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Nightwing Lives! Becomes Secret Agent!
Looks like we were right: Dick Grayson is going to survive Forever Evil! But it seems he’ll be giving up the superhero lifestyle to become a spy.
For some reason.
He’s OK with guns now
Revealed by USA Today, Dick will be the star of a new series called Grayson, because apparently somebody finds that more marketable than Nightwing? Maybe?
According to the interview, Batman knows Dick is alive, and orders Dick to become an undercover spy for the agency Spyral. The new writers hope it will be an international caper sort of book, with Dick dodging bullets and fighting bad guys. The writers are Tim Seeley and Tom King, himself a former CIA agent.
Of the new series, King says:
“He’s doing something that’s going to cause pain to his friends and family, but he believes in the cause. That tension between having to do something good but having the cost of it being pain to his family, it drives him a little crazy.”
The new series will start in July.
I’m not sure what to think about it. Definitely an interesting direction to send Dick Grayson, but then DC gave Dick half a dozen new directions in his short-lived New 52 series. Remember when his moving to Chicago was supposed to be a big deal? Dick Grayson definitely needs a solid, permanent status quo. He needs some grounded storytelling. Is this the answer? I have no idea. It’s kind of insane, really. Dick Grayson as a random super spy? I mean…I guess. It’s really all going to come down to the quality of the work itself. There’s almost no predicting how this series will be at this point. Either Seeley and King write a good comic or they don’t.
I’m sure Dick will be back to being Nightwing before too long.
I Do Not Want Nightwing to Appear on Arrow
Of all the possible DC Comics characters who could appear on their hit TV show Arrow, I think Nightwing is the one I want to see the least. I would rather there be an episode with Crazy Quilt than one guest-starring Nightwing. That may sound kind of odd from someone who loves Nightwing and Robin as much as I do, but I really, really hope the rumors that actor Steven R. McQueen is in talks to appear as Nightwing turn out to be a complete fabrication.
Begone, cursed one!
Arrow is great. If you haven’t been watching the second season, you’ve definitely been missing out. The show is absolutely brilliant in terms of action, tension, villainy, heroism and well-acted, well-crafted drama. Arrow is just that damn good.
And they’ve been great with the superhero guest stars. Black Canary is a reoccurring character now, Red Arrow is slowly being built up, and there are guest stars like the Flash, Bronze Tiger, Deadshot, Clock King, Solomon Grundy, Brother Blood and more. Even the Huntress is scheduled to make a come back and team up with Canary to form the Birds of Prey. How cool is that?
She’s as surprised as we are
But I absolutely do not want Nightwing to appear. And like the good blogger I am, I’ll tell you why.
Nightwing, for those who don’t know, is the grown up Robin. In the comics, Batman’s first sidekick, circus acrobat Dick Grayson, eventually grew up, ditched the green pixie boots and became his own superhero, Nightwing. He’s charming, funny, skilled and very popular. I’m a big fan.
But a Nightwing who exists without Batman or his history as Robin isn’t worth having.
Nightwing sometimes let him win their races
I have no idea how Arrow would incorporate Nightwing, but I have to assume they can’t use Batman and Robin at all. That’s just how superheroes on the small screen work. There are all sorts of licenses and permissions that these shows need to use these characters, and I have no doubt that Batman and his buddies are tied up in the Batman vs. Superman movie or that Gotham TV show being developed by FOX. And there’s no way FOX is going to let their cash-cow Batman characters appear on The CW. It’s why Spider-Man will never show up in any of the Avengers movies, or why Batman and Wonder Woman never got to appear on Smallville, even though that series ran for 10 seasons and featured everybody from Hawkman to the Wonder Twins.
These licenses and permissions are killing all the best crossover possibilities, but they are the law of the land. So if Nightwing were to appear on Arrow, I can only assume he wouldn’t have any connection to Batman. Maybe there’s some clause where Arrow can use the name and costume, but they probably wouldn’t be able to mention Batman, Robin or Dick Grayson.
And for me, that’s just not worth the effort. I would rather not have Nightwing show up at all than use a cheap facsimile.
But honestly, even if Arrow could reference Batman and Robin, I still wouldn’t want Nightwing to show up. Because, again, Nightwing is really only interesting in the context that he’s Robin all grown up. And if Arrow isn’t prepared to tell that story (which it probably isn’t), then why bring in a character who has already gone through his emotional story arc?
There are still plenty of other superheroes who could appear on Arrow who don’t have the baggage of Nightwing. Besides, I’m still hoping for a Nightwing/Dick Grayson cameo in the Batman vs. Superman movie. And I’m still pushing my idea for a young, goofy, version of Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle to show up on Arrow.
Call me, writers of Arrow
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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 2/1/14
Happy Groundhog’s Day Eve, everybody! Are you all ready for the groundhog to pop his head out of the hole to look for his shadow? Do you international readers celebrate Groundhog’s Day? It sounds terribly American. Nonetheless, it’s happening, and I’m excited. I might even break out my Groundhog’s Day pennant that I don’t actually own.
It also feels like there’s something else important going down this weekend, but I can’t put my finger on it…
At any rate, let’s talk comics! This week, I picked up new issues of Aquaman, Spider-Man and Thor, and decided to take another peek at Red Lanterns. Feels like I haven’t checked in with them in awhile. But all of those titles were blown away by the latest Annual issue of Batman and Robin. Peep your eyes on this one, Robin fans, it might be the greatest Robin love letter we’re ever going to get from DC Comics. It easily wins Comic Book of the Week.
Especially if they kill off Dick Grayson, those meanies!
Comic Reviews: Aquaman #27, Batman and Robin Annual #2, Red Lanterns #27, Superior Spider-Man #26, and Thor: God of Thunder #18.
Why I Don’t Think Nightwing is Going to Die
Things aren’t looking good these days for Dick Grayson, the original Robin. Some fans are even worried that he’s going to be killed off soon. But not me. Despite all of the ominous clues that DC Comics has been dropping, I don’t think they’re going to kill off Nightwing because of one very important detail.
They haven’t announced it in the news media.
That’s just ketchup
In the current Forever Evil storyline, the Crime Syndicate of America has defeated the Justice League and kidnapped Nightwing, exposing his secret identity to the world to show they mean business. They’re keeping him alive for their own twisted reasons, and Batman is already mounting a rescue, but DC has been dropping a few hints lately that the Dark Knight might not succeed, and the original Dynamic Duo will be no more.
The biggest hint came on Tuesday with the release of DC’s solicitations for April. That image I posted above is the cover to Nightwing #30, billed as the “final issue” of the series, because DC is apparently canceling the book. The text for the issue #30 preview reads:
The Bat Family is forced to face the brutal aftermath of FOREVER EVIL, but after everything they’ve been through, can they stand together?
So a cover stained with blood and a broken mask, and a solicitation that mentions “brutal aftermath”. Do you see what I mean? DC is practically screaming at us that Nightwing is toast! That preview couldn’t be more clear!
Except that’s not how DC announces big changes these days.
The big trend for DC and Marvel recently has been to announce all big storylines in the news media before the comics see print. Sometimes this occurs only a day or so before the comic comes out, but recently, they’d been making media announcements ahead of the solicitations. For example, just last week, DC announced via the Associated Press that Lex Luthor was joining the Justice League rather than wait for it to be revealed in the April solicitations. Likewise, Marvel revealed Peter Parker’s return to Amazing Spider-Man before they put out their own previews for April.
And the death of a character with the rich history and public appeal of Dick Grayson is going to make the news. There’s no doubt about it.
The deaths of Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, Human Torch and Catwoman all made the news, even though Catwoman was actually revealed in the very next issue to be Martian Manhunter, and he wasn’t dead at all.
If DC Comics was really going to kill Dick Grayson at the end of Forever Evil, they would probably have announced it in the media already. They wouldn’t put out a solicitation like the one they did on Tuesday, practically promising a death, without first milking it for national news coverage. That’s just how the comic book industry works these days.
Am I wrong for liking the red more than the blue?
I could be wrong. DC might be waiting until the day or week of the actual death to make headlines. But too many people are talking about Nightwing dying. It’s all over the comic news sites; heck, it’s clearly on my blog, you’re reading my article right now. But knowing what I’ve seen about comic stories announced in the media, I just don’t think DC would leave a story this huge to the minnows in the media pond. Why let minor web sites like mine nibble at the bait when DC could make headlines and get TV time by announcing the death of the original Robin?
Not to mention the fact that Dick Grayson is rumored to appear in the Man of Steel sequel. The character is perched on the edge of a major comeback in mainstream popularity. Killing him now would be silly, but killing him and resurrecting him in less than a year to make it in time for the movie is even sillier.
I don’t know what’s going to happen to Dick Grayson in the next few months. But I’m pretty sure he’s not going to die.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 11/16/13
The week after Marvel puts a new Thor movie in theaters, they put a new Thor comic on the shelves. I hope someone in their publishing division got a promotion out of that genius move. The comic even has Malekith in it! Talk about synergy! Marvel should also be grateful that Jason Aaron writes an awesome Thor. Who could have guessed that the Asgardian God would be such a hot commodity these days?
He’s not alone, we’ve got swell comics for Batman, Nightwing, Spider-Man and the X-Men. Though Superman and Wonder woman break the streak with their ho-hum attempt at romance. Oh well. Love isn’t for everybody. But it might be for the teenagers in the original X-Men. Those kids are all about feelings. The hilarious and adorable All-New X-Men #18 wins Comic Book of the Week with ease. Check out their fancy new costumes!
I wish I had a costume that cool
Comic Reviews: All-New X-Men #18, Batman #25, Nightwing #25, Superior Foes of Spider-Man #5, Superior Spider-Man #21, Superman/Wonder Woman #2, Thor: God of Thunder #15.
Henchman-4-Hire 