Nightwing #54 Preview

[K. Jones]

There's some interesting retread going on. I've been finally reading the Dixon run on Nightwing (it's good, it gives him something to do, it plays very much as a "Well, what next can we do with Nightwing to differentiate him" sort of run of books, where every other month they're asking themselves what might be cool, or popular, or different, and trying it out for a day. But it also plays as sort of a ... I dunno, "year long mission" in Dick's life, not as a template for his whole life or role in comics. Plus the enemy concepts are stellar cool but the costumes are abhorrently bad. Costume redesigns more reflective of better modern style, and more like "dark mirrors" or riffs on Nightwing's own costume, would work WONDERS for Shrike and Brutale in particular (Shrike's get-up in particular should be like, "A Yellow & Black Nightwing Costume"). Lady Vic's over-the-top flair fits her ridiculous character, even the cheese, but some of the more cultural swipes could be toned down. Double Dare, who are circus performers and reflect Dick great in that way plus are a different spin on a Catwoman trope, are way cheesecake and could use Darwyn Cooke style Catwoman costume updates to be more practical in their criminal careers.

But yeah!

The reason my brain went back to that is because we have a "Scarecrow Comes To Bludhaven" storyline. And upon reading the Dixon run I know now that "... AGAIN" is what I should be thinking. Soames at the behest of Blockbuster already called Scarecrow down to test Grayson once historically and we got the "Boy With No Fear" riff already. And then there's the Copycat Nightwings - that's the part of the story I'm actually just actively liking. I almost wish Grayson himself wasn't even in this book (still in a hospital in the Batman title in a coma or something) and all this Cop Nightwing Squad stuff was happening in the book without his presence at all really.

Because I like it a lot. I like the Classic Nightwing Costumes, the characters themselves, and how much trouble they're about to get into. I like the "Classic Batman Trope" of Copycats finally being applied to Dick - like everything that happens to Bats eventually kind of happens to him, too. (Everything but officially adopting a ward and sidekick!)

So yeah this book feels bipolar for me in that regard - love the Fake Nightwing storyline, don't give a crap about Ric Grayson.

[Badou]

How sad is it that the people that even care about this story arc are more interested in the irrelevant cop Nightwings than the actual lead in his own solo book.

[oasis1313]

How sad is it that the people that even care about this story arc are more interested in the irrelevant cop Nightwings than the actual lead in his own solo book.

I don’t think we’re quite at that level. For one thing, their names are in-spellable. Just trying to make lemonade out of lemons.

[byrd156]

Reading this story feels like doing Cersei's walk of Atonement from GoT. Just going at an antagonizing slow pace with a bunch of garbage being thrown on you.

[Vinsanity]

Compared to you all, I didn't mind the issue.

It is obvious once the whole Scarecrow thing is done that we will see him back shortly after but it is good to see another perspective.

I like Dick Grayson but I like see other sides of Dick Grayson and this is one of them.

[Rakiduam]

I vaguely remember Jason or Roy, seeing a therapist who ended up being a batman villain in RHATO. So yeah, super new.

[Godlike13]

Compared to you all, I didn't mind the issue.

It is obvious once the whole Scarecrow thing is done that we will see him back shortly after but it is good to see another perspective.

I like Dick Grayson but I like see other sides of Dick Grayson and this is one of them.

Except it’s not. Ric is actually incredibly hollow and generic as a character, with very little actual substance beyond that he was Dick Grayson, and nothing really interesting or profound is being said with Ric about Dick beyond generic in reality superhero’s would be crazy type of crap we have seen 100 times before. Which they have done nothing but just repeat over and over for multiple issues now. This is not some character exploration here. They are not treating Ric as another side of Dick, but more as of a different character who just use to be Dick. Shitting on Dick and Nightwing in the process of trying to get Ric over. Which just shows how frigging clueless these writers on this actually are. Cause who exactly do they think there audience is here.

Though I don’t think they are really clueless, I just don’t think they give a crap. They’re not really invested in Dick or Ric. Hell they’re more invested in the cops, and that shows. Their story is the only one that actually progresses or develops.

[dropkickjake]

There's some interesting retread going on. I've been finally reading the Dixon run on Nightwing (it's good, it gives him something to do, it plays very much as a "Well, what next can we do with Nightwing to differentiate him" sort of run of books, where every other month they're asking themselves what might be cool, or popular, or different, and trying it out for a day. But it also plays as sort of a ... I dunno, "year long mission" in Dick's life, not as a template for his whole life or role in comics. Plus the enemy concepts are stellar cool but the costumes are abhorrently bad. Costume redesigns more reflective of better modern style, and more like "dark mirrors" or riffs on Nightwing's own costume, would work WONDERS for Shrike and Brutale in particular (Shrike's get-up in particular should be like, "A Yellow & Black Nightwing Costume"). Lady Vic's over-the-top flair fits her ridiculous character, even the cheese, but some of the more cultural swipes could be toned down. Double Dare, who are circus performers and reflect Dick great in that way plus are a different spin on a Catwoman trope, are way cheesecake and could use Darwyn Cooke style Catwoman costume updates to be more practical in their criminal careers.

I forgot about some of these villains! Really like Double Dare and Lady Vic. Shrike could use a modern retelling as well. A Lady Vic story could be a great avenue to explore Dick's relationship to Bruce's money. Both she and Dick have been around absurd amounts of money, but she was born into an aristocratic family while Dick was born into a circus tent. Using villains as a means to explore Dick's character and backstory would be great. Thats part of what made Raptor so fantastic.

[Jackalope89]

I forgot about some of these villains! Really like Double Dare and Lady Vic. Shrike could use a modern retelling as well. A Lady Vic story could be a great avenue to explore Dick's relationship to Bruce's money. Both she and Dick have been around absurd amounts of money, but she was born into an aristocratic family while Dick was born into a circus tent. Using villains as a means to explore Dick's character and backstory would be great. Thats part of what made Raptor so fantastic.

Lady Vic got blown up in Teen Titans recently, so...

[dropkickjake]

Lady Vic got blown up in Teen Titans recently, so...

*handwaves*
Comic deaths don't matter. Even the big ones get retconned. Uncle Ben is the only character I know to actually stay dead.

[dietrich]

Reading this story feels like doing Cersei's walk of Atonement from GoT. Just going at an antagonizing slow pace with a bunch of garbage being thrown on you.

Nah this more humiliating and harder to watch.

[byrd156]

Lady Vic got blown up in Teen Titans recently, so...

She was also stabbed and pinned to a wall.

[oasis1313]

Lady Vic isn't much of a loss as far as I'm concerned, although I wouldn't mind Soames resurfacing. We've already got Nite-Wings.

[Batman1970]

It is time for the higher ups to be replaced. People who are old and with power long enough is almost impossible to change. We need new blood.

Totally AGREE!!!

[oasis1313]

I say why not encourage the paying customers instead constantly trying to to make them lose interest? Hey, DC, I have a lot more disposable income than the average 13–5 year-old. Don’t you want some of that?