The ‘Night of the Owls’ nonsense is over, and “Nightwing” has hopefully pulled in enough readers that it can avoid the next wave of DC cancellations. The ball is in your court, Kyle Higgins and Eddy Barrows.
Written by Kyle Higgins
Illustrated by Eddy Barrows– Part one of “THE REPUBLIC OF TOMORROW, TODAY.”
– NIGHTWING begins investigating a double murder in OLD GOTHAM that happens to feature part of his costume as evidence.
– Introducing the REPUBLIC OF TOMORROW and their leader, PARAGON.
In the late 90’s, DC sent Dick Grayson to a mysterious place called Bludhaven, a city described by most as “Gotham, but worse.” This was a sensible enough decision; how would the notoriously optimistic Dick react when placed in a location even darker and more twisted than the city that Bruce had yet to tame in all of his years of crime fighting? The Bludhaven years of Nightwing’s superhero career led to some great stories, before he briefly took up the cowl of the Bat, and it seemed like bringing Dick back to Gotham, especially after going back to his Nightwing persona, was perhaps the worst thing DC could do. This issue, though, hints that the naysayers may be wrong. The problem with the character of Batman is that he is not at all proactive — unless he is sent a riddle in the mail, Bruce almost always stops crimes after the fact. He is, after all, centered on vengeance, not prevention. Dick, on the other hand, seems to have a bit more hope, and writer Kyle Higgins knows it. Dick’s plan for Gotham that is unveiled in this issue is so in line with his character, and the reader can’t be as hopeful as the former boy wonder. Of course, it’s all going to come crashing around him, but that’s part of the “fun,” isn’t it?
The Dick Grayson story in this issue, though, seems much more promising than the actual Nightwing story. Not much is given to catch the attention of readers who were pulled in by the ‘Night of the Owls’ crossover — the Nightwing side of the story just seems to stumble around until the issue’s end, while the only interesting things happen when Dick is out of his costume. It is, in a sense, a refreshing inversion of the typical superhero-with-a-secret-identity plot, but whether or not that was Higgins’s intention is up for a debate: a debate that will almost invariably end in favor of “not.” The cliffhanger, too, is a bit on the dull side — there have been countless stories about people who consider themselves the true son, daughter, or ruler of Gotham. Hell, we just got out of a crossover about the last one! It is a story hook that may fit in with the Court’s aims for Dick, and, thus, Higgins goals for his run as a whole, but it is still one that warrants an eye roll or two.
Eddie Barrows is an artist who has received some flak from this website, and, indeed, his “Superman” work was less than inspiring, but his work on this title has been rekindling hope in the artist — perhaps his gritty sense of realism is more appropriate for Gotham than it is for Big Blue. It isn’t just a matter of style, though; Barrows’s storytelling capabilities have increased quite a bit in the past year or so. Sure, some of his techniques are a bit conventional, such as the single panel with faded figures of a character in motion, but these oldies are goodies. From a critical perspective, the worst thing is that it hard to tell which pages are Barrows and which are supporting artist Geraldo Borges, but that’s the opposite of a backhanded compliment; DC and Marvel have gotten in the bad habit of picking fill-in artists that differ greatly from the primary artist, thus completely disrupting any sense of visual continuity. With “Nightwing,” though, we have a comic that looks both good and cohesive, truly something that is becoming a rarity these days.
“Nightwing” may not be the best book on the stands, but in a world saturated by Batman titles, it is one of the few that is worth checking out — and it doesn’t even directly involve Bruce! While the actually Nightwing story may not be off to the greatest start, it will be interesting to see how Dick’s hopes play out, and inevitably crash and burn.
Final Verdict: 6.5 – Browse, but a buy if you primarily read superhero books or, more particularly, Batman books.
