DCU Comic Book Reviews

NIGHTWING #133

321 Days, Part One

August 2007

Written by Marv Wolfman

Pencils by Jamal Igle

Inks by Keith Champagne

Cover by Ryan Sook

Synopsis

Nightwing is in the middle of beating up a group of kidnappers when someone tries to kill one of the kidnappers.  Nightwing saves him and goes after the gunmen, but loses him.  When he returns, the kidnappers are gone, although they left behind the injured one.  Later, the injured kidnapper is visited by his “lawyer” in the hospital.  To make sure the kidnapper doesn’t talk, the lawyer kills him.  When Nightwing visits the hospital looking for clues, he is shot by the rest of the kidnapper’s gang.  They are lousy shots and even worse fighters, so they run away.  Nightwing follows and is able to save the victim, who happens to be someone Dick romanced a long time ago.  And someone who Dick, when he was Robin, had to arrest a long time ago.  Later, Dick meets her at Bones Gym and the two go out together.  During the time together they are watched by the Vigilante, who is following her to get to her boss:  Eddie Hwang. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This was a good start to the next storyline.  The issue opens with a strong fight scene showing his abilities as a fighter and then the rest of the issue shows his strengths as a crime fighter.  I liked the way the use of the flashbacks and the past has snuck back into Dick’s life to create more problems for him.  I also liked the fact that Wolfman super imposed the identity of Dick and Nightwing and Dick and Robin to the Liu, first as a romantic entanglement for Dick and then as part of criminal activities as Robin and Nightwing.  In fact, the way these things come together, and the general incompetence of the kidnappers made me think that Liu (or her boss or even Vigilante) are somehow setting Nightwing up.  Wolfman has done a good job establishing Dick’s persona life to the point where the scenes with Dennis and with Ryan don’t feel forced anymore.

The only problem I had with this issue was that the story seemed to be re-telling me events that I should’ve already known about.  It is like there are whole events and conversations that took place that I have just not yet been privy too.  I don’t think it is the case (although I could be mistaken), but I feel as if these characters and their stories had been told in an earlier comic book.  Or perhaps it is just the fact that Dick and Nightwing have bee around for so long that it is actually tough to bring up an unaccounted for portion of his life.  Yet, I think the time period Dick went away to college and became Nightwing is largely unexplored area and it is from this that I suspect Wolfman is pulling these characters from.  Since Dick was in New York for that time and this issue acts like New York is Liu’s home, so that helps support that idea. 

Comic Connection

Adrian Chase (aka Vigilante) first appeared in New Teen Titans Annual #2 (1983) and then had his own ongoing series, written by Marv Wolfman.  He committed suicide in issue #50. 

Patricia Trayce (aka Vigilante) first appeared in Deathstroke, The Terminator, issue #6.  She wore Chase’s costume was briefly Deathstroke’s lover. 

Late in 2005, a new Vigilante appeared in a mini-series written by Bruce Jones.  He was also seen briefly in Infinite Crisis, issue #7.

 

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