DCU Comic Book Reviews

NIGHTWING #119

Pleased To Meet You -- Hope You Guess My Name

June 2006

Written by Bruce Jones

Pencils by Joe Dodd

Inks by Bit

Cover by Jock

Synopsis

Dick Grayson (aka Nightwing) has just been saved from falling off the roof by Jason Todd, who is wearing an identical Nightwing costume.  The Pierce Brothers see the two Nightwings and fire at both, but miss.  Dick realizes that Jason is the one who is killing criminals as Nightwing.  Todd tries to tell him that death is the reality of the world.  Later, Dick realizes that he is going to have to do something about Jason, but first he must learn more about the Pierce Brothers, so he goes to visit the advertisement agency of Cheyenne Freemont, who is working for the Pierce Brothers.  Through a series of mis-understandings, Dick ends up as a model for Cheyenne’s agency.  That night, Dick is investigating the Pierce Brothers when he comes across Jason beating a convicted rapist.  Dick tries to help the guy, but onlookers are most interested in beating up “Nightwing.”  Meanwhile, Cheyenne is hassled by the Pierce Brothers in a bar, but is luckily saved by Jason Todd. 

Review

I will state right off the bat that I had trouble distinguishing the two Nightwings apart.  Dick’s hair is supposed to be longer than Jason’s, but I am not sure it was drawn long enough to really tell the difference.  To compound the problem, Dodd drew multiple versions of Dick or Jason to show motion.  It really slowed down the reading just to make sure I could follow it.

It took a me a little while to actually figure out why this issue (and the previous issue) did not sit quite right with me. The problem with this story so far is that the Dick Grayson as portrayed here is significantly different that the Dick Grayson portrayed in the Outsiders.  In fact, I would argue that the Outsiders version is the correct one while this one is just quite not right.  A lot of it has to do with Dick’s confidence.  He never struck me as someone who lacked confidence or abilities, yet here he seems to be filled with a lot of self-doubt.  The entire scene at the modeling agency struck the wrong chord with me.  Dick is not the type of person who could get swept away in something to the point where he would put on a leopard skin (which he later deemed offensive).  I don’t care that he supposedly “needed” the money.  In fact, this idea that he needs money is strange.  Didn’t they establish before that Bruce Wayne set up a fund for him and that Dick really should be rich beyond rich or at least have the means to pay rent.

I am going to posit a theory:  this is not the Dick Grayson we know and love.  In fact, I am willing to bet this is a Dick Grayson from an alternate Earth, an escapee from one of the Earths during the Crisis.  I know.  It sounds far fetched and plain dumb, but I need to believe that there is something more going on in this story other than bad writing and bad characterization.

Ultimately, regardless of the reasons for Dick’s character, this current story arc is just fumbling around and not leading anywhere.  What, exactly, is Jason Todd up to?  The current answer is to be a pain in the ass.  SO, okay, but that doesn’t really leave a resolution of some kind, now does it?  Will Jason be a pain in the ass the rest of the book’s run?  Will he find someone else to bother?  At least with his appearance as the Red Hood there was a reason he was after both Batman and Joker.  This appearance seems more like a stunt with nowhere to go.-- MRB

 

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