Dick Grayson: Robin / Nightwing Appreciation 2020

[Wingin' It]

Wait, so the Ric era lasted a year in-universe? Saying six months ago would've made sense.

Do we know for sure the events of the annual take place right before he got shot?

[qwazer07]

Yeah. The issue was a flashback. It happened 18 months ago.

[AmiMizuno]

So at first Zack Synder said Jason was the robin that was killed but now he said it's Dick. Maybe for the better

[K. Jones]

Wait, so the Ric era lasted a year in-universe? Saying six months ago would've made sense.

Dates and numbers in comics are more reminders for us the readers than ever actually possible or canon. As a short-hand for us in the real world it is pretty effective, but it's a sure sign that all dates and passage in time "mentioned" by a writer in a comic is just arbitrary. Even when it's part of the plot! Like, Long Halloween takes place in "Year Two" of Batman's Batmanning and actually features all of the Holidays. Trying to actually fit it into a real timeline causes more problems than it fixes to even think about. Like every year there's been some Batman Christmas Comic since 1940. But do we really believe that Batman has, during his crime-fighting career, celebrated Christmas 80 times?

What I'm trying to say? The narrator says 18 months ago, and what it basically really means is "a few weeks back".

Or rather, I'm not sure that we're even meant to find it believable in-story.

I read the Annual. I thought it was the best of what Jurgens has really put out since he picked up this thankless task. I've stuck with Nightwing through these "Ric" storylines not out of slavish devotion because I'm a huge Nightwing fan, but more because I kind of want to document and be aware of the specifics of how something like this goes down and plays out. I've seen it before in comics when a series loses its footing then becomes the victim of another writer's story and gets stuck in hell, but never quite this clearly on a book that sells as well as Nightwing.

I've historically liked Dick coming up against your sophisticated winged jet armor type bird themed mech guys. Batman always has Bat-Versions of these suits, too. There was the OYL Raptor who also fit this bill. I like that they're a bit of a freelance agency who can go either way storywise. I thought the boss's come-ons were overly strong in a way that's pretty off-putting in this day and age, which actually strikes a nice bit of adventure story sophistication or tension as it juggles Dick's good nature with his sex appeal, and could either tip her off as a villain (she crosses boundaries pretty easily) but could just as easily be used for the swerve because as we all know from the internet ... Dick is a really hot guy and femme fatales jump. They could go multiple routes there into noir plot-lines or spy/espionage plot-lines or whatever other kind of trope or push. Not that they will, most of the contents of Jurgens' run seem like they're not exactly ever going to go anywhere.

It was also nice to see a functional basic "Nightwing, who works in Bludhaven, and Blockbuster is doing things" story existing in the Dixon Paradigm. And the art was decent, with dynamism in the flying and armor, everyone looked right, and what's-her-boss's sexual attraction to Dick was obvious enough that it colors her character choices. The Condor crew are as uninspired as virtually every Condor-themed character in the history of the DCU, and their mech-suits aren't very artful to the point where even the bare modicum of Nightwing-themed color on one of those suits made it pop. Plus we all know Bruce has a closet full of Nightwing-Themed mech-suits in the Bat-Cave just waiting for whatever 1950s Revival Adventure comes along that takes him and Dick to outer space to battle Alien Bat-Men.

[Rac7d*]

So at first Zack Synder said Jason was the robin that was killed but now he said it's Dick. Maybe for the better

He wants carrie kelly robin. i want to barf
[IMG]llhttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eapsd8cWoAApW8J?format=jpg&name=medium[/IMG]

[Godlike13]

The Annual was such a poor throwback to old Nightwing, but the worse parts. Like those times some unnamed newbie would come into it and make Nightwing look like shit. Reminded me of Wolfmans run with Vigilante. Oh and classic Blockbuster is back as if Seeley’s run, or the end of Dixon's for that matter never happened. The writing here is just bad. The first part of it invalidates everything they then have Nightwing do and say after. Which they can not be unaware of. At one point it has him start bragging how good he is as if the first part of the book where he basically gets killed by 2 gloried goons didn’t just happen. Which is moronic, and so it makes Dick look like a conceited moron who lives in a glass house.

They need to get Jurgans off this book. This is really bad. There is nothing original. It leans on perceived strengths of yesteryear but has no ambition of its own, while takes for granted its lead to introduce some uninteresting concept that does nothing for its lead. Very frustrating. It was like 20 years since the middle of Dixon’s run never happened or something.

[Restingvoice]

Omg they're bringing back long-haired ponytail super buff Dick from the 90s for a Barbarian Nightwing look in Death Metal I kinda dig this type of fanservice because it fits the setting and everyone in this book looks outlandish as heck

EaVGY51XQAAr_5a.jpg

[AmiMizuno]

question does Nick have his own version of the bat boomerang?

[Ascended]

Omg they're bringing back long-haired ponytail super buff Dick from the 90s for a Barbarian Nightwing look in Death Metal I kinda dig this type of fanservice because it fits the setting and everyone in this book looks outlandish as heck

I'm loving all the re-designs for Metal. So over the top and ridiculous, like old 80's-90's music videos! Rock and metal are my musical genres of choice, so I got a real soft spot for this.

Dick looks like he just got back from some Norwegian death metal concert here, or maybe Heilung (amazing folk-metal viking band).

[Godlike13]

question does Nick have his own version of the bat boomerang?

Wingdings.

[Restingvoice]

question does Nick have his own version of the bat boomerang?

The classic one looks closer to a Batarang
DEC000400_1._SX1280_QL80_TTD_.jpg

I think there's another one that looks like his book logo

The New 52 one is more like a throwing knives

[Dazai_Osamu]

The annual was fine but the memory crystal (again) is the most infamous and ridiculous device which has ever been created.

[AmiMizuno]

The classic one looks closer to a Batarang
DEC000400_1._SX1280_QL80_TTD_.jpg

I think there's another one that looks like his book logo

The New 52 one is more like a throwing knives

Where does he keep them? I figured like there is a secret compact.

[Restingvoice]

Where does he keep them? I figured like there is a secret compact.

In The New 52 one, his gloves are armored with compartments for various gadgets.

I don't remember with that particular costume, but there's another costume where there's a circle of Utility-Belt-like cylinders around the hem of his gloves and boots

This is a good close up. There are those pockets
JAN000198_1._SX1280_QL80_TTD_.jpg

[Drako]

In The New 52 one, his gloves are armored with compartments for various gadgets.

I don't remember with that particular costume, but there's another costume where there's a circle of Utility-Belt-like cylinders around the hem of his gloves and boots

This is a good close up. There are those pockets
JAN000198_1._SX1280_QL80_TTD_.jpg

His current one doesn't have these. I wish he had this "arm-pockets" instead of those weird belts.