Broken Frontier

A quick correction, in last weeks article, I said that the two Batman Adventures trades reprinted the whole new series, they actually only reprint the first 8 issues.  Many apologies, but, hey, they’re still a helluva good deal.  The response to last week’s column about comics for kids was pretty good, so please check it out in the archive in case you missed it; it’s certainly one of my favorite columns I’ve ever written.  Moving on.

As a character, Dick Grayson has long sat in the shadow of one of the greatest characters of all time.  Nightwing is still, despite the attitude change, Kid Batman to a lot of people.  Sure, he ditched the Robin getup nearly twenty years ago, but he’s still Batman’s next of kin, so to speak, and in the bulk of the Batman Family books, he still answers to the big Bat in charge.  Generally, in all the core Batbooks, Nightwing is the capo, the heir apparent, and Batman’s go to guy.  That’s generally all the characterization the guy gets.

Then, there’s Devin Grayson’s Nightwing. Since taking over the book Chuck Dixon made, Devin has slowly done the unthinkable.  She’s made Dick his own man.  Despite harsh comparisons to classic Daredevil arcs, Nightwing has in fact developed his very own identity, and finally, after the last arc, a big juicy plot point to mark a turn for his character.  You see, unlike Daredevil with his hands around Bullseye’s neck, or young Bruce Wayne watching his parents be slaughtered, Dick has committed a much worse crime.  The previous “Blockbuster” arc saw Nightwing’s nemesis Blockbuster systematically destroy everything dear to Dick, from the circus he belonged to as a child, to the building and neighbors who have populated his life since moving to Bludhaven.  With nothing left to his name, Dick was face to face with Blockbuster, who aside from being able to destroy him physically, also possessed one of the most desired secrets in the DCU, the identity of Nightwing (and in turn the identity of Batman).  While deciding whether or not to let him live, female assassin Tarantula made the decision for him.  Dick could have stopped her, but instead, he just watched.

That’s right.  Dick has broken one of Batman’s cardinal rules.  No Killing.  The guilt, self-hatred, and physical damage of the story have left Nightwing a changed man.  Now that’s what I call good comic book storytelling.  Grayson (Devin not Dick) has managed to make this book one of my must read books.  She’s taken the torment and drive that makes Batman such a fascinating character, and imbued Nightwing with it.  She’s taken Dick and made him his own tormented soul, with his own problems, far from Gotham.  Breaking up the relationship between Oracle and Nightwing was one of the strongest choices of the past year, leaving Dick without a single soul to turn to, save for Tarantula.  These are the sorts of extreme situations Grayson has continued to put Dick in, and by allowing each event to weigh more and more on him, we’ve been treated with the chance to actually see a classic DC character grow. 

The biggest complaint I have about the book is that the art is not consistent; there are fill-in artists every few issues.  Patrick Zircher’s artwork is easily some of the best superhero work in comics, with the action concise, the mood and the tone flawless, and a brilliant touch on architecture.  He perfectly captures the look and feel of Bludhaven. While the other artists are all also quite talented, I’m often left missing Zircher’s work whenever he’s not around.  So, listen up, DC, stop breaking up this book’s dream team!

GUIDING LINE: One of the best traditional superhero books being published, this weeks issue marks a perfect jumping on point for new readers following up yet another of Devin Grayson’s great status quo changes.  Fans of classic Daredevil, old school Batman, and all around traditional super heroics you can’t go wrong with Nightwing.

- Josh Fialkov