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Nightwing (1996) (New Edition Trades)
Nightwing, Volume 3: False Starts
Acclaimed creative team of Chuck Dixon, Scott McDaniel and Karl Story is joined by guest talents Devin Grayson, Greg Land and Bill Sienkiewicz!
Dick Grayson has left Gotham City and made Nightwing a name to be feared. But in the wake of a devastating earthquake, Nightwing must come to terms with his decision to start a new life in Blüdhaven instead of remaining in Gotham.
Meanwhile, Nightwing teams up with the Huntress to take down one of the biggest crime families in the country. The two lonely heroes begin to realize that their partnership may be more than just professional.
At the same time, Dick still has to deal with the imposter Nite-Wing. When super-villains and corrupt cops come after this phony hero, Dick Grayson is all that stands between them and their target. After all this mayhem, it would be a great time for a visit from his brother-in-crime-fighting Tim Drake-a.k.a. Robin!
Collects NIGHTWING #19-25, NIGHTWING #1/2 and NIGHTWING/HUNTRESS #1-4.
Dick Grayson has left Gotham City and made Nightwing a name to be feared. But in the wake of a devastating earthquake, Nightwing must come to terms with his decision to start a new life in Blüdhaven instead of remaining in Gotham.
Meanwhile, Nightwing teams up with the Huntress to take down one of the biggest crime families in the country. The two lonely heroes begin to realize that their partnership may be more than just professional.
At the same time, Dick still has to deal with the imposter Nite-Wing. When super-villains and corrupt cops come after this phony hero, Dick Grayson is all that stands between them and their target. After all this mayhem, it would be a great time for a visit from his brother-in-crime-fighting Tim Drake-a.k.a. Robin!
Collects NIGHTWING #19-25, NIGHTWING #1/2 and NIGHTWING/HUNTRESS #1-4.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 5, 2016
10 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Dixon
3,430 books1,033 followersCharles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, perhaps best-known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
August 20, 2019
This starts off with the Nightwing / Huntress miniseries by Devin Grayson and Greg Land. It's a poor murder mystery with the heat coming between Dick and Helena. Their romance amounts to little more than a one-night stand. The book gets back on track once we return to the regular series. There are a couple of great Cataclysm issues along with a really fun Nightwing and Robin training session. Most of the issues here are one and done. All of the art in the regular book is by Scott McDaniel. At this point you either love or hate him.
March 14, 2018
Well this saddens me as it's not as good as the last one BUT it's still enjoyable.
This is broken into two different stories. The first story is about Nightwing and Huntress teaming up to take down some bad guys. It's actually a murder mystery, but also a story about two humans dealing with relationships in different ways. It has Nightwing and Huntress sleeping together, fucking, and then not sure what to do with each other after. The second story is more of individual issues, some dealing with the earthquake in Gotham and Nightwing going to help, some dealing with Robin and Nightwing teaming up and kicking butt, a few about a new kid trying to be a hero naming himself "Nite-Wing" and more!
Good: The issues in the second half are a lot of fun. Well, some are sad. I thought Nightwing helping all the people in Gotham was great. Shows who he really is. I also loved the issues with Robin. Tim almost feels like a kid brother to Dick but honestly they are far more alike then they realize. Also thought the art was great still, well second half anyway.
Bad: The first half was kind of meh. I really didn't like the whole murder mystery, was boring. I also thought Huntress and Nightwing together didn't work, was kind of silly, and the whole fighting was meh.
Overall this is solid but not nearly as fun as the last volume. I hope the next one is more like volume 2. Let's see! A 3 out of 5.
This is broken into two different stories. The first story is about Nightwing and Huntress teaming up to take down some bad guys. It's actually a murder mystery, but also a story about two humans dealing with relationships in different ways. It has Nightwing and Huntress sleeping together, fucking, and then not sure what to do with each other after. The second story is more of individual issues, some dealing with the earthquake in Gotham and Nightwing going to help, some dealing with Robin and Nightwing teaming up and kicking butt, a few about a new kid trying to be a hero naming himself "Nite-Wing" and more!
Good: The issues in the second half are a lot of fun. Well, some are sad. I thought Nightwing helping all the people in Gotham was great. Shows who he really is. I also loved the issues with Robin. Tim almost feels like a kid brother to Dick but honestly they are far more alike then they realize. Also thought the art was great still, well second half anyway.
Bad: The first half was kind of meh. I really didn't like the whole murder mystery, was boring. I also thought Huntress and Nightwing together didn't work, was kind of silly, and the whole fighting was meh.
Overall this is solid but not nearly as fun as the last volume. I hope the next one is more like volume 2. Let's see! A 3 out of 5.
August 29, 2017
2.5 stars.
This was… not good. And it really sucks because I enjoyed the last 2 volumes a lot.
We start with what was one of the least feminist arcs ever, written by Devin Grayson. She was also known for one of the most boring, bland Black Widow arcs ever so I started this with low expectations. Somehow, she managed to drop below those anyway. I like Helena Bertinelli. I have since I read Gail Simone’s Birds of Prey and Huntress: Year One. While I didn’t always love what they did with her in Grayson, I haven’t found a version of her that completely hated. Until this book.
Helena is that terrible version of a kick ass female character where they push too hard on her trying to being a "bad ass" and turn her into an obnoxious character. What makes Helena such a great character is that she doesn’t even have to prove herself to anyone. She started out trying to take down the mafia because they killed her family and she doesn’t have time for the Batboys standing in her way. That’s who she is. She isn’t this terrible incarnation of a “tough girl” that fights bad guys indiscriminately and doesn’t care about whether they’re guilty or not. Even worse, Grayson punishes her by making it clear that she's wrong about pretty much everything and is morally bankrupt. Add to that Dick trying to “fix her” and we’ve got one of the worst arcs I’ve ever read with a female character.
What else was horrible about this? Whenever Dick wants to talk business, Helena wants to talk about their relationship. Of course.
There’s Oracle who’s working the case but stops to inquire about Dick sleeping with Helena because women only care about romance and love. I literally cannot believe a woman wrote this.
The plot itself is terrible as well and not just because it revolves around a female cop being slutshamed and murdered. Or because a (semi) innocent woman is later murdered by her boyfriend for complicating his life. It’s terrible because there were plot inconsistencies. Why would the perp mention the pillowcase knowing it would incriminate him? Why would the monster trying to defend his boss suddenly confess to not doing it? Was this just to speed the conclusion along?
It was just terrible and off-putting and took me so long to get through because I was hate reading it. Please keep Grayson’s writing away from me for the remainder of my life. Yikes.
The rest of this book was closer to what I liked from the previous volumes. Dick is the highlight! He’s caring, protective, clever and quick witted. I got some scenes with him and Tim that I greatly appreciated. Especially the scene with them blindfolded and training in Bludhaven. I’ve read that issue before and I can’t quite remember where but it was still nice to read again. This volume ends with him deciding to join the police force because he wants to do the job right. This is really relevant to today’s times.
It’s crazy that I read this after the floods in Houston because there’s a story where an earthquake causes flooding in NYC. Dick is trying to save 11 people from a bus and it seems hopeless; the bus is unstable, there’s not enough time and he’s already worn out. I really enjoyed this story.
So, this is definitely NOT a recommend from me. If you can skip Grayson’s portion completely and read the rest of it… there’s something there to enjoy. It’s still not perfect. The art was very 90s style which I could get past in the other volumes but some of the colorings were hard to discern. There were a few parts where I wasn’t sure what was happening. There’s an issue here that ties into a story with Connor Hawke and Shiva and then we’re right back in Bludhaven with a turn of the page. It’s a confusing collection.
This was… not good. And it really sucks because I enjoyed the last 2 volumes a lot.
We start with what was one of the least feminist arcs ever, written by Devin Grayson. She was also known for one of the most boring, bland Black Widow arcs ever so I started this with low expectations. Somehow, she managed to drop below those anyway. I like Helena Bertinelli. I have since I read Gail Simone’s Birds of Prey and Huntress: Year One. While I didn’t always love what they did with her in Grayson, I haven’t found a version of her that completely hated. Until this book.
Helena is that terrible version of a kick ass female character where they push too hard on her trying to being a "bad ass" and turn her into an obnoxious character. What makes Helena such a great character is that she doesn’t even have to prove herself to anyone. She started out trying to take down the mafia because they killed her family and she doesn’t have time for the Batboys standing in her way. That’s who she is. She isn’t this terrible incarnation of a “tough girl” that fights bad guys indiscriminately and doesn’t care about whether they’re guilty or not. Even worse, Grayson punishes her by making it clear that she's wrong about pretty much everything and is morally bankrupt. Add to that Dick trying to “fix her” and we’ve got one of the worst arcs I’ve ever read with a female character.
What else was horrible about this? Whenever Dick wants to talk business, Helena wants to talk about their relationship. Of course.
There’s Oracle who’s working the case but stops to inquire about Dick sleeping with Helena because women only care about romance and love. I literally cannot believe a woman wrote this.
The plot itself is terrible as well and not just because it revolves around a female cop being slutshamed and murdered. Or because a (semi) innocent woman is later murdered by her boyfriend for complicating his life. It’s terrible because there were plot inconsistencies. Why would the perp mention the pillowcase knowing it would incriminate him? Why would the monster trying to defend his boss suddenly confess to not doing it? Was this just to speed the conclusion along?
It was just terrible and off-putting and took me so long to get through because I was hate reading it. Please keep Grayson’s writing away from me for the remainder of my life. Yikes.
The rest of this book was closer to what I liked from the previous volumes. Dick is the highlight! He’s caring, protective, clever and quick witted. I got some scenes with him and Tim that I greatly appreciated. Especially the scene with them blindfolded and training in Bludhaven. I’ve read that issue before and I can’t quite remember where but it was still nice to read again. This volume ends with him deciding to join the police force because he wants to do the job right. This is really relevant to today’s times.
It’s crazy that I read this after the floods in Houston because there’s a story where an earthquake causes flooding in NYC. Dick is trying to save 11 people from a bus and it seems hopeless; the bus is unstable, there’s not enough time and he’s already worn out. I really enjoyed this story.
So, this is definitely NOT a recommend from me. If you can skip Grayson’s portion completely and read the rest of it… there’s something there to enjoy. It’s still not perfect. The art was very 90s style which I could get past in the other volumes but some of the colorings were hard to discern. There were a few parts where I wasn’t sure what was happening. There’s an issue here that ties into a story with Connor Hawke and Shiva and then we’re right back in Bludhaven with a turn of the page. It’s a confusing collection.
May 1, 2024
This was such a good volume, I loved it!
The first story is a team up with Huntress as they are investigating the murder of this undercover cop and how is this guy Frankie involved, and he is henchman of a mafia person and he has his own story where he has to escape the mafia because love, and then his underling and how Dick and Helena investigate this and grow closer, plus batfamily doesn't trust Helena so there's that to deal with plus tensions with Babs, and nice revelations of the mystery by the end and who was the culprit and the fate of all the characters here.
I like how the next stories are standalones mostly and show Nightwing's daily life and the people that make up his world like you have a story after the Gotham earthquake and how he saves the people there and then one where Bludhaven also gets impacted and how he saves the residents of the building there and these slice of life stories are so awesome and really fleshes out the character, then there is one where he rescues the fake nite-wing and its like a classic tv episode with cool design new villains and then the team ups with Tim were so good, like that training on the train and all while blind cloth is on.. daredevil much? That was a fun story and really fleshes out the bond between these characters.
I really like how this volume really fleshes out the dynamics between the character and give us a great view of Richard's life and the craziness of the cities he is and teases some fun things to come!!
The first story is a team up with Huntress as they are investigating the murder of this undercover cop and how is this guy Frankie involved, and he is henchman of a mafia person and he has his own story where he has to escape the mafia because love, and then his underling and how Dick and Helena investigate this and grow closer, plus batfamily doesn't trust Helena so there's that to deal with plus tensions with Babs, and nice revelations of the mystery by the end and who was the culprit and the fate of all the characters here.
I like how the next stories are standalones mostly and show Nightwing's daily life and the people that make up his world like you have a story after the Gotham earthquake and how he saves the people there and then one where Bludhaven also gets impacted and how he saves the residents of the building there and these slice of life stories are so awesome and really fleshes out the character, then there is one where he rescues the fake nite-wing and its like a classic tv episode with cool design new villains and then the team ups with Tim were so good, like that training on the train and all while blind cloth is on.. daredevil much? That was a fun story and really fleshes out the bond between these characters.
I really like how this volume really fleshes out the dynamics between the character and give us a great view of Richard's life and the craziness of the cities he is and teases some fun things to come!!
July 16, 2018
Nightwing has his work cut out for him in this third volume, as a murder mystery with the Huntress leads to an ill-advised relationship, before the Cataclysm strikes Gotham City and Dick ends up as part of No Man's Land. Then, Nite-Wing makes an appearance, before a training session with Robin turns deadly.
We open with Nightwing/Huntress, a four issue mini by Devin Grayson which is a fun little detective story but not much else. The relationship between Nightwing and Huntress isn't really explored enough to have much of an impact, although the ultimate conclusion is a good piece of action. Greg Land's pencils are once again great, enhanced by Bill Siencewicz's inks.
The main Nightwing issues are...fine. There are only a few that really 'matter' in the grand scheme of things, with highlights being the two issue Cataclysm tie-ins and the Robin issue that ends the volume. The Nite-Wing story has been brewing for a while but ends very anticlimactically (although I think he's back in the next volume so I'm willing to let this one pass), while there's a team-up issue between Nightwing, Robin, and Connor Hawke that feels like part 2 of a 3 part story, the others of which aren't collected here, so the story is literally left on a cliffhanger before we launch directly into the next story.
Nothing much to say on the art front, Scott McDaniel's drawn every issue so far so he's on a great unbroken streak. If you like it, you like it, if you don't, you won't by this point.
We were on an upward turn, but I think this volume's firmly back in the 3 star category. It spends too long meandering around and telling one-and-done stories that don't go anywhere (sometimes literally), and not enough time actually furthering the overall story.
We open with Nightwing/Huntress, a four issue mini by Devin Grayson which is a fun little detective story but not much else. The relationship between Nightwing and Huntress isn't really explored enough to have much of an impact, although the ultimate conclusion is a good piece of action. Greg Land's pencils are once again great, enhanced by Bill Siencewicz's inks.
The main Nightwing issues are...fine. There are only a few that really 'matter' in the grand scheme of things, with highlights being the two issue Cataclysm tie-ins and the Robin issue that ends the volume. The Nite-Wing story has been brewing for a while but ends very anticlimactically (although I think he's back in the next volume so I'm willing to let this one pass), while there's a team-up issue between Nightwing, Robin, and Connor Hawke that feels like part 2 of a 3 part story, the others of which aren't collected here, so the story is literally left on a cliffhanger before we launch directly into the next story.
Nothing much to say on the art front, Scott McDaniel's drawn every issue so far so he's on a great unbroken streak. If you like it, you like it, if you don't, you won't by this point.
We were on an upward turn, but I think this volume's firmly back in the 3 star category. It spends too long meandering around and telling one-and-done stories that don't go anywhere (sometimes literally), and not enough time actually furthering the overall story.
September 30, 2025
The first part with Huntress was...not it. The second part was much more enjoyable.
(3,5/5)
(3,5/5)
December 28, 2015
More fantastic tales from Chuck Dixon as he brings Nightwing into his own character, and the addition of Huntress just makes this story even better.
November 21, 2022
Diquinho Grayson nos anos 90 em Bludhaven.
Começamos com uma mini da Devin Grayson, uma autora que eu gostava bastante na época, com arte do Greg "faz cara de gemido" Land e o Bill 5e20 (não sei o que ele desenhou nessas edições). Eu entendo que a Devin Grayson não é a autora mais popular dos quadrinhos, mas eu acho que ela entende bem quem é o Dick Grayson; o cara que era o parceiro mirim do Batman, cresceu, virou o Asa Noturna e para uma nova geração de heróis - ainda que ele não acredite - a referência não é mais o Batman, é o Asa Noturna.
A história é bem mais ou menos, sobre um assassinato de um mafioso e como a Caçadora quer matar mafiosos, ela não tá muito preocupada com quem matou quem, o importante é ela matar algum mafioso; já o Asinha sabe quem o cara não matou e quer descobrir quem matou e, claro, a melhor maneira de fazer isso é passar o Diquinho na Caçadora e ter uma conversa muito embaraçosa na manhã seguinte sobre o que caralhos o Batman tem a ver com o fato deles dormirem juntos. A arte não ajuda muito, o Greg Land tem o estilo filme pornô se encontra com a lesão esportiva e eu não consegui reconhecer nada no estilo do 5e20, então não dá pra defender.
Voltando a programação normal, Chuck Dixon e Scott McDaniel desenvolvem a história do Nite-Wing, o vizinho malucão do Diquinho; envolvem o Diquinho no terremoto que assola Gotham City em algumas histórias bem razoáveis, ainda mais considerando o quão ruim é o Cataclismo; mas as melhores histórias envolvem o Tim Drake o Connor Hawke, a primeira é uma noite de treino num trem em movimento com o Tim, a outra, um pedaço de algum cross over que envolve o novo Arqueiro Verde e mestres das artes marciais.
Essas duas histórias demonstram o que eu comentei no início, a referência dessa nova gurizada não é o Batman ou o Superman, é o Asa Noturna.
Começamos com uma mini da Devin Grayson, uma autora que eu gostava bastante na época, com arte do Greg "faz cara de gemido" Land e o Bill 5e20 (não sei o que ele desenhou nessas edições). Eu entendo que a Devin Grayson não é a autora mais popular dos quadrinhos, mas eu acho que ela entende bem quem é o Dick Grayson; o cara que era o parceiro mirim do Batman, cresceu, virou o Asa Noturna e para uma nova geração de heróis - ainda que ele não acredite - a referência não é mais o Batman, é o Asa Noturna.
A história é bem mais ou menos, sobre um assassinato de um mafioso e como a Caçadora quer matar mafiosos, ela não tá muito preocupada com quem matou quem, o importante é ela matar algum mafioso; já o Asinha sabe quem o cara não matou e quer descobrir quem matou e, claro, a melhor maneira de fazer isso é passar o Diquinho na Caçadora e ter uma conversa muito embaraçosa na manhã seguinte sobre o que caralhos o Batman tem a ver com o fato deles dormirem juntos. A arte não ajuda muito, o Greg Land tem o estilo filme pornô se encontra com a lesão esportiva e eu não consegui reconhecer nada no estilo do 5e20, então não dá pra defender.
Voltando a programação normal, Chuck Dixon e Scott McDaniel desenvolvem a história do Nite-Wing, o vizinho malucão do Diquinho; envolvem o Diquinho no terremoto que assola Gotham City em algumas histórias bem razoáveis, ainda mais considerando o quão ruim é o Cataclismo; mas as melhores histórias envolvem o Tim Drake o Connor Hawke, a primeira é uma noite de treino num trem em movimento com o Tim, a outra, um pedaço de algum cross over que envolve o novo Arqueiro Verde e mestres das artes marciais.
Essas duas histórias demonstram o que eu comentei no início, a referência dessa nova gurizada não é o Batman ou o Superman, é o Asa Noturna.
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February 8, 2020Issues 24 and 25, the final two in this collection, are the best of Dixon’s run so far. 24 sees Dick investigating a fifteen-year old murder case he picks up from one of Bludhaven’s few good cops. In 25, he accompanies Tim on the same blindfold gauntlet train run he performed when he was Robin. These are great self-contained stories that subtly move forward Dick’s character, specifically his wanting to join the police. Dixon is great at balancing character development, action, and heart, and these stories epitomize that.
The rest of the book is solid but not up to its late heights. There’s two Cataclysm crossover issues that work quite well on their own, unlike the Robin/Nightwing/Green Arrow issue - only part two of the story is collected so it’s practically useless. The Nightwing/Huntress four-parter that opens the book has its moments (namely some romance between the leads), though I can’t say the plot leaves much of an impression. Elsewhere, Tad becomes Nite-Wing, and Dick continues to fumble things with Clancy. Poor Tad. I never knew about this character before, but I sort of like his hardscrabble enthusiasm. Plus he led Dixon to feature the Golden Age Tarantula, an underrated character of there ever was one.
The rest of the book is solid but not up to its late heights. There’s two Cataclysm crossover issues that work quite well on their own, unlike the Robin/Nightwing/Green Arrow issue - only part two of the story is collected so it’s practically useless. The Nightwing/Huntress four-parter that opens the book has its moments (namely some romance between the leads), though I can’t say the plot leaves much of an impression. Elsewhere, Tad becomes Nite-Wing, and Dick continues to fumble things with Clancy. Poor Tad. I never knew about this character before, but I sort of like his hardscrabble enthusiasm. Plus he led Dixon to feature the Golden Age Tarantula, an underrated character of there ever was one.
September 27, 2025
I'm reading this to bridge the gap between Batman: Road to No Man's Land Omnibus & Batman: No Man's Land Omnibus Vol. 1. Surprisingly, the 90s Nightwing run is among the very best comics DC published during that period!
The writing is smart, the artwork is amazing, I even noticed the great lettering. It's a very light comic book, in the sense that there's no huge storylines. Instead it's Dick Grayson fighting small and local crime, dealing with his everyday life and interacting with the other members of the bat family. It's a very pleasant reading experience. I wish this run was available in Omnibus format.
Unfortunately, this volume also collects the Nightwing/Huntress Mini series. It's appalling how much worse it is to the main run. The writing is horrendous and the story is uninteresting. The relationship between Nightwing and Huntress is the only intriguing part of this mini series, but it's just not worth reading.
The writing is smart, the artwork is amazing, I even noticed the great lettering. It's a very light comic book, in the sense that there's no huge storylines. Instead it's Dick Grayson fighting small and local crime, dealing with his everyday life and interacting with the other members of the bat family. It's a very pleasant reading experience. I wish this run was available in Omnibus format.
Unfortunately, this volume also collects the Nightwing/Huntress Mini series. It's appalling how much worse it is to the main run. The writing is horrendous and the story is uninteresting. The relationship between Nightwing and Huntress is the only intriguing part of this mini series, but it's just not worth reading.
January 2, 2020
3.5
I try to forget that the Nightwing/Huntress story ever happened when rating this, because that felt like a giant mess (hence the 3.5 and not 4), but the other arcs were really fun, particularly the smaller stories where Dick helps in smaller ways, like with the cop and his unfinished case, not to mention the training session with Robin. The difference in quality and character understanding in Chuck Dixon's work and Devin Grayson's was noticeable before in the last volume, but in this it's much more obvious.
I try to forget that the Nightwing/Huntress story ever happened when rating this, because that felt like a giant mess (hence the 3.5 and not 4), but the other arcs were really fun, particularly the smaller stories where Dick helps in smaller ways, like with the cop and his unfinished case, not to mention the training session with Robin. The difference in quality and character understanding in Chuck Dixon's work and Devin Grayson's was noticeable before in the last volume, but in this it's much more obvious.
August 18, 2022
Funny how much better this series gets when you just skip the Devin Grayson entries. The art remains rough, but the Gotham earthquake plot definitely pulled on the feels.
August 3, 2025
4.5
Another enjoyable batch of Nightwing stories. A fun mystery team-up with Huntress, Dick/Nightwing acclimating to Blüdhaven, and an incredible tale of Nightwing and Robin hanging out together.
Another enjoyable batch of Nightwing stories. A fun mystery team-up with Huntress, Dick/Nightwing acclimating to Blüdhaven, and an incredible tale of Nightwing and Robin hanging out together.
July 29, 2017
This collection brings together quite a few different Nightwing stories. First the Huntress/Nightwing limited series, then Nightwing's involvement in No Man's Land, his part of a Kung-Fu crossover with Green Arrow, connecting with Tim Drake, and his own dealing in Bludhaven. Because of DC Comics being.....well, DC Comics some of these stories end in other collections and that's a shame because this book is really good. Nightwing's exasperation to find his family during No Man's Land to his banter with Tim, it was spectacular. The Huntress mini was good but a little cheesy. Scott McDaniel handled the art chores for the main book and was dynamic. Overall, a very fun book.
August 31, 2021
Review of Nightwing: Love and Bullets, which takes place after Batman: Cataclysm, which *sigh*, is another crossover event I haven't yet read. Good news is, you're able to understand Gotham has suffered from a huge quake & Nightwing was out of town for a bit. The end?
In this volume, Nite-Wing, a new "crime fighter" wannabe gets sent to the hospital with a few new holes put in him. And when the criminals of Bludhaven (Blockbuster + the police dept.) hear "Nite-Wing" is in the hospital -they all think it's our Nightwing, and send their guys to finish the job. Dick has to go save the kid, ditch his date with Clancy (of course, poor kid makes the worst boyfriend) & shuttle him off to safety (thanks, Alfred!).
Other introductions in this volume are: a re-introduced to Mr. Soames, and Huntress makes a bloody appearance.
I really liked the issue The Boys of Nightwing out on the town training Robin.
And I also really liked a scene from the next issue Angle of Attack where Nightwing saves a baby being thrown from a window. He saves the baby, but it shakes him...
"On the other hand, my heart is doing ninety. A nanosecond. A fraction of an inch. Death is so close in this town.
I should feel good about tonight. But I feel like I'm alone out here on the line. No cops to count on. No partners. No one to share the burden." (Pgs. 117-118)
I'm loving Chuck Dixon's writing. I think he gets Nightwing.
Volume is a little all over the place because it feels like a collection of one-offs, but it's overall a good read. Also, Scott McDaniel's art has grown on me. ;)
3.5 stars (less)
In this volume, Nite-Wing, a new "crime fighter" wannabe gets sent to the hospital with a few new holes put in him. And when the criminals of Bludhaven (Blockbuster + the police dept.) hear "Nite-Wing" is in the hospital -they all think it's our Nightwing, and send their guys to finish the job. Dick has to go save the kid, ditch his date with Clancy (of course, poor kid makes the worst boyfriend) & shuttle him off to safety (thanks, Alfred!).
Other introductions in this volume are: a re-introduced to Mr. Soames, and Huntress makes a bloody appearance.
I really liked the issue The Boys of Nightwing out on the town training Robin.
And I also really liked a scene from the next issue Angle of Attack where Nightwing saves a baby being thrown from a window. He saves the baby, but it shakes him...
"On the other hand, my heart is doing ninety. A nanosecond. A fraction of an inch. Death is so close in this town.
I should feel good about tonight. But I feel like I'm alone out here on the line. No cops to count on. No partners. No one to share the burden." (Pgs. 117-118)
I'm loving Chuck Dixon's writing. I think he gets Nightwing.
Volume is a little all over the place because it feels like a collection of one-offs, but it's overall a good read. Also, Scott McDaniel's art has grown on me. ;)
3.5 stars (less)
January 26, 2016
I've been enjoying Chuck Dixon's run on Nightwing so far. I've been reading it simultaneously with the New 52 Nightwing and it's obvious that Dixon writes Nightwing with a finesse that the current series is missing. However, this volume doesn't hold up to the previous standard set by the first two volumes.
It's very hit or miss. Part of the problem is that a few of the stories featured in False Starts are crossovers with Batman (One of them definitely is. Not so sure about the one involving Connor Hawke). While the crossovers are cool, we are never given a resolution to these ones. I assume the whole point would be to go out and get said Batman comic to finish it, but it is kind of frustrating when False Starts is a collected volume of a series originally published 16 years ago. One can't help but want to finish the story, but all we get is unsatisfactorily thrust back into Nightwing's solo story.
That being said, Nightwing's story is still enjoyable to read, even if it's set on the back-burner for much of this volume. His team up with the Huntress is interesting, and I think the best part of the volume is reading about Tim Drake and Nightwing discussing Batman. It's always interesting to see what Batman's proteges think about him when he's not around.
Dixon's False Starts is a solid entry in this run of Nightwing. I just hope subsequent volumes aren't as disjointed because of crossovers with other series as this one was.
It's very hit or miss. Part of the problem is that a few of the stories featured in False Starts are crossovers with Batman (One of them definitely is. Not so sure about the one involving Connor Hawke). While the crossovers are cool, we are never given a resolution to these ones. I assume the whole point would be to go out and get said Batman comic to finish it, but it is kind of frustrating when False Starts is a collected volume of a series originally published 16 years ago. One can't help but want to finish the story, but all we get is unsatisfactorily thrust back into Nightwing's solo story.
That being said, Nightwing's story is still enjoyable to read, even if it's set on the back-burner for much of this volume. His team up with the Huntress is interesting, and I think the best part of the volume is reading about Tim Drake and Nightwing discussing Batman. It's always interesting to see what Batman's proteges think about him when he's not around.
Dixon's False Starts is a solid entry in this run of Nightwing. I just hope subsequent volumes aren't as disjointed because of crossovers with other series as this one was.
December 30, 2021
Nightwing: False Starts is an interesting case of strong characterization paired with weak plots, compelling ideas lost amongst messy execution. This book covers multiple stories, one which is the Nightwing/Huntress miniseries, and the others all continued in the Nightwing solo series, and I can say about 75% of these plots are unenjoyable for one reason or another.
Let me start by saying some positives, because there is a reason this book has a 3-star rating rather than something lower. Chuck Dixon, the author of the Nightwing series, has a relatively good understanding of Dick Grayson - his characterization was always strong in one way or another, and Dixon made efforts to explore Dick’s personality and thoughts. At some points Dick felt a bit like a generic superhero, but when Dixon was able to dive into who Dick was as a person, I felt such joy in seeing into who he is and what makes him tick.
Working backwards to forwards, one of the major highlights of this book is the final issue, #25 - it’s a filler in that it doesn’t do anything to move forward any plot points, however, it feels incredibly worthwhile because we get to see Dick interact with Tim Drake in a charming, brotherly way. In writing such a simple story, Dixon exposed us to a wealth of character - certain lines indicated how Dick felt about aspects of his life and his relationships, and seeing his mentor-like relationship with Tim is very rewarding.
The other serious highlight is issue #24, in which Dick helps a cop solve a 15 year old cold case. This plot stands on its own and doesn’t tie-in to other issues of the series, and that’s a part of what makes it so strong. Thus far, we haven’t gotten to see much of Dick’s detective skills, and in this story we follow him along the way as he makes progress in this old murder case. Again, it’s something so simple, but in its simplicity it does so much more for Dick’s character than some of the “grander” issues of the Nightwing run.
To summarize the rest of the positives, once again Dick’s characterization is successful in the majority of this book. It’s great to see him play off of Tim, Barbara Gordon, and other supporting characters that show up along the way, and even many of his interactions with one-off characters are enjoyable. On top of Dixon’s characterization of Dick, the issues that tie Nightwing into the No Man’s Land arc is also a great read for Nightwing fans - it puts Dick in a riveting high-stakes situation that really highlights who he is as a hero.
But now onto the negatives. First and foremost, I have to talk about the disappointment that was the Nightwing/Huntress miniseries. Although Devin Grayson, this story’s author, had moments in which he seemed to understand Dick as a character, there were just as many moments that were confusing and ill-suited to Nightwing. The greatest distraction and greatest let down of this run is the romance between Dick and the Huntress, which was confusing, sloppy, and entirely unnecessary. The writing attempted to justify these odd moments between the characters, but the entire time it was incredibly jarring whenever the two would kiss or get “closer.” The dynamic between them felt incredibly superficial, and ultimately quite pointless to the plot, which in itself was weak and uninteresting. Although the story picked up a little in issue #3, it ultimately wasn't handled well enough to be compelling.
Returning to Dixon and his work on Nightwing, I felt as if there wasn’t a clear direction for the series to go in - the majority of the issues, although tied into past plot points, feel very disconnected from one another. Stories end just as quickly as they’re started, and it gives the impression that the creative team wasn’t sure what they wanted to do with Dick. Although interesting moments and ideas are introduced, they’re never largely expanded upon, leaving an incomplete feeling to the majority of the book.
Another big issue for me continues to be the artwork of Scott McDaniel. I’ve said before how much I dislike his work, and although I’ve grown accustomed to it, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to find things I like about it. And it isn’t simply McDaniel’s style that’s unsatisfying - it’s also the coloring of said art and the panel layout of nearly every issue. I think the combination of all these elements makes the pages incredibly chaotic, and most of the time this is quite distracting; on some occasions, the pages are so chaotic that I have trouble understanding what exactly is going on, which is even worse than the art simply being distracting. The series is way too stylistic, and it detracts from the story rather than supports it.
Despite these negatives, there’s still promise in this series - like I said, Dixon does a very good job of writing Dick as a character, and there are just enough good stories to keep me invested. This Nightwing run simply lacks a sense of direction, which really bogged down False Starts, and I can only hope that the series finds it’s direction in the next book.
Let me start by saying some positives, because there is a reason this book has a 3-star rating rather than something lower. Chuck Dixon, the author of the Nightwing series, has a relatively good understanding of Dick Grayson - his characterization was always strong in one way or another, and Dixon made efforts to explore Dick’s personality and thoughts. At some points Dick felt a bit like a generic superhero, but when Dixon was able to dive into who Dick was as a person, I felt such joy in seeing into who he is and what makes him tick.
Working backwards to forwards, one of the major highlights of this book is the final issue, #25 - it’s a filler in that it doesn’t do anything to move forward any plot points, however, it feels incredibly worthwhile because we get to see Dick interact with Tim Drake in a charming, brotherly way. In writing such a simple story, Dixon exposed us to a wealth of character - certain lines indicated how Dick felt about aspects of his life and his relationships, and seeing his mentor-like relationship with Tim is very rewarding.
The other serious highlight is issue #24, in which Dick helps a cop solve a 15 year old cold case. This plot stands on its own and doesn’t tie-in to other issues of the series, and that’s a part of what makes it so strong. Thus far, we haven’t gotten to see much of Dick’s detective skills, and in this story we follow him along the way as he makes progress in this old murder case. Again, it’s something so simple, but in its simplicity it does so much more for Dick’s character than some of the “grander” issues of the Nightwing run.
To summarize the rest of the positives, once again Dick’s characterization is successful in the majority of this book. It’s great to see him play off of Tim, Barbara Gordon, and other supporting characters that show up along the way, and even many of his interactions with one-off characters are enjoyable. On top of Dixon’s characterization of Dick, the issues that tie Nightwing into the No Man’s Land arc is also a great read for Nightwing fans - it puts Dick in a riveting high-stakes situation that really highlights who he is as a hero.
But now onto the negatives. First and foremost, I have to talk about the disappointment that was the Nightwing/Huntress miniseries. Although Devin Grayson, this story’s author, had moments in which he seemed to understand Dick as a character, there were just as many moments that were confusing and ill-suited to Nightwing. The greatest distraction and greatest let down of this run is the romance between Dick and the Huntress, which was confusing, sloppy, and entirely unnecessary. The writing attempted to justify these odd moments between the characters, but the entire time it was incredibly jarring whenever the two would kiss or get “closer.” The dynamic between them felt incredibly superficial, and ultimately quite pointless to the plot, which in itself was weak and uninteresting. Although the story picked up a little in issue #3, it ultimately wasn't handled well enough to be compelling.
Returning to Dixon and his work on Nightwing, I felt as if there wasn’t a clear direction for the series to go in - the majority of the issues, although tied into past plot points, feel very disconnected from one another. Stories end just as quickly as they’re started, and it gives the impression that the creative team wasn’t sure what they wanted to do with Dick. Although interesting moments and ideas are introduced, they’re never largely expanded upon, leaving an incomplete feeling to the majority of the book.
Another big issue for me continues to be the artwork of Scott McDaniel. I’ve said before how much I dislike his work, and although I’ve grown accustomed to it, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to find things I like about it. And it isn’t simply McDaniel’s style that’s unsatisfying - it’s also the coloring of said art and the panel layout of nearly every issue. I think the combination of all these elements makes the pages incredibly chaotic, and most of the time this is quite distracting; on some occasions, the pages are so chaotic that I have trouble understanding what exactly is going on, which is even worse than the art simply being distracting. The series is way too stylistic, and it detracts from the story rather than supports it.
Despite these negatives, there’s still promise in this series - like I said, Dixon does a very good job of writing Dick as a character, and there are just enough good stories to keep me invested. This Nightwing run simply lacks a sense of direction, which really bogged down False Starts, and I can only hope that the series finds it’s direction in the next book.
April 9, 2021
This volume starts off with a Huntress-Nightwing team up, and honestly I kind of liked it. Because Huntress is so emotionally driven and impulsive, Dick was forced into the role of being the responsible, toned down hero, which was interesting to see. I liked seeing him actually defend Batman for once in this series when Huntress criticized him. I thought it was a bit unfair of Dick to compare her to Jason, Barbara and Kory though. Yes, Jason did tend to rush into things headfirst, but that's not really what got him killed. What got him killed was a desire to save his mother's life, and it seems a bit disrespectful to reduce his last act of heroism to a childish mistake. Barbara, on the other hand had absolutely no influence on her paralysis. The Joker shot her because she was Commissioner Gordon's daughter and he wanted to prove to Batman that even a man as good as Gordon could be corrupted by one bad day. Barbara being Batgirl and impulsive (if she was, I haven't read much from her time before Oracle) had absolutely no influence over what happened to her and I don't appreciate Dick insinuating that it did.
Huntress and Nightwing kiss a few times in this issue and eventually have a one night stand. I didn't completely hate it, but at times it did feel quite random. I thought it was interesting that Devin Grayson decided to play the angle of Dick not realizing that he's in love with Barbara by having him call her immediately after sex, while still naked. At first I thought this was just him being a thoughtless douchebag, but I think she was actually hinting that Barbara is the first person Dick thinks of when in an intimate situation like that (and that he is a thoughtless idiot).
Another thing I thought was interesting about the Huntress/Nightwing mafia arc was how at peace the two heroes were with the number of innocent lives taken. Helena clearly showed outrage at the prostitute dying in the beginning, and Batman raised Dick to prioritize civilian lives over his own, so I thought it was odd that both of them were perfectly fine with dying.
After this arc, we get a few snippets of other stories. Dick returns to Gotham to help mitigate the damage caused by an earthquake. I liked the individual stories but ultimately it felt incomplete. Dick saves a bunch of lives before discovering that no one has heard from Bruce since the earthquake hit. I liked the twist of Detective Hawke being Bruce in disguise, but it seemed inconsiderate of him not to call any of his allies to check on them/tell them he's okay. Alfred could have easily been crushed in the cave and no one would know, or Dick could have been grievously injured looking for Bruce when he was fine all along.
The final few issues inject a sort of normalcy that I wish was more common in comics. Dick has trouble with the owners of the building he lives in, and we get to see a bit more of his neighbours, which is nice. He also goes on a date with Clancy, which of course is tanked by his night job, tries to help a customer at his bar solve a mystery and then bonds with Tim in a blindfolded exercise. They were all fun, albeit short reads.
Overall, the book was pretty good. I liked that the mafia arc was completed and the insight into the life of Dick Grayson, but would have preferred the latter stories were more cohesive. I also love the interactions between Dick and Barbara (minus Dick inadvertently flaunting his hookup in her face and Babs being a peeping Tom). One thing I love about Batfamily stories from the late 90s to late 2000s is how involved all of the members are in each other's lives. I'm hoping to see more team-ups and interactions (and mentions of Jason Todd) in the future books!
Huntress and Nightwing kiss a few times in this issue and eventually have a one night stand. I didn't completely hate it, but at times it did feel quite random. I thought it was interesting that Devin Grayson decided to play the angle of Dick not realizing that he's in love with Barbara by having him call her immediately after sex, while still naked. At first I thought this was just him being a thoughtless douchebag, but I think she was actually hinting that Barbara is the first person Dick thinks of when in an intimate situation like that (and that he is a thoughtless idiot).
Another thing I thought was interesting about the Huntress/Nightwing mafia arc was how at peace the two heroes were with the number of innocent lives taken. Helena clearly showed outrage at the prostitute dying in the beginning, and Batman raised Dick to prioritize civilian lives over his own, so I thought it was odd that both of them were perfectly fine with dying.
After this arc, we get a few snippets of other stories. Dick returns to Gotham to help mitigate the damage caused by an earthquake. I liked the individual stories but ultimately it felt incomplete. Dick saves a bunch of lives before discovering that no one has heard from Bruce since the earthquake hit. I liked the twist of Detective Hawke being Bruce in disguise, but it seemed inconsiderate of him not to call any of his allies to check on them/tell them he's okay. Alfred could have easily been crushed in the cave and no one would know, or Dick could have been grievously injured looking for Bruce when he was fine all along.
The final few issues inject a sort of normalcy that I wish was more common in comics. Dick has trouble with the owners of the building he lives in, and we get to see a bit more of his neighbours, which is nice. He also goes on a date with Clancy, which of course is tanked by his night job, tries to help a customer at his bar solve a mystery and then bonds with Tim in a blindfolded exercise. They were all fun, albeit short reads.
Overall, the book was pretty good. I liked that the mafia arc was completed and the insight into the life of Dick Grayson, but would have preferred the latter stories were more cohesive. I also love the interactions between Dick and Barbara (minus Dick inadvertently flaunting his hookup in her face and Babs being a peeping Tom). One thing I love about Batfamily stories from the late 90s to late 2000s is how involved all of the members are in each other's lives. I'm hoping to see more team-ups and interactions (and mentions of Jason Todd) in the future books!
May 22, 2016
This volume of the continuing series of Nightwing reprints includes several stories which demonstrate the breadth of Dick Grayson's character and of the Classic 1990s Nightwing comic book. The first story is the four issue Nightwing/Huntress storym Casa Nostra. What happens when a mobster's alibi is Dick Grayson? When a hooker is killed in a hotel room, the police and Huntress are convinced mobster, Frankie Black is responsible. However, Dick knows that Frankie was set-up because as Nightwing he was following and watching Frankie Black at the docks as he brought in a shipment of arms to sell to another mobster. Frankie, it turns out, had fallen in love with a girl named Moira, who was decidedly not part of the mob scene. He was planning on using the arms sale to finance his escape, and having his name on a hotel register was his alibi. Huntress is after Frankie Black because going after mobsters is what she does. Dick has to convince Huntress that Frankie is innocent, of killing the hooker anyway, and convince her to help him solve the case. When a Gotham Vice cop arrives in Blüdhaven because the "hooker" was his partner who was on an unsanctioned undercover sting operation, the case gets that much more complicated. Nightwing and Huntress solve it, but not before tragedy occurs for Moira, Frankie, Pasquelle - Frankie's "sidekick", and a crooked cop. Yet Nightwing and Huntress also spend the night together before going their separate ways. This first four-part story I enjoyed, though the ending was dark and sad. Still, in the end, Nightwing solves the case, and Huntress proves she isn't simply interested in blindly killing mobsters.
The next story, "The Breaks", has Nightwing silently guarding a Federal witness. The witness, and the marshals don't do the best job of protecting the witness - but Nightwing rescues the mobster and delivers him to the Feds to turn state's evidence much to the chagrin of the mobster himself.
"Shudder" and "Day After Judgment" are Nightwing's roles in the long Batman series - "The Road to No Man's Land" and "No Man's Land". When Gotham City is nearly destroyed by a 7.5 Earthquake, Nightwing goes by boat to the city to do what he can to help. Dick is terrified by what he will find when he realizes the epicenter of the quake wasn't far from Wayne Manor. Dick helps people in trouble because of the quake, meets up with Oracle and Robin (Tim Drake) then he and Tim go to the Manor. They find the Manor nearly completely destroyed, and worry for the safety of Alfred, Bruce, and Harold (Bruce's mechanic). Dick rescues Alfred and Harold from the ruins of the mansion and Batcave, but Bruce is missing. All that Alfred can say is it's been days since Bruce swam out of the cave in search of help. In the meantime, Gotham's emergency services are overwhelmed by dealing with the quake and resulting fires, power outages, and general chaos. A reporter is handed a videotape which she brings to Commissioner Gordon. The tape contains a ransom demand - the earthquake wasn't a simple natural disaster but engineered, and if the man responsible isn't paid off he will set off additional earthquakes. After a week, Dick returns to Blüdhaven, only to discover his building's been condemned and his landlady and friends have been kicked out of their homes. Dick uses his Halley company to buy the building, hires people to bring it up to code, and gives his neighbors vouchers to stay in a hotel until the work is completed.
Also in "False Starts", a young man is inspired to become a superhero and adapts the name "Nite-Wing" - not only is he using Dick's alter-ego as a super identity, but since the mob wants Dick dead, he's soon shot to pieces and ends up in intensive care. Dick, who's about to enjoy a night out with his landlady, Clancy, gets a call from a very worried Barbara Gordon (Oracle), and then has to break the false "Nite-Wing" out of the hospital and protect him from the mob. Despite attacks by various hired killers, Dick is able to give the guy to Alfred to take care of. Dick didn't even know the "John Doe's" real name but felt responsible for him anyway.
In "Paper Revelations", Nightwing, Robin, and Connor Hawke the Green Arrow, work in Gotham with Batman to solve a series of "Monkey" murders. It appears a group of assassins are at work in Gotham, but tracking down and killing the competition is Lady Shiva. The story ends in a "To be continued" with Black Canary and Bronze Tiger held captive, and Nightwing, Green Arrow, and Robin confronting Lady Shiva.
In "The Forgotten Dead", Dick's working as a barkeeper in Clancy's bar and listens to a retiring police officer talk about a 15-year cold case that's always gotten to him. Dick investigate's the cold case as Nightwing with help from Oracle. He solves the case using old-fashioned leg work and detective work, then let's the cop know who did it through an anonymous tip.
In the final story, "The Boys", Nightwing trains Robin by jumping on the top of moving freight cars as they travel through the city. The catch? Both are blindfolded. But the training session gives both Dick and Tim a chance to talk to each other, as well as discuss their concern for Bruce, who's been even more distant since the Gotham Earthquake.
"False Starts" shows many facets of Dick Grayson's character. "Casa Nostra" the Huntress crossover shows not only Dick's abilities as a crimefighter, but his honesty. He's not going to let a mobster be framed for a crime he didn't commit, even if his other crimes are numerous, bloody, and frightening. Plus, we see a budding romance between Dick and Huntress.
Both "The Breaks" and "False Starts" show Dick, or rather, Nightwing, in Superhero mode - protecting people who need protection, and helping where no one else can or will help. And still, we see Dick's honesty. He's essentially being the "good cop" though he has no badge (yet).
"Shudder" and "Day After Judgment" show Dick's commitment to his own family: Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara "Oracle" Gordon, Tim "Robin" Drake. When a disaster hits Gotham, Dick drops everything in his own home town and goes home to help. In Gotham, Dick helps every day people - a mother, her child, and a bus full of passengers stuck underground when the roads collapsed during the quake - and he helps his own family, showing up at the manor, even though he doesn't know what he will find. He even understands Tim's need to see his own father, rather than wait to see what Dick finds at the Manor (especially as it does not look good.) This shows Dick's loyalty, as well as the Justice League's commitment to helping during natural and man-made disasters.
When he returns home, we see Dick's generous spirit as well as his loyalty to his friends.
And we see Dick as the older brother, taking Tim under his wing - so to speak - and not only training him, but giving him a sounding board.
Nightwing False Starts is actually a fine introduction to the Classic Nightwing character, even though it's the third volume in the series. It introduces the reader to the many sides of Dick's character as well as different types of stories: mob stories, detective stories, character-driven stories, disaster stories, even superhero stories. Dick Grayson is an excellent character, and by False Starts he's moved out of the Batman's shadow and firmly established himself in his own world. I highly recommend this book, and the series (which DC Comics is currently reprinting a volume at a time).
The next story, "The Breaks", has Nightwing silently guarding a Federal witness. The witness, and the marshals don't do the best job of protecting the witness - but Nightwing rescues the mobster and delivers him to the Feds to turn state's evidence much to the chagrin of the mobster himself.
"Shudder" and "Day After Judgment" are Nightwing's roles in the long Batman series - "The Road to No Man's Land" and "No Man's Land". When Gotham City is nearly destroyed by a 7.5 Earthquake, Nightwing goes by boat to the city to do what he can to help. Dick is terrified by what he will find when he realizes the epicenter of the quake wasn't far from Wayne Manor. Dick helps people in trouble because of the quake, meets up with Oracle and Robin (Tim Drake) then he and Tim go to the Manor. They find the Manor nearly completely destroyed, and worry for the safety of Alfred, Bruce, and Harold (Bruce's mechanic). Dick rescues Alfred and Harold from the ruins of the mansion and Batcave, but Bruce is missing. All that Alfred can say is it's been days since Bruce swam out of the cave in search of help. In the meantime, Gotham's emergency services are overwhelmed by dealing with the quake and resulting fires, power outages, and general chaos. A reporter is handed a videotape which she brings to Commissioner Gordon. The tape contains a ransom demand - the earthquake wasn't a simple natural disaster but engineered, and if the man responsible isn't paid off he will set off additional earthquakes. After a week, Dick returns to Blüdhaven, only to discover his building's been condemned and his landlady and friends have been kicked out of their homes. Dick uses his Halley company to buy the building, hires people to bring it up to code, and gives his neighbors vouchers to stay in a hotel until the work is completed.
Also in "False Starts", a young man is inspired to become a superhero and adapts the name "Nite-Wing" - not only is he using Dick's alter-ego as a super identity, but since the mob wants Dick dead, he's soon shot to pieces and ends up in intensive care. Dick, who's about to enjoy a night out with his landlady, Clancy, gets a call from a very worried Barbara Gordon (Oracle), and then has to break the false "Nite-Wing" out of the hospital and protect him from the mob. Despite attacks by various hired killers, Dick is able to give the guy to Alfred to take care of. Dick didn't even know the "John Doe's" real name but felt responsible for him anyway.
In "Paper Revelations", Nightwing, Robin, and Connor Hawke the Green Arrow, work in Gotham with Batman to solve a series of "Monkey" murders. It appears a group of assassins are at work in Gotham, but tracking down and killing the competition is Lady Shiva. The story ends in a "To be continued" with Black Canary and Bronze Tiger held captive, and Nightwing, Green Arrow, and Robin confronting Lady Shiva.
In "The Forgotten Dead", Dick's working as a barkeeper in Clancy's bar and listens to a retiring police officer talk about a 15-year cold case that's always gotten to him. Dick investigate's the cold case as Nightwing with help from Oracle. He solves the case using old-fashioned leg work and detective work, then let's the cop know who did it through an anonymous tip.
In the final story, "The Boys", Nightwing trains Robin by jumping on the top of moving freight cars as they travel through the city. The catch? Both are blindfolded. But the training session gives both Dick and Tim a chance to talk to each other, as well as discuss their concern for Bruce, who's been even more distant since the Gotham Earthquake.
"False Starts" shows many facets of Dick Grayson's character. "Casa Nostra" the Huntress crossover shows not only Dick's abilities as a crimefighter, but his honesty. He's not going to let a mobster be framed for a crime he didn't commit, even if his other crimes are numerous, bloody, and frightening. Plus, we see a budding romance between Dick and Huntress.
Both "The Breaks" and "False Starts" show Dick, or rather, Nightwing, in Superhero mode - protecting people who need protection, and helping where no one else can or will help. And still, we see Dick's honesty. He's essentially being the "good cop" though he has no badge (yet).
"Shudder" and "Day After Judgment" show Dick's commitment to his own family: Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara "Oracle" Gordon, Tim "Robin" Drake. When a disaster hits Gotham, Dick drops everything in his own home town and goes home to help. In Gotham, Dick helps every day people - a mother, her child, and a bus full of passengers stuck underground when the roads collapsed during the quake - and he helps his own family, showing up at the manor, even though he doesn't know what he will find. He even understands Tim's need to see his own father, rather than wait to see what Dick finds at the Manor (especially as it does not look good.) This shows Dick's loyalty, as well as the Justice League's commitment to helping during natural and man-made disasters.
When he returns home, we see Dick's generous spirit as well as his loyalty to his friends.
And we see Dick as the older brother, taking Tim under his wing - so to speak - and not only training him, but giving him a sounding board.
Nightwing False Starts is actually a fine introduction to the Classic Nightwing character, even though it's the third volume in the series. It introduces the reader to the many sides of Dick's character as well as different types of stories: mob stories, detective stories, character-driven stories, disaster stories, even superhero stories. Dick Grayson is an excellent character, and by False Starts he's moved out of the Batman's shadow and firmly established himself in his own world. I highly recommend this book, and the series (which DC Comics is currently reprinting a volume at a time).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2018
This trade paperback picks up where the previous volume left off, collecting the next seven issues (19–25) of the 1996 on-going series, the DC/Wizard collaboration issue (Nightwing ½), and the four-part mini-series Nightwing/Huntress.
In the on-going series, Dick Grayson has to contend with his life in Blüdhaven with super-villains out for his head, corrupt police officers, and a pretender tarnishing his superhero name. On top of that Grayson has to contend with the fallout of the 7.6 earthquake that rocked neighboring Gotham City. Cameo appearance by Tim Drake as Robin was also a great treat to read.
The mini-series Nightwing/Huntress was an intriguing team-up with an interesting plot, however the execution was rather weak. Grayson was taking over for Batman in Gotham City, while he's out of town. The murder of a prostitute brings these two together, while Huntress tries to pin the murder to a mobster, Nightwing stops Huntress in her tracks when he provides an alibi for said mobster. Together they team-up to solve this murder and get amorously closer while they're at it.
All in all, I enjoyed this trade paperback, however with two cross-over events without much follow-up or build-up was a tad disconnecting in the overall flow of the stories collected. Still, I quite enjoy, this trade very much.
In the on-going series, Dick Grayson has to contend with his life in Blüdhaven with super-villains out for his head, corrupt police officers, and a pretender tarnishing his superhero name. On top of that Grayson has to contend with the fallout of the 7.6 earthquake that rocked neighboring Gotham City. Cameo appearance by Tim Drake as Robin was also a great treat to read.
The mini-series Nightwing/Huntress was an intriguing team-up with an interesting plot, however the execution was rather weak. Grayson was taking over for Batman in Gotham City, while he's out of town. The murder of a prostitute brings these two together, while Huntress tries to pin the murder to a mobster, Nightwing stops Huntress in her tracks when he provides an alibi for said mobster. Together they team-up to solve this murder and get amorously closer while they're at it.
All in all, I enjoyed this trade paperback, however with two cross-over events without much follow-up or build-up was a tad disconnecting in the overall flow of the stories collected. Still, I quite enjoy, this trade very much.
January 27, 2023
Generally fine. The volume starts with Devin Grayson's Nightwing/Huntress miniseries, which was quite good. It fleshes out both Nightwing, and especially Huntress, as characters, and continues the story of Huntress trying to earn the trust of the Bat Family, which is really hesitant to trust her. It is another noir-ish Bat Family versus organized crime story, which I generally find more enjoyable than supervillain of the week.
The main part of the volume continues Dixon's run on Nightwing, and is mostly one-offs of Nightwing in Bludhaven, establishing himself as its protector (although there is a good deal of crossover with Cataclysm and No Man's Land). These stories are well-written: Dixon remains one of my favourite Bat authors as he really 'gets' what motivates each character. What holds back the volume from four stars is Scott McDaniel's truly dreadful artwork. It is, without question, the worst comic art I've ever seen. Words like "amateur," "childish," and "cartoonish" only begin to describe how awful it is.
Dixon's run on Nightwing really established the character and is really well written. If only there was a better artist on the run, it would really, really stand up as one of the better runs of mainstream, DC comics.
The main part of the volume continues Dixon's run on Nightwing, and is mostly one-offs of Nightwing in Bludhaven, establishing himself as its protector (although there is a good deal of crossover with Cataclysm and No Man's Land). These stories are well-written: Dixon remains one of my favourite Bat authors as he really 'gets' what motivates each character. What holds back the volume from four stars is Scott McDaniel's truly dreadful artwork. It is, without question, the worst comic art I've ever seen. Words like "amateur," "childish," and "cartoonish" only begin to describe how awful it is.
Dixon's run on Nightwing really established the character and is really well written. If only there was a better artist on the run, it would really, really stand up as one of the better runs of mainstream, DC comics.
July 4, 2018
Volume 3 comes along and my general liking of the series being at the level of 'its just about enjoyable enough to want to get the next volume' carries on.
After the first half of this collection I would have said I was much more excited about the next volume, the Huntress mini series is terrific and the stories connecting to Cataclysm (I assume) are great as well.
Then though we get what I am assuming is part of a crossover (I just checked and it is part of a 5 part story) where we jump in and wonder what the hell is going on but by the time we have a clue the issue ends on a cliffhanger and that is it! What sort of idiots are the people who put together this collection? Why on earth would I want one part of a five part story? This really puts me off getting any more volumes because if they keep doing this it is a waste of money. I would have much rather had this issue left out than just get 1/5 of a story.
After the first half of this collection I would have said I was much more excited about the next volume, the Huntress mini series is terrific and the stories connecting to Cataclysm (I assume) are great as well.
Then though we get what I am assuming is part of a crossover (I just checked and it is part of a 5 part story) where we jump in and wonder what the hell is going on but by the time we have a clue the issue ends on a cliffhanger and that is it! What sort of idiots are the people who put together this collection? Why on earth would I want one part of a five part story? This really puts me off getting any more volumes because if they keep doing this it is a waste of money. I would have much rather had this issue left out than just get 1/5 of a story.
March 4, 2024
ok so I really rlly rlly rlly loved the dick & tim issue I thought it was so cute and loved how they talked abt stuff like stephanie’s pregnancy and jason being dead & Tim’s fears abt being too scared to be Robin. I didn’t rlly care about the part of helena and dick’s storyline where they were hooking up cause I felt like it came out of nowhere and it was just devin grayson’s weird ass projecting…
one thing I did like abt that run was when barbara tells dick he has a little problem with feeling like he has to repay anyone who’s even a little nice to him bc he’s afraid to be alone.. like .. “I get that she feels familiar, honey” babs I need u RN…
one thing I did like abt that run was when barbara tells dick he has a little problem with feeling like he has to repay anyone who’s even a little nice to him bc he’s afraid to be alone.. like .. “I get that she feels familiar, honey” babs I need u RN…
January 19, 2019
Dixon tells some great tales in this volume but many of the stories are unfinished, the arcs disconnected. Though some of the arcs or solo singke issues are solid on their own, a few stand out in a bad way. "The Boys" is easily the best issue here: a quick tale or Nightwing training Robin to traverse the city blindfolded (crazy!) Is actually just the background for the two crimefighters to discuss being heroes, girlfriends, and what they think about Batman and his war on crime. Not as string as the first or second volume but enough bits to remain enjoyable.
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January 4, 2025I had read about half of this volume already, the Huntress storyline as well as the Cataclysm issues. I also liked #25 which features Dick and Tim training together.
I was BAFFLED at the inclusion of #23, as apparently it's part 4/5 of the "Brotherhood of the Fist" storyline (no other part is collected in this volume). It begins in the middle of the action without explaining what happened before, ends on a cliffhanger without ever coming back to what happens afterwards, and there was absolutely no reason to put it in this book.
I was BAFFLED at the inclusion of #23, as apparently it's part 4/5 of the "Brotherhood of the Fist" storyline (no other part is collected in this volume). It begins in the middle of the action without explaining what happened before, ends on a cliffhanger without ever coming back to what happens afterwards, and there was absolutely no reason to put it in this book.
December 3, 2021
Just love this run. Chuck Dixon is a master and i just love Scott McDaniels art. This volume here got some cools one shots. We got a miniseries with The Huntress, about some mob mystery and a murder. And, yet, The Cataclysm stuff was tearing Gotham throught some titles, and the chapter here, about Nightwing saving some people in a hole is really cool. And we got some nice chat between Dick and Tim. Great volume!
August 7, 2024
To start, as this is the reason I give 4 stars: I live for Tim Drake and Dick Grayson interactions and Nightwing #25 was just amazing. I was very happy to see them interact so much this time. They’re siblings, your honor <3
The Nightwing-Huntress storyline was less interesting for me bc I felt like their connection came out of nowhere. Maybe I’m just missing something from another comic though? However, I did really love the art style and getting to read about Helena as I haven’t seen her yet in the comics I’ve read. Maybe I just need a better idea of who Helena is bc other people seem to really like this miniseries and their interactions.
The Nightwing-Huntress storyline was less interesting for me bc I felt like their connection came out of nowhere. Maybe I’m just missing something from another comic though? However, I did really love the art style and getting to read about Helena as I haven’t seen her yet in the comics I’ve read. Maybe I just need a better idea of who Helena is bc other people seem to really like this miniseries and their interactions.
March 5, 2018
Mixed bag in this volume. It starts with the complete four part Nightwing/Huntress mini series. We then jump back to Nightwing's regular title, but we are plagued with crossovers that really only give us parts of stories. Not so good.
June 10, 2018
3 stars
Great second half, first half containing the Nightwing and Huntress miniseries, not so great.
Great second half, first half containing the Nightwing and Huntress miniseries, not so great.
May 30, 2019
3 instead of 2 because the last issue in it is real good and a lot of the art is really nice
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