As the hero formerly known as Nightwing begins to work through his existential crisis, an old Bat-foe comes to Blüdhaven.
Nightwing 70
Written by Dan Jurgens
Pencils by Ryan Benjamin and Ronan Cliquet
Inks by Ronan Cliquet and Scott Hanna
Colors by Ranier Beredo and Filardi
I was really cold on this story line when it first started back in ISSUE 50. Richard Grayson losing his memory and eschewing the life he had as Nightwing wasn’t really what you want to see in a Nightwing comic book. And once Scott Lobdell took over, it had me even less enthused. But since Dan Jurgens – one of my favorite comic book writers – took over, the story has kicked up and it’s frequently at the top of my to-read pile.
The story of “Ric” Grayson’s identity crisis while Blüdhaven is protected by four new Nightwings has been going for much longer than I thought it would, though it feels like it’s finally started to wrap up. Now that Grayson has dispatched of his great-grandfather Talon and the Court of Owls, the hero is starting to remember his true upbringing with Bruce Wayne, though he’s still holding on to the life he’s been building away from the Bat-family.
If there was anyone who can snatch Grayson into his more familiar role – while also taking out the last vestiges of the replacement Nightwings – who better to call on than Batman’s most famous foe, the Joker.
Bringing the Clown Prince of Crime into Blüdhaven is like throwing a grenade to light a match, but nothing else has been able to tempt Grayson back into his own life. Amnesia or not, I’m pretty sure I would take being close to billionaire Bruce Wayne over driving a cab any day of the week. Maybe it’s just me.
While Joker tends to be overused as a villain – and the character is still coming off a high of having a new movie out last year – I’m pretty excited to see where this goes. Grayson has been away from the greater DC Universe for a long time now, and it’s about time to bring him back into the fold.