"It's too bad she won't live! But then again, who does? - Gaff Blade Runner
"In a short time, this will be a long time ago." - Werner Slow West
"One of the biggest problems in the industry is apathy right now." - Dan Didio Co-Publisher of I Wonder Why That Is Comics
I'd take a 100 issues of Grayson over standard issue Nightwing (in Bludhaven) period.
But the ideal is Nightwing doing Agent 37/Batman INC type stories, which is what we should have gotten more of. Bludhaven should never have made it into Rebirth.
Not that it would have likely saved Nightwing in the long run once Seeley left.
Seeley was such a nice guy, and I thought his run was the last of the sweetness.
I see it a bit differently, and don't have any problem with Nightwing, Bludhaven, etc. As I see it, the issue is the constant shifts in status quo. This has been a recurring problem since Dixon left the book (and I am NOT advocating his return).
I think he had three "fresh starts" in New 52, where Higgins either couldn't pull off a long term story or, more likely, every time he found a groove editorial demanded a complete overhaul.
Then Dick was a spy, and I don't think there are many complaints about that run. Pity we didn't get Harper as Nightwing, as it may have lasted longer, but c'est la vie.
Sealey didn't really want to write Bludhaven Nightwing but the guy's got to eat, and I found this an enjoyable run. It remixed several Dixon elements and Raptor was a pretty fun villain.
Sam Humphries' run was rock solid but only lasted one arc.
Percy never got started, though I'll admit I didn't like what we did get.
We now have another status quo shake-up left to Scott Lobdell, a guy who IMO peaked in the 90's on comics that were (how to put this charitably) not necessarily focused on the writing.
Everything I listed has happened since September 2011, and almost alll of the above came with a new career, a new supporting cast, often a new love interest. That's where I see the problem, if he were written as a more transient character it might work but every time it is "here's the fresh start, this time it's for real!"... a year later, everything changes.
"Has Sariel summoned you here, Azrael? Have you come to witness the miracle of your brethren arriving on Earth?"
"I WILL MIX THE ASHES OF YOUR BONES WITH SALT AND USE THEM TO ENSURE THE EARTH THE TEMPLARS TILLED NEVER BEARS FRUIT AGAIN!"
"*sigh* I hoped it was for the miracle."
Dan Watters' Azrael was incredible, a constant delight and perhaps too good for this world (but not the Forth). For the love of St. Dumas, DC, give us more!!!
But you have to remember the reasons for the status quo changes. 1) Its because he's so dependent on batman and the bat brand that his story's and character are just fodder for batman story's and character. 2) his status quo is so similar to batman's that DC have no involvement is his character. They look at him as just a Robin, sidekick, side character, jobber for batman. Nightwing's status quo is just to similar to batman's for DC and WB to what to invest in.
Exactly, we have been through this so many times it's insanity talking about it at this point. Dick keeps getting alright to good to great runs when honestly they shouldn't really be that good given his status in the universe. No connections, his suit keeps changing, no solid foundation, revolving cast of nobodies, stuck in the shadow of the bat all over again, etc. but somehow he keep getting decent stories when it was a time of really bad books.
"It's too bad she won't live! But then again, who does? - Gaff Blade Runner
"In a short time, this will be a long time ago." - Werner Slow West
"One of the biggest problems in the industry is apathy right now." - Dan Didio Co-Publisher of I Wonder Why That Is Comics
"It's too bad she won't live! But then again, who does? - Gaff Blade Runner
"In a short time, this will be a long time ago." - Werner Slow West
"One of the biggest problems in the industry is apathy right now." - Dan Didio Co-Publisher of I Wonder Why That Is Comics
"It's too bad she won't live! But then again, who does? - Gaff Blade Runner
"In a short time, this will be a long time ago." - Werner Slow West
"One of the biggest problems in the industry is apathy right now." - Dan Didio Co-Publisher of I Wonder Why That Is Comics