Thursday, October 13, 2011

Nightwing #1

Cover by Eddy Barrows, JP Mayer, Rod Reis
Nightwing #1 (September 21, 2011)
Writer: Kyle Higgins
Penciller: Eddy Barrows, JP Mayer
Colorist: Rod Reis
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual

Even though I am a fully converted Marvel fan, I still hold a special place in my heart for Nightwing.

And by “hold a special place in my heart”, I mean I have a stupid crush on him.

So I was very excited to get a hold of Nightwing #1 because I will read literally anything with Nightwing in the title. After being disappointed by the majority of the New 52 that I have encountered, however, I didn’t have high hopes. While Nightwing #1 was not spectacular, it was a fun time and ended with a thoroughly interesting cliffhanger. I know I’ll read in the next issue.

Most of the action in this comic wasn’t particularly interesting or even crucial to the surprise ending. I also felt that Higgins’ portrayed Dick was rather new to the whole vigilante game. That was definitely out of place: Dick has been doing this since he was a kid and he spent a successful year as Batman so why would he make obvious mistakes like he did in this comic? It was as if I was reading a comic about a new masked hero. It didn’t make sense and was out-of-character.

There was also a long interlude in which Dick returned to the circus he grew up in and in which his parents were killed (long story). I feel like in every Nightwing comic, this scene is featured. Sometimes he’s worse than Batman in his propensity to obsess on his tragic childhood. I know circuses still exist (I just went to one a year ago! It was very hot and kind of depressing) but I always feel that the inclusion of a circus as Dick’s backstory inherently dates the comic. What are the chances of a circus having an entire family of acrobats, especially one with a child performer? Are American families even allowed to let their kid live and work in a traveling circus? I need answers.

Anyway, the art was also nothing I haven’t seen before and the fight scenes were suitably gory and ridiculous. It definitely wasn’t terrible or weak just blasé. The ending was definitely the saving grace of this comic, unfortunately… and how stupidly cute I find Dick Grayson
Nightwing #1 followed Dick Grayson (man, I wish they had changed his name. I mean Oracle can suddenly walk and they’re afraid to modernize Dick Grayson’s name? Come on) as he returned to his Nightwing cowl after a year being Batman in Gotham. For the majority of the comic, he just self-narrates and walks around Gotham, thinking about life and his vigilante career. It was obvious that Higgins wrote this comic with new readers in mind and while this didn’t bother me, it definitely made for a weak storyline.

5 comments:

  1. Hey, so I want to borrow Nightwing, and Aquaman (from Sergio, but idk if he gave it to you or not yet) but yeah, I want to read those two of the new 52. And maybe Catwoman, just because it seems hilariously sexist and unnecessarily bad.

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  2. @Justin Sergio still has them; I never took them home with me. Give him a text and ask him to bring them to work. I still haven't read Aquaman though he swears by it. And yes, Catwoman is insane and coma-inducing. Be warned!

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  3. I'd be happy to lend you guys what I have. I managed to collect 30 of the new 52, so odds are I have one of the books you're curious about. Kerry, Action Comics #1 was a surprisingly good entry if you're interested.

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  4. @Sergio J. A. Ragno III I read and reviewed that already.

    http://fangirlingdaily.blogspot.com/2011/09/actions-comics-1.html

    Way to not read my blog, dude.

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  5. @Kerry Okay, you got me, I tend to get pretty liquored up before I read your blog.

    Before you get on my case about it, I need to point out, there is no law against Reading While Intoxicated.

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