Originally Posted by
Pohzee
I already pitched several ideas for Ric on here, so I want to get back to some pitches involving the real Dick Grayson. I see that the Dick Grayson appreciation thread has cycled back to its monthly hate-on-Blüdhaven routine that has been interrupted somewhat by how distractingly awful Ric Grayson is. So I'm going to pitch yet another excuse to get Dick out of "the Blüd" (though I'd totally be fine with just nuking it again and moving on.)
Seeley talked in his initial interviews for Nightwing Rebirth about how he viewed "Grayson" metaphorically as Dick's time at college. "Nightwing," he said, would be about him returning from college, and so he did. And he floundered. So I'd like to revisit this idea from a new perspective: one that is also true to the character's history- Dick as a college dropout.
In this running metaphor, Dick's time as Robin was his outstanding track record in secondary education. He was a rising star in the superhero community. Protege of Batman and leader of the up-and-coming New Teen Titans. He was a hotshot, the standout of a promising rising generation. One day, Abnett wrote, he would lead the Justice League. But then he didn't.
Instead, he moved to Blüdhaven and fought D-list, street level mooks. This step-down in scale and excitement would be viewed through the lense of Dick dropping out and getting a low-end "Superhero Job." And with this very long explanation out of the way, this is the point at which I would start the story.
This would be told kind of like Grayson, rather than writing arcs or for trade, the story would be told in three "seasons."
Season one should detail Dick's disillusionment with his current situation. Dick should be talking with another hero of his relative age who deals with threats larger in scale than what he sees in Blüdhaven. Perhaps Cyborg on the League, perhaps Wally, perhaps Kyle Rayner out in space, perhaps a Titans reunion akin to a high school reunion. But as a result of catching up with the another hero, he realizes that his superheroics are much less exciting than that of his friends and mentors. This conversation inspires a moment of self reflection that will lead him to question the choices he has made as a superhero.
In a very meta sense, Dick should realize that he was at his most recognizable as Robin. Not wanting to have peaked in high school, he begins to reevaluate why he has anchored himself to Blüdhaven in the first place. But as a hero, Dick would feel guilty abandoning the people of Blüdhaven. He feels paralysed, stuck in place at a dead end job that is unfulfilling. This gives him depression and anxiety which begins to impede his ability to fight crime. Reaching out to Barbara, Wally, and others for advice, he comes to realize that he has no real need to feel loyal to Blüdhaven. His genuine connections are with people in the larger superhero community, and he could save more people and more lives by working superheroics on a larger scale. So Dick decides to move on.
But how do you just quit protecting a city? There's no legal contract in place, but just leaving with no notice would be rude. There's not much precedent for this in the superhero community, so Dick decides to put in his two-week's notice. He hold's a press conference to say "I quit."
Season two be the weird, goofy part of the story where the city takes this news like a bad breakup. Some people will try to convince him to stay by showing him how much they love him. Others with take it bitterly and protest and try to drive him out of town. It should be all over the news in Blüdhaven as panels argue in a parody of the classic Frank Miller talking heads. Certain rogues will take this as their last opportunity for revenge and come swinging at him hard. The municipal government will respond with harsh criticism and try to arrest Nightwing for his unlawful vigilantism, despite previously turning a blind eye to it. Everybody is gunning for him. I'd spend a few issues playing with this hostile environment as Dick rides out his last two weeks.
Season 3 would be Dick's return to "college." I would have him work to develop his experience in a season of one-shots much like season one of Grayson, much like the often proposed "Brave and the Bold" series folks are fond of. Immediately "post breakup," Dick would visit his immediately close friends. The first few issues would be him visiting the likes of Wally, Kory out in space, and finally Bruce, Barbara, and Damian in Gotham, stopping in for advice. Afterwards he should spend time training under different experts from different areas of the DCU. He could train in sparring from Wildcat and Detective Work from the Elongated Man. He could spend an issue trying out different teams and teamups with the Justice League and Spyral.
After these three seasons of development, I would try to spin Dick out into a new and meaningful direction in the broader DCU, whether it be as a leader on a team or a spy or a solo hero with a focus.
And IF some writer decides down the line to return Dick to Blüdhaven AGAIN, then they could use this story as the perfect foundation to explore what happens when a superhero protecting a city quits upon his return and how the city has changed.