Below is a list of Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing appearances. If I have missed one, let me know. If the summary is in red, I don't own the issue and so haven't been able to confirm that Dick actually appears.
| Nightwing |
Click on the issue number to be taken to that comic.
At the moment, I have only completed issues 1-8
| Number | Date | Summary |
| 1 | Oct 1996 |  Child of Justice (Nightwing) Dick’s own series opens with him plunging to the depths of the ocean handcuffed to a refrigerator. He thinks back on his reasons for ‘leaving Gotham’. 21 bodies had washed up in Gotham - all members of The Angel Marin Gang and all with their necks broken. They had come from south of Gotham - from Bludhaven. It is here that we get that famous statement,
“ As bad as Gotham is, Bludhaven’s worse in a lot of ways. If it’s too coarse or too vile or too awful for Gotham, it winds up here.”
As Dick arrives in Bludhaven he reflects on the fact that Bruce has too much on his plate to worry about Bludhaven and that Tim isn’t ready for this. He rescues a young girl, gives her his bus ticket back to Gotham and tells her to go to Wayne Corp and drop his name. Dick then goes in search of his most likely suspect - Freddy Minh: alleged vice lord of the Asian mobs. He arrives at Mihn’ place in time to see a group of False Facer’s (Black Mask’s soldiers) stealing a fridge and woman yelling “Stop them! They have my babies!” Dick hitches a ride on top of a truck…
“Hey, Pal.”
“Ulp!”
“I absolutely, positively have to catch up to that truck full of trick-or-treaters.”
“Uh -- I don’t’ know. The company policy is…”
“Those lowlifes have some kids in that refrigerator. You have kids?”
“Two Luh-little girls.
“Then floor it!”
Nightwing catches up with the False-facers and is doing okay until the fridge slides toward the back of the truck. He grabs a hold of it and while saving it from falling off the back of the speeding truck, one of the thugs slices off his pony tail… Yay!
“It took me a long time to grow that ponytail!”
“It looked stupid anyway.”
“Actually, I was getting sick of it. But I‘d prefer it were trimmed by a professional!”
Dick opens the fridge to rescue the kids only to discover that it is a bag of eggs. Distracted, he is captured, handcuffed to the fridge and tossed off the pier… kicking the bag of eggs out of one of the False Facers' hand and grabbing it as he plunges.
Back in the present -- Dick frees himself. We cross briefly to Black Mask who isn’t happy and then to the Bludhaven police force where we meet Chief Redhorn and Dudley Soames. Chief Redhorn doesn’t want “some do-gooders inb a mask staking out a turf here in Bludhaven. The last thing I need is some ’Captain Fabulous’ turning over rocks in this town.”
It is at this point that Dick arrives, says he’s down from Gotham and hands over the bag of eggs. Soames pulls a gun and the chief slaps handcuffs on Nightwing. Dick asks, “Am I under arrest?” The response from Soames is chilling… “You’ll wish you were.”
Great start to the new series. I don't mind this artist... a bit cheesy but not too bad. I prefer more realistic art. Hair is a big improvement but I'd like to see it shorter. Love the new costume.
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| 2 | Nov 1996 |  Gangland Express (Nightwing/Dick) Soames takes Nightwing to a deserted area.
“And no closer. I’m guessing you’re good at what you do.”
“No t as good as the guy who’ll come looking for me.
Love that. Yep, big daddy bat would not be happy. (g) However, Soames releases Nightwing (well, Dick has already got himself free) and makes a proposition - they work together. Nightwing more or less accepts, but is suspicious. Soames informs Nightwing. of some smuggling that will be taking place and then suggests that Dick knock him out. Dick does so, but is surprised by how hard he hit’s detective… he doesn’t like Soames. Nightwing reflects on the fact that he can’t tell who is who, that he’s in deep and that the sensible thing to do would be to call Batman. However, a little bitterly he remembers that when Bruce needed him the most, he ‘wasn’t on the list’ and so decides that ‘this is mine. No one to account to. No one to disappoint. No one to let down. All alone and loving it.” This was really promising. Dick is striking out on his own. I love it.
Realizing that he is going to be around for a while, Dick goes looking for a place to stay and ends up in Melville. He looks at an apartment and decides to take it. Nightwing then heads off to follow up Soame’s information. He jumps onto a train where the False Face’s are on board. Meanwhile, Soames takes back Madame Minh’s eggs and it appears he is an old friend. Dick discovers a cargo of stolen cars and then takes on Black Mask’s thugs, finally escaping… not sure what he actually found out. Chief Redhorn isn’t happy with Soames when he finds out that Nightwing is still alive. The final scene is in a apartment with the senior False Facer that we have met. A man in a clown head terminates him with a bullet to the head and he comments that “next time I see that palatably, it’s the same for him. I suspect that this could be Soames. After all, Dick doesn’t like him. (G)
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| 3 | Dec 1996 |  The Freebooters The story jumps all over the place in this one. The guy I thought had been killed in the last story is either back or has a replacement… or I misunderstood completely. On to the story.
The story starts with Dick lamenting the fact that he’s letting Bruce down. Sorry, I find that a little bit old. He heads off to secure the apartment he saw in the last comic but still doesn’t get to see Clancy’s face. He starts cleaning and tries to get the power turned on but as he doesn’t have a credit history… something that annoys him. He reflects on the fact that Alfred or Kory had always done that for him… he has to arrange for a cheque. While in his apartment, he spots a mugging from the window and assists by throwing a door handle while thinking…”Bludhaven doesn’t have a protector. Maybe it deserves one. It sure needs one. When the best cop is Dudley Soames, it needs all the help it can get.”
Dick sends Soames an email and meets him. Soames says he doesn’t know who is moving in to run Bludhaven’s mobs but he has his suspicions… and Black Mask isn’t helping. Dicks suspects that it may be Soames. Soames gives Nightwing another lead, which he checks out only to find himself in a trailer flying across the city under a helicopter as Black Mask’s thugs try to shut down the exiting mobs in Bludhaven. Nightwing encounters Reynard… the guy who I thought had been killed in the last comic… and captures him and his accomplices.
The closing scene is Nightwing calling home. Dick reports that he’s making only limited progress and that there are no Jim Gordans in Bludhaven. Batman offers to be there in half an hour, but Dick declines.
“No, I can handle Bludhaven. This place is hopelessly lost to corruption and injustice and violence. I’m going to like it here.” The end of the first story arc. Not bad. Good to see Dick taking charge at the end. |
4 | Jan 1997 |  Lady Be Deadly (Nightwing) In the opening scene, we meet Lady Vic… clearly very accomplished and not afraid to rough people up. She, like everyone else, is looking for Angel Marin. He owes her money. She gets a name out of Biff Tooly - Maxwell Reed, Marin’s attorney. This is the same name that Nightwing is being given by Soames. Nightwing expresses some of his disquiet about Soames’ lack of concern regarding all that is going on. Saome’s response: “As long as these gangs keep their killin’ among their own kind.”
Nightwing once again reflects on the differences between Gotham and Bludhaven… “Bludhaven likes its secrets.” It is clear that whoever is taking over the gangs in Bludhaven wants to stay in the dark.
We cross to meet Lady Vic in civilian clothes. She has a butler of sorts called Bivens who is the size of Godzillar. Back to Dick… who is having nightmares… the same nightmare over and over again. He is Robin and there is a child falling. He reaches out to catch him, the child yells something Dick can’t hear and then their hands miss… and Dick wakes up. Dick decides that if he is going to work on what is going on in Bludhaven he had to stop relying on Soames and make some inroads himself. He goes down to meet Clancy but still doesn’t get to see her face. Then off to ‘Hogan’s Alley’ a bar for cops. Dick gets a job there…
“I actually have a job. Can’t wait to see the look on Bruce’s face.” Actually, neither can I. (G)
Now some of the mystery unravels as we discover that Soames has been tipping off the False Facers… or setting them up… and Nightwing has appeared each time. Soames introduces the Black Mask’s soldiers to Bludhaven’s true power… we get a glimpes of a bald head… a very tall bald head. So Soames is working for the new guy wanting to run the gangs. Meanwhile, Dick is following up on some leads he had Oracle hunt down… Biff Tooly, who, of course, has already had a visit from Lady Vic. Tooly informs Nightwing that Maxwell Reed has a boat. However, Soames has had Tooly bugged and gets the information too. We cross briefly to some cops who find the False Facers... dead and with their heads facing backwards. Ouch. Nightwing arrives at the boat and starts to question Reed but Lady Vic turns up with Reed’s little girl as a hostage.
We break briefly to finally meet Angel Marin - who is being held captive and is providing information for a mystery person.
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5 | Feb 1997 |  Pady's Night (Nightwing) We open with Marin still providing information. Then, back to Nightwing, who finds himself protecting Reed and trying to rescue the child. Unfortunately, Reed’s men are shooting at anything that moves. Nightwing grabs the girl and takes her to safety and then return to face Lady Vic. Finally he has to give up on capturing the assassin in order to save the little girl who he returns to her father. While grateful, Reed is too scared to name the person Nightwing is after.
Lady Vic makes it ashore, but isn’t happy with Nightwing as he is responsible for her losing one of her prized weapons. However, she must rush off for her…’other job’. Dick is working behind the bar at Hogan’s and learns first hand of the problems in Bludhaven… the cops are crooked and they don’t care.
Lady Vic and Soames meet and Soames pays her off and adds a little ‘retainer.’ Mr. Marin’s replacement is acquiring her services. Dick walks home, reflecting on where he’s at. He is staring to feel homesick. We then cross to Gotham where Bruce is trying to leave a party but is introduced to “Lady Elaine Marsh - Morton. A real live bit of English aristocracy.” I do believe that Bruce has just met Lady Vic. (G)
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| 6 | March 1997 |  The Visitor (Nightwing) We open with Dick arriving late for his job at the bar. Again, we get to drink up more of the atmosphere of Bludhaven. He heads for home only to finally run into Clancy. When he enters his apartment he realizes there is someone inside and attacks. Dick become defensive wanting to know if Batman has sent Robin, but Robin assures him that isn’t so. My favourite line. “Let’s hit the jumplines.” Like two kids. (G) The pair head off so Nightwing can finish questioning Maxwell Reed, only Reed doesn’t seem to want to talk now. However, he provides a lead… a drop to take place. Nightwing and Robin stake it out. This is a great scene with the two of them discussing the role they play.
“Is that just a hunch?”
“Yeah. It came to me when he took me out to the landfill to kill me.”
“Ok--kay.”
“You’re really on your own here. I couldn’t handle that.”
“Sure you could.”
“No, I couldn’t. We’re not the same kind of Robin.” (A truly profound statement.)
“What’s that mean?”
“You’re a natural athlete. I have to work at that. I mean, it’s like you’re at home ten stories over the street.”
“You’re more cerebral. You’re better at the computer stuff.”
“He’s got Oracle for that. And I’d trade my computer literacy for your streetsmarts in a hot minute. And I’m not half the detective you are.”
“Funny. In a lot of ways, I think you’re the better partner for him. I was always a little impulsive; impatient. You complement him more.”
“Yeah, but that was later, after you’d been on your own a bit. You’re forgetting the early days. You guys were like…”
“… a well-oiled machine.”
“Yeah. Besides, all I ever wanted to be is his partner.”
“Hey, I volunteered for the ‘Robin thing’ too.”
“No. He invited you. I invited myself.”
“Are you saying I didn’t want to be Robin as bad as you do?”
“You wanted to be a hero. I’m happy being Robin. You left the cave and became Nightwing.”
“So?”
“So, that’s not me. I don’t plan on taking over for him someday. I won’t be out here on the rooftops ten years from now. I do my shift as Robin and go back to a ‘normal’ life. That’s why there’s always friction between you two these days.”
“Why?”
“You’re different. But you’re also way more alike than you’ll ever admit. Either one of you.”
“Hmmm. /Got it all figured out, huh?”
“Hey, you said I was the cerebral one. Besides, don’t tell me you didn’t already know all this?”
Nightwing drapes his arm around Robin’s shoulders. Great sibbling moment.
Old Maxwell Reed has run straight to Soames to tell him about Nightwing and ends up with a bullet in the brain. We cross back to Nightwing who is having the same nightmare. He is awaken by Robin who then rushes off to have a look around -- Nightwing trying to warn him not to go. Nightwing races after him and saves him just before an explosion.
‘But this time it’s not just my life. As long as he’s in Bludhaven, Robin is my responsibility. He’s family. The closest thing to a brother I’ll ever have. So excuse me if I’m a little severe’ Awww. Nice.
Robin is okay and the pair toss the blood money into the burning car. Afterwards, Dick asks Tim if he’s going to tell Batman that he’s not cutting it. Tim responds by saying that he’ll say that Nightwing is making a difference. Afterall, he must be if they’ve gone to all this trouble to kill him. Dick responds with…
“And if you find me dead in the harbor with my head on backwards, you’ll know I got real close.”
We finish with poor old Angel Marin who can’t think of anything more to tell his captor. We see someone place HUGE hands on each side of Marin’s head and we see blood in the next panel. Looks like Marin has ended up with his head on backwards. |
| 7 | April 1997 |  Rough Justice “Sure it’s about bravery son. But that’s only a part of it. For the rest you need a strategy. You need a plan, Dick It’s not the next bar. It’s the bar after that and the one after that and so on to the other side.”
This is the opening of this book. Dick is tired of being behind and so goes after all of the sources he has… using muscle. The trail takes him to St. Anthony’s nursing home which is being guarded by pros.
Meanwhile, Chief Redhorn is delivered a fifty gallon drum containing Marin… with his head screwed backwards. Dick finds out about this while working in the bar. When he goes home, he runs into Clancy and she suggests dinner some time. Dick is woken from his recurring nightmare by Oracle who has been looking into some things for him… St. Anthony’s. She has very little. She asks why he hasn’t asked for help from Batman and Robin and Dick simply says he’d rather not. Oracle has turned up a name which leads Dick to phone Wally… great scene. Now we have a name too, Roland Desmond.
We cross to Soames who is speaking to Desmond. I don’t particularly like Desmond’s description of Nightwing…”He’s a charlatan. A mere shadow of his mentor.”… but I have to say, the way Dick is written in the next book, he’s right. Anyway, Nightwing appears and we get to have a look at Desmond for the first time… very big and very ugly. (G)
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| 8 | May 1997 |  The Bigger They Are The opening scene is really disappointing. Dick is shown to be incompetent. His life is actually saved by Soames. His reasoning…”You kill the youngster by turnin’ his head the wrong way and his Gotham partner takes an interest in Bludhaven. And your crime franchise dies abornin’ ‘cause you’re not ready for that kind of heat. No one is.” I have a real problem with this. Not only is Dick being basically being saved by Batman even though he isn’t in the book, Soames is saying that Desmond is second rate… he can’t handle Batman… and as Dick can’t even handle Desmond then Dick is third rate. Okay, maybe it’s just me.
Nightwing awakens surrounded by bikies which he deals with easily… we are told they are second rate.
Dick heads home on foot, and gives some money to a bum… the bum is then beaten (maybe to death) by some blond claiming that this is his block.
Cross to the bikie gang who are explaining to Desmond that they allowed Nightwing to escape. He isn’t happy and pulls down the entire building on them before getting into a care with Soames.
All in all, very disappointing.
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