Nightwing #20

(w) Kyle Higgins     (a) Brett Booth

Last month, I gushed about how much I enjoyed the new direction for Nightwing. Moving Dick Grayson away from the Bat family was a stroke of genius so simple, it's a wonder it hasn't been done before (I'm not counting Bludhaven, which was right next door to Gotham). Nightwing #20 extrapolates on all the plot lines set up in the last issue.

One of the best parts about Dick moving to Chicago is that he's no longer being bankrolled by Bruce Wayne. It always bugged me that Nightwing so badly wanted to be his own hero -- with a separate name, sister city, the works -- yet he continued to accept financial support from Batman. I understand the logistical reasoning behind the decision, but it belied the concept of independence Dick was going for. Here, Kyle Higgins truly throws Nightwing out on his own. He's subletting a room in an apartment whose normal resident decides to stick around, a situation many people are all too familiar with. It's story elements like this that make Nightwing #20 a treat; Dick's civilian life needs just as much focus right now as his superhero side.

On the Nightwing side of things, Dick finally comes mask to mask with the Prankster, who is a far more menacing villain that I originally anticipated. Cyber crime and pranks don't sound too intimidating, but when it's paired with social responsibility, there's a charm to the Prankster's criminal tendencies. I really do like how Higgins is framing the Prankster as a champion of the disenfranchised, not because those kind of 'villains' don't exist, but because he's presenting it in a much more original fashion. The Prankster isn't some mercenary street general looking for a revolution. He's a sophisticated analyst who sees weaknesses and exploits them one at a time, bringing down his enemies through computer hacking and blackmail designed to cause emotional and professional damage.

Nightwing is getting better and better the more it's not focused on Bat family issues. Kyle Higgins is proving that Dick Grayson can stand as his own hero without having to live in Batman's proverbial shadow. He's an anomalous character because, unlike Jason Todd, Tim Drake, or Damian Wayne, Dick was able to properly process Bruce's teachings and heroic lifestyle. While the other three Robins mostly retained the darkness and bitterness, Dick stayed positive and is still the most optimistic member of the Bat family.

GRADE

9/10

Nightwing #18 (mini review)

(w) Kyle Higgins     (a) Juan Jose Ryp


**SPOILERS FOR BATMAN INC #8**


All these "Requiem" issues lamenting the death of Damian Wayne have varying levels of actual requiem-ing. For instance, Batman and Robin #18 processed the tragedy by showcasing Bruce's spiral into depression, working for days without sleep and becoming increasingly aggressive, all while losing himself in the thought of his dead son. On the flipside, Red Hood and The Outlaws #18 barely makes mention of the events that transpired. Nightwing #18 finds a middle ground with Dick Grayson's emotional fallout.

While Kyle Higgins does a good job navigating Nightwing through his feelings of guilt and depression, it's kind of overkill. And not because of how it's written, but because most of Dick's emotional eureka moments happen twice. He talks about the destruction of Haly's Circus twice, he gets pissed at Bruce for lying twice, and he mentions how he and Damian were like brothers twice. It would have worked better if Higgins had perhaps worked his way from having Dick simply understand his situation to Nightwing accepting and processing Damian's death. Instead, the sentiments are played out by the middle of the issue, leaving Higgin's big reveal as the main focus of the second half. It's an interesting enough surprise, but already feels contrived. So, we'll see.

GRADE: 7/10

REVIEW: NIGHTWING #15

(w) Kyle Higgins
(p) Eddy Barrows
(i) Eber Ferreira

Dick Grayson's adventures in the 'New 52', as a whole so far, have been somewhat up and down in terms of quality and content. After an initial arc dealing with Haly's Circus, Kyle Higgins has had trouble finding his footing with Nightwing, including an underdeveloped arc about a cult of anarchists looking to 'take back' Gotham, and a short story about Lady Shiva, probably one of the most uninteresting villains ever. Nightwing #15, however, swings into action and utilizes it's "Death of the Family" tag to it's fullest. In other Bat-books, the Joker's methodology has been somewhat hazy--while everyone has theories about what's going on, Scott Snyder isn't letting the cat out of the bag, and there's only so much that can be said before a big reveal--this issue sees a very fleshed out attempt to break Dick Grayson. Not Nightwing, but Dick Grayson. This month's Batman #15 included Bruce's assurance that the Joker does not know the Bat family's identities, but it's pretty obvious he does.

Dick is under a lot of pressure. He's the owner and operator of Haly's Circus and he's trying to keep his newfound entertainment business in Gotham City permanently so as to build up the city's profile while also establishing more structured lives for his performers. It's a noble task, and one that Dick's impassioned about, but it's also a project that keeps getting sidelined for Nightwing-related activities. This month, Dick's heroic life meets his personal for the second time in the 'New 52' as Joker frees Raya from Blackgate Prison to make everything even more personal. Joker's shtick for Nightwing is the idea of being a 'knock-off', a pale comparison to the almighty Batman. Higgins employs a classic Batman trope by having Nightwing find Joker in a warehouse that used to make knock-off Wayne Enterprises products. It's poetic justice, and something only Scott Snyder has really been utilizing recently.

Nightwing #15 is one of the strongest tie-in issues for "Death of the Family" yet. Unlike the other Bat-allies, Dick's life is literally crumbling right before his eyes: everything he's spent the last year building is being destroyed in a succinct and straightforward way. This is what Joker's reign of terror needs to feel like across the board, in all the Bat-titles tying into "DotF"--full of terror, death, and lots of Joker's insanity.

GRADE

8/10

(NIGHT OF THE OWLS) NIGHTWING #8

STORY: Kyle Higgins
ART: Eddy Barrows, Ruy Jose, and Eber Ferreira

I've been reading Nightwing since the launch of the 'New 52' last September, and I honestly thought long and hard about the decision to omit it from the regularly-covered titles for "The Endless Reel". In the end, I opted to focus on two of the 'main' Bat books (Batman and Batman and Robin) instead of branching out too much. That being said, Nightwing is a great title with a poignant first arc dealing with Dick's connection to Haly's Circus and how that part of his life will never really go away. Plus, it made for a great segue into the "Night of the Owls" event!

While the cover might call Nightwing #8 a 'Prelude' to the main event, that's only half-true. The issue is split between a historical narrative about William Cobb - Dick's great-grandfather - and Nightwing answering Alfred's call to arms in Batman #8 by attempting to reach Mayor Sebastian Hady before the Talons can assassinate him. Unfortunately, both storylines suffer from the split. William Cobb's backstory only covers childhood and early adulthood before the issue ends, and Nightwing's fight against the Talon assassin seems brief and almost easy for Dick.

At the end of the issue, Kyle Higgins reveals that the Talon is actually William Cobb - rescued from the Batcave by a fellow Talon - who is hunting down his descendent because "[Dick's] betrayal takes everything I sacrificed and made it worthless." I'm sure Higgins will continue to delve into the history of William Cobb next month, but for now, it feels fragmented.

GRADE:

B+