For Your Consideration: DC’s Nightwing Vol. 1: Blüdhaven

Robert Greenberger

Robert Greenberger


by Robert Greenberger

Nightwing Vol. 1: Blüdhaven

Nightwing Vol. 1: Blüdhaven


It’s interesting now that the Nightwing identity has been eliminated from the New 52 in lieu of the Grayson series that DC is dipping back into the character’s solo career with Nightwing Vol. 1: Blüdhaven, a collection of his 1995 miniseries and the first eight issues of his ongoing title. And while Marv Wolfman and George Pérez did a stellar job evolving Dick Grayson from teen sidekick to adult adventurer, he really blossomed under the guidance of writer Chuck Dixon. Dixon, of late, has been sharply criticized for saying his politics have cost him work, overshadowing the strong storytelling that has been his hallmark.

Nightwing #1. Art by Brian Stelfreeze.

Nightwing #1. Art by Brian Stelfreeze.


With Batman’s popularity at new heights in the 1990s, spinning off miniseries and ongoing series was the equivalent of printing money so Nightwing was a logical candidate for his own title and DC Comics tested the waters with a miniseries from Bat-editor, Denny O’Neil and artists Greg Land and Mike Sellers. The self-contained story examines Dick at a crossroads, debating whether or not he should retire, when a discovery from Alfred sends him to the European county of Kravia to see if there was a connection between its Crown Prince and the death of his parents, the Flying Graysons. The story touched on the horrible issue of ethnic cleansing, allowing O’Neil to moralize a bit between fight scenes but it really didn’t further our understand of Dick as a character. The highlight is watching Land growing into his own as an artist.

The sales were satisfactory enough to greenlight an ongoing title and the assignment was given to Dixon, who was already writing Detective Comics, Robin, Birds of Prey, and Catwoman, so this further solidified his spot as the driving force behind the Batman Family in the latter half of the 1990s. It fell to Dixon to find a new setting for Grayson and he chose a city that rivaled Gotham for decadence and decay, the nearby corrupt Blüdhaven. What was once a thriving whaling port was now an unemployed morass but someone had killed 21 people in the exact same way so Batman dispatches Nightwing to investigate. While confronting Black Mask’s False Face Society, Nightwing discovers a city that needs a champion in the same way as Gotham did when Batman first swung over its rooftops.

Nightwing #2

Nightwing #2


Sealing the deal was the realization that the police department was under mob control in the form of Roland Desmond, the mammoth Blockbuster. So began a serialized tale of corruption and redemption as Nightwing took on the weeds of crime and plucked its bitter fruit one piece at a time. With Dixon and Scott McDaniel guiding the direction, the book paralleled Batman’s own issues with Commissioner Loeb and the Falcone family, but he did so with years of experience and a verve that continues to distinguish mentor from student.

Over the course of the eight issues in this collection, you will see Dixon setting up years of plot lines with fully realized supporting characters – friends, foes, and lovers alike. There’s Chief Redhorn, under Blockbuster’s command, and Dudley Soames, a roughhewn detective, along with the curvaceous Clancy, who is Dick Grayson’s landlord, and the deadly British mercenary Lady Vic. Familiar faces such as Batman, Robin, and Alfred pop up here and there. And then there’s Tad, who is inspired by Nightwing’s arrival and is en route to becoming the psychotic wanna-be vigilante Nite-Wing.

While Dixon gives us a rich tapestry and large cast to fall in love with, the series was also marked by the kinetic art from the team of Scott McDaniel and Karl Story so it has a fresh look and feel compared with the other Bat-titles. Everything came together very nicely and readers will find clear storytelling, excellent characterization, and a certain joy to adventuring missing from too many titles being released today.

Purchase

Nightwing Vol. 1: Blüdhaven

Classic comic covers from the Grand Comics Database.

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