Well, it’s that time of the year again. Two years ago, in the early months of the pandemic, I decided to review the definitive stories of the three core side-characters in the Batman mythos, all celebrating eight decades of existence in 2020. Those, of course, were Robin, the Joker, and Catwoman. It wasn’t too hard to choose their greatest or most important stories (apart from Catwoman); as for Robin, the choice was extremely obvious. In the early 1990s, Robin, by that point Tim Drake, was given three different miniseries, all written by Chuck Dixon, to basically try out the Boy Wonder in his own solo title. It worked and Robin got his own ongoing title in 1993 and other miniseries were launched from there. One of those was Robin: Year One, a story by Chuck Dixon and Scott Beatty which reimagined Dick Grayson’s first year as the Boy Wonder. I chose it as the definitive Robin story because it’s considered the modern origin for the character. Then, a year later, I chose Batgirl: Year One, written by the same team that basically performed the same function of updating Barbara Gordon’s origin as Batgirl. In keeping with tradition, the third and final instalment is here. Originally launched as an ongoing title in 1996, Nightwing (vol 2) gave Dick Grayson his own solo spotlight for the first time since his back-up adventures in Star Spangled Comics during the 1940s. For the final issues of his 106-issue long run on Nightwing, Dixon returns to the Year One formula. The Robin and Batgirl origins have become modern classics. Will Nightwing?
Nightwing (vol 2) 101-106 was published fortnightly from March to May 2005. The story was written by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon, with art by Scott McDaniel and
Andy Owens. I’ve read this story in the Nightwing: Year One deluxe edition hardcover.
The Year One saga comes to an end! First it was Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One before Robin and Batgirl followed suite. Nightwing, however, is a bit different. Unlike the previous three characters that the Year One formula studies and documents, Nightwing is a hero with a past. As you’d expect, Dick Grayson is Nightwing and his long career as Robin is very important to understanding this story and why he splits from Batman. Part one focuses primarily on that. Robin arrives late in Gotham to help Batman take out Clayface, who has kidnapped a child. It’s difficult to place an age for Dick here, but he’s now hanging around with the Teen Titans and doing more work for them rather than for Batman. In real life, this era of comics occurred in the early 1980s where writers such as Marv Wolfman aimed to create a gulf between the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder. Chuck Dixon and Scott Beatty do the same here, and very well. Despite Robin’s success after saving the baby (who turned out to be Matt Hagan’s (Clayface) daughter, Batman has had enough of his underling’s part-time efforts and he duly gives him the sack, leaving Alfred worried that he’ll have to become the next Robin. As expected with virtually every Dixon-penned story, the plot isn’t particularly lengthy or sturdy here. Action takes far more prevalence than anything else, which isn’t totally bad as it is entertaining. The first part breezes past at too quick a pace for it to really have any huge impact. It’s a very simple situation that Dixon and Beatty write, but perhaps twenty pages isn’t enough. Either way, part two takes a different route as Dick Grayson, now out on his own, visits Clark Kent for advice. What seems to be a normal meeting with Clark while Lois Lane continues to be suspicious of her co-worker’s disappearances ends with danger. That same day, the President is visiting Metropolis and some bomber-style terrorists target him. As you’d expect, Superman takes out the villains with some help from Dick. But let’s face it, what’s the point. Either way, it gives Superman and Dick the chance to talk. Dixon and Beatty focus on a relationship which I’ve rarely seen touched upon before. Of course, we all remember that famous World’s Finest team of Superman, Batman, and Robin. That trio always fought against all kinds of evil and won. However, it always felt like Robin was just a simple accomplice. Superman and Batman took all the spotlight. Therefore, watching Superman and Robin together and bond is a new and interesting take. It also leads to the creation of Dick’s future. The Man of Steel takes Dick to his Fortress of Solitude and, for whatever reason, he tells the young hero about Nightwing, the legendary Kryptonian hero who was a cast-out from his family. Sigh. The comparisons are very on-the-nose, but it does at least explain the link between Nightwing’s name and that old Superman character from the silver age. For those unaware, the alien Nightwing first appeared in Action Comics 336 in 1966 with his partner Flamebird. Obviously because he was a huge fan of the silver age stories, Marv Wolfman used the former’s name for Dick Grayson’s new identity. It’s interesting to see Dixon and Beatty use the same story as it adds some consistency. Overall, the second part is actually one of my favourites because of Superman acting like a father-figure more than Batman ever did. Story progression does feel somewhat small despite the whopping pace of the story. As for the third part, we return to Dick’s original home. Not the Batcave, not Wayne Manor, but Haly’s Circus. Dick is welcomed back with open arms by, wittily named, Mr Haly. However, some alterations have been made. Possibly because of tidiness or ease, Dixon and Beatty have combined Haly’s Circus with Hill’s Circus, the same one which appeared in Strange Adventures starring Deadman in the late 1960s. Although it takes some time to get used to, the reason why this change has been made becomes obvious. Dick becomes acquainted with old and new friends, such as Lorna Hill and Cleveland Brand (stars of Neal Adams’s Deadman tales). As time passes, Dick calls the circus his new home as he works with Cleveland’s adopted Deadman act to entertain the public. Everything seems to be going well, apart from the odd empty-eyed randomers coming up to him and speaking to him as if he is Robin the Boy Wonder still as if possessed. Yep, it was always going to happen. The inclusion of Boston Brand, otherwise known as Deadman, is genius here. At first, he appears as a friend looking out for Dick and wanting to aid him in his quest. However, it turns out by the end that Deadman is in fact a spy. He reports back to Batman, who is concerned for his old ward only to learn that he is not coming back any time soon. This scene is great because it shows that (continued)
Batman isn’t a total heartless freak, but any evidence of that is scrapped with immediate effect as Alfred notices that his master has kidnapped a child! From the slums of Gotham City, Jason Todd is taken in by Batman as another ward. The reckless child is all-too keen to take on the mantle of Robin. And elsewhere, just as the story reaches its midpoint, Dick begins the next chapter of his life. He says his farewells to Haly’s Circus and, with a new costume, becomes Nightwing. Christ, we’re halfway through already! Dixon and Beatty are renowned, particularly the former, for their fast pacing and quick storytelling. Even as the plot piles up here and the third issue provides much story to be feasted upon, it never stops, and I really like that. Plus, the writers know the characters they are writing and that is an aspect which becomes more apparent as the story continues. The main bulk of the tale really begins in part four, with Nightwing introducing himself to Commissioner Gordon. It takes some time, but Gordon recognises the new hero as young Robin, who reassures the hardened Commissioner that there won’t be any other Robins any time soon. Ha! While this is going on, another character waits and listens nearby. She remembers the first time Gordon met Robin all those years ago. This, of course, is Batgirl. Upon learning of Dick’s return to Gotham as Nightwing, she decides to help him out on patrol as the two go around the city causing havoc for criminals and gangs. Once again, this issue conveys just how well Dixon and Beatty know these characters. The platonic friendship between Nightwing and Batgirl features heavily as Dick is shown, obviously not biologically, to have some of the Wayne DNA in his blood. He tries to seduce Batgirl only to realise that he is already in a relationship with Starfire. Apart from moments like that, part four offers little aside from setting the scene for Batman’s true plan. With Jason Todd now as Robin, his master orders him to follow Nightwing. Meanwhile, Batman’s plan takes another turn as he enlists Alfred to masquerade as Two-Face to do… something or other. It’s all very suspicious. Meanwhile, Nightwing begins his patrol in the night only to bump into his replacement. Robin proposes some kind of gauntlet for Nightwing to endure. Elsewhere, Bruce’s plan continues as he disguises himself as a henchman protecting Alfred’s Two-Face. However, their plan goes wrong when the two of them are captured by two goons, although Batman manages to escape. At the same time, Nightwing catches up to his young successor, who believes it is his task to fight Nightwing and take his place with force. However, once it becomes clear that Bruce’s plan has failed, the two heroes, along with Batgirl, are forced to work together. The stakes are remarkably high as Alfred is taken to none other than Two-Face’s arch-nemesis, Killer Croc. Working out the details of Batman’s plans is somewhat challenging as it’s never actually fully stated. Even in the final part where Dr Leslie Thompkins attempts to resuscitate Bruce after his injuries and Batgirl tells her it was a training exercise, it just doesn’t feel right. Knowing Batman and the hardened world he resides in, giving Robin a fake crime to investigate and solve isn’t very believable. It’s probably my only gripe with the story. Really, it should have been the real Two-Face. It would have been far more impactful as, for those who have read Robin: Year One, most Boy Wonders have come pretty unstuck against the scarred ex-DA. Either way, the final issue depicts Dick and Jason as they work together to locate where Killer Croc is torturing Alfred. Idiotically, Croc decides to burn Two-Face’s scarred side with a cigar. Really, if you want results, it should be the other side. But that's just nit-picking really. In the end, Robin and Nightwing rescue Alfred from the blaze of Killer Croc’s furious use of a rocket launcher. Croc is taken out and Jason is successful as his place as Robin is secure. As for Nightwing, he simply leaves a letter for his old master and as the two seemingly leave it on good terms, Dick’s new home as Nightwing is secure in the Teen Titans. It’s a very quick conclusion and a very action-packed one. The villains used, such as Clayface and Killer Croc, both serve their purpose and appear very different from the foes used in the previous Year One tales. In Batman’s, it was the gangs; Robin’s, the Mad Hatter and Mr Freeze; Batgirl’s, Killer Moth. It creates a nice variation. I just think that the whole Two-Face rouse is just ineffective and comes across almost as a failed joke. Sure, a real challenge for Jason is presented at the end, but that’s what it should have been from the start. Also, Robin does take the limelight a bit too much in the last few issues. It starts to become the Jason Todd story and not about Dick Grayson’s transition from Robin to Nightwing. Perhaps that explains why
the first three or four issues are preferable to me. It’s because of the inclusion of characters like Superman and Deadman. Dixon and Beatty produce a new take on Dick’s story and while it may not be anything revolutionary or entirely surprising, it’s a damn good comic book. Sometimes, that’s what works best with a medium such as this. Dixon has written thousands of comics, a majority of them for Batman or Batman Family characters. Not only does he know how to write good characters, but he tells quick stories that are hugely entertaining. How he is not considered up there with Dennis O’Neil or even Doug Moench astounds me. Scott Beatty, who worked on the previous Year One tales, adds some entertaining flavour to the story and its dialogue. Alfred is, as ever, a key example of a great character speaking jovial but often serious dialogue. When comparing Nightwing: Year One to the others written by Dixon and Beatty, I have to say that it feels slightly too quick in comparison. The pacing is good and it’s a very digestible read, but maybe the story could have used more room to explain certain elements or to develop others. It would have benefited if the first and last issues were slightly longer or extended.
The previous two instalments in the series featured art that looked both retro and cartoony. Javier Pulido’s minimalist style works well in Robin: Year One, as does Marcos Martin with the Batgirl sequel. However, Scott McDaniel shatters that trend. Credit where credit is due, McDaniel is a penciller with a huge portfolio; he drew the first forty issues of Nightwing (vol 2). But that shouldn’t excuse his truly dreadful and jagged art style which just looks terrible. Sure, it may be cartoony and exaggerated, but it just looks awful and deformed. Muscle definition looks entirely off, and the art has a bizarre sense of lighting. It’s virtually impossible to judge Andy Owens’s inks here as I don’t think anybody could really save pencils drawn in this particular style. In my eyes, it’s a prime example of how low the comic book medium fell in the early 2000s in terms of visuals. Since then, they seem to have just let anybody draw a comic book, regardless of if they have any sense of style or storytelling.
VERDICT
Overall, Nightwing: Year One is a leisurely six-parter that is a textbook example of how your standard modern comic book should be. It’s paced well, the sense of character and dialogue is very good, and the variation of the story from issue to issue ensures that Nightwing: Year One remains entertaining. Perhaps it does slightly go off the rails towards the end due to certain plot elements that don’t make too much sense. But as a conclusion to the Year One trilogy created by Dixon and Beatty, Nightwing: Year One deserves to stand tall alongside its prequels. It may feel less serious than Robin: Year One, or less revolutionary than Batgirl: Year One, but it’s an extremely enjoyable ride. Don’t let the art put you off.
Story: 9/10
Art: 3/10
Next Week: Superman: Peace on Earth. Written by Paul Dini with art by Alex Ross.
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