a guy who’s been after him for ages. It’s more the character transformation, however, that caught me. I won’t spoil it, but the Tony Zucco you think you’re meeting at the beginning isn’t the one you see in the end.

But there lies my only issue with the trade. The end of the last Nightwing volume; Death of the Family, showed us a Tony Zucco that appeared to be a mob thug. Now, Zucco’s a clean-cut father working for the mayor. It’s this weird inconsistency that never gets addressed, and that becomes disappointing.

Chicago cops rate one above Stormtroopers, but several
million below... y'know... decent marksmen.

I can’t leave this review without talking about the art. Last volume art duties were taken from Eddy Barrows and handed to Brett Booth, who worked on the abysmal Teen Titans. Last volume, his work was pretty ugly. Unmasked, Dick looked too much like Rocky after a few rounds- and that wasn’t intentional, I gather. Here, the work is much better. Dick looks much better this time around and Booth even makes additions to Nightwing’s costume that look alright. I still miss Barrows’ Nightwing, but this one serves just fine.

Second City is the best Nightwing story to come out since Higgins’ first New 52 volume. It gets a four and a half out of five Rocky-lites.

****1/2

+ The Prankster is genuinely enjoyable.

+ Tony Zucco is done so well.

+ Nightwing in Chicago is gold.

- Some continuity issues with Tony Zucco.

Alternate Option: Nightwing: Traps and Trapezes

Another one of Higgins’ proudest moments with Nightwing. Read it.