The New 52s: One Year Later – Nightwing

A year ago I bashed Superman and praised Nightwing, now 12 months later the shoe is on the other foot.  Now we are not talking a complete role reversal in that I am despising Nightwing as I initially felt about Superman, but I am not enjoying the direction Nightwing has taken.  With Nightwing my issue is with how Kyle Higgins has conceptualized Dick Grayson/Nightwing but how the series has developed.

Nightwing has now gone through 12 issues and the only thing that has happened emotionally is that he has slept with an old friend a few times. I am not saying the comic is lacking a romantic angle, what I am saying is that the story is devoid of all emotional content: happiness, angry, joy, frustration,anything.  The issues are not bad, they are just BORING, like a horrible season of your favorite show boring.

Comic fans have long criticized Nightwing for its lack of independence because DC will not let him out from under Batman’s wing and just have the freedom to develop outside of Gotham.  For a short time in the late 90s and early 2000s  while Chuck Dixon was writing and even part of Devin Grayson’s run Nightwing was apart from Gotham, living in Bludhaven and moonlighting as a police officer taking down corruption and staying clear of

The Gotham Chronicles 2.49 (Thoughts on Damian Wayne)

Before we get to the only 2 Batman serials of the week I thought I would just drop my 2 cents on Damian.  First, Dick Grayson growing up and out growing Robin worked, Nightwing is a great character and one of my Top 5 (Maybe even Top 3) characters of all-time.  His attitude works, costume is cool, Nightwing works.

Enter Tim Drake, hands down he is the best little red.  Also Drake was the first Robin I actually really liked.  Tim Drake loved being Robin, he had sass and wit; I though he just worked perfectly as the sidekick for Batman.  Red Robin does not work, maturing him and giving him individuality is just making him a red version of Nightwing.  Tim works as Robin, he loses something as Red Robin.

Onto the son, I really like the character of Damian Wayne.  Aside from Bruce Wayne, Gotham does not have any other character so deep with damage and baggage that is not killing people for a hobby.  Though from time-to-time you question if Damian does kill for hobby.  As Robin, Damian is too much like Batman in personality sense, Robin gave Batman humor and humanity.  Damian just makes the room darker and makes you wonder if Batman can keep the leash on him short enough before they both implode.  It’s like putting peanut butter cups in your peanut butter flavored ice cream, there is a point of overkill.

The Gotham Chronicles v2.47

This week, even without a Detective Comics issue is a great week, and many great issues overshadowed the very minor poor productions.

As Mr. Haley said, let’s get down “to the heart of it.” Nightwing was awesome, while not overly exciting it just set up a killer story that has Dick Grayson hunted for his past and will bring him back to his childhood and finally explain what brought down his family.

Nightwing takes on a hitman who has obviously read too much of Marvel Comics, but somehow got ahold of Nightwing’s Origins issue and knows more than an enemy should about the Original Robin of Gotham.  Clearly the story is going to delve into what caused the murder of the Flying Graysons, but I am also hoping with the gifts that the son is about to have bequeathed to him bring him an independent place.  My first thoughts on the warehouse were all the toys stored away and that the Batcave has much of the same artifacts randomly lying around… could this be his future home?

Nightwing #1 (2011)

So what has it been, 2 and a half almost 3 years since Nightwing had a solo title? I am still amazed DC cancelled the title, but I guess it needed to go in their storyline of Batman dying and Grayson becoming the Bat. But let’s get off the transgression of the past and just say what needs to be said:

Thank you DC.

Nightwing is not my favorite character, but he is my favorite book title with Ultimate Spiderman & Detective a very close second. (FTR: Batman is the favorite character)

Why not Batman then you ask?

Batman is large and all-encompassing, sort of like the Olive Garden of DC Comics, while Nightwing is simple and raw like a small mom and pop Italian whole-in-the-wall on Mott St… not tell me where you would rather eat?

Dick Grayson started out as the annoying and always ridiculed Robin, I think he might have hated Robin as much as we do. Do mistake, he loves what it made him, but he never loved the second bill, he hated the orders but he always puts current Robin’s with gripes right in their place. So he respects his roots, and the road it took him… sounds like most of our views on how we were raised through discipline and school. But again, off topic.

As Dick, without the suit he seems to separate superhero and personal life apart the best. He has fun, dates, lives like a slob and has an actual job that contributes to society as much as his costume as a police officer. Though it is unclear if he continues to wear blue on the day shift in the new line.

So onto the review.

The artwork is stellar and to the point. Eddy Barrows draws Nightwing just like it should be drawn, gloomy, grimy and dangerous. Metropolis is far to clean and safe for a superhero.

The debut opens well after Nightwing is trained, he never comments on Robin, but does reference living in the Mansion. He also mentions spending a year covering for Batman and glad to be back in his own threads. So it questions if the “Broken Bat,” Fugitive,” or “Death” could be a past story still inherited in the timeline. It will probably be explained as a sabbatical for Bruce Wayne in the end I am guessing. But it is hard to tell where it falls and what did or did not happen in only one issue and DC is being about as helpful as a politician in a non-election year.

In Detective, Batman references a timeline that seems to put Bruce fairly early on, maybe  even pre-Robin.  In Batman Comics Wayne is much old and has Damian as Robin and is referenced as his son.  So that makes it off the Detective timeline.  I am assuming this is falling somewhere in the middle, but who knows with DC.

Playing with a continuity of a decade difference I am going with the assumption of multi-Earths because a single-Earth story playing on different ends of the spectrum who create chaos that each story is inversely effecting the others history or future.  I am fine with that because a single universe create much more chaos and required reading.

And yet again I am way off course.

The first issue is pretty straight forward, Nightwing fights a few nobody thugs, a couple of punks try to rob Grayson and get put in their place until his showdown with what will obviously be the supervillan… or at least for one more issue. My early guess, the guy in the circus who he just met with his old flame.

Nightwing #1 gives little story-meat and more action, again just fine with that.  Dick mayor may not work for the P.D. and in fact there was no reference to Bludhaven so again the question of his youth/experience is unresolved.

All in all I really genuinely liked the book, not just as a fan that wanted the title back. But I like the art, the story was straight and simple and they duo worked well together. I do like the occasional crossover of characters into a title for an issue or two, but I really hope DC lets Nightwing be Nightwing and keep the visitors to the occasional treat, not the permanent fixture.

NEXT: The Superman Disaster! Action Comics #1