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.