Nightwing #2 REVIEW - The mystery of Raptor begins

Nightwing has a new partner now, whether he likes him or not. The tricky part is......you kind of like him, right? 

Raptor, a mercenary for hire that has been in the employ of the Parliament of Owls for some time has now been "assigned" to work with Dick Grayson in carrying out the bidding of the nefarious crime syndicate because there are concerns that Nightwing hasn't been as......dedicated to the cause as he should be. 

Of course, he's not because he's trying to bring the Owls down, a fact that Grayson feels the presence of Raptor will only serve to make more difficult. Or will he? 

In this issue of the series, the two come across a ship of human refugees for the Owls, one in which also contains some "shady" experimentations being done on people en masse as well. Dick of course is loathe to allow any of this continue and he wrestles with the decision of what to do throughout the rest of the issue. In the midst of that struggle, it seems like Raptor isn't entirely on the side of the Owls either, presenting himself not only as a mercenary for hire but also someone that might have some measure of "morality" within him after all. 

It's hard for someone like Dick to trust a guy like Raptor of course considering his methods, his mindset and who he's working for, but that question is clearly starting to be raised in his mind concerning who this guy really is what he wants in regards to Dick's ultimate plan for bringing the Owls down. Is Raptor someone he can trust with that plan or should he consider him as untrustworthy as he already does just to be safe? 

One of my favorite things about this series is the introspection we get from Dick throughout and it's something I'm noticing with the "smaller" characters and heroes in DC Rebirth, basically anyone that was a former Robin or sidekick to the Dark Knight himself. It's great though because it really gives you the best possible angle into what Dick wants to do and how he's approaching this entire situation with his plan. 

So the question now is, how far can Raptor be trusted if he can be trusted at all? Will Dick eventually let him in on the grand master plan to take down the Parliament of Owls now that Damian Wayne is no longer in jeopardy from them? How much longer do we have on this arc before the series joins the "Monster Men" crossover in a matter of weeks? Nightwing isn't one of the top series in DC Rebirth in my opinion, but it is definitely one of the better ones in about the middle range, just because it's intent on building its own story without the requirement of other capital heroes to support it throughout. It stands on it's own right now and does a solid job of it. 

4 out of 5 stars - DC UNIVERSE REBIRTH - Nightwing #2

This series runs twice a month, next issue due out August 17. 

Nightwing #1 REVIEW - Dick Grayson calls his own shots

Dick Grayson, once the loyal ward of Bruce Wayne has returned once again as the superhero NIghtwing, now embarking on a daring undercover mission to dismantle the Parliament of Owls, who believe that they have Nightwing in their power to do their bidding via sadistic blackmail. 

That sadistic blackmail, as we learned in the Nightwing: Rebirth one shot issue was an explosive planted in the head of Damian Wayne, Bruce's son and the current Robin, but thanks to timely assistance and connections from his old friends, Dick was able to secure a device that not only removed the explosive from Damian's head, but allowed it to still convince the Parliament of Owls that it is still inside Damian's head ready to be detonated. Now, without that worry on Dick's shoulders, the Parliament sends him off to do their bidding, but before he leaves he takes one last trip to see everyone important in Gotham City before he goes, including Bruce and Damian as well as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. 

This is my first introduction to Nightwing as a series and so far the biggest thing I like about it is the narration from Dick's point of view throughout the books. It really does provide two distinct advantages for his character in that he is able to assess and ascertain to the audience exactly what is going on with him in the present, while at the same time is also able to compare and contrast to what he has done or learned in the past, either from Bruce or any other situation he may have encountered.  

It's pretty clear in this first book that despite Dick's experience as a crimefighter and his willingness to go out and get the job done again that he still feels uncertain of himself and is almost learning or re-learning what it is to be in charge of his own pursuit of justice again. the others sense it too, hence their expressed concern for his well-being one by one as the story continues toward his jaunt to Europe. 

Nightwing definitely feels like one of those series that is going to have connective tissue with other Gotham City related series like Batman, Batgirl, Batgirl and the Birds of Prey and Detective Comics. Despite the fact that it's taken Dick Grayson out of the country he is still dealing with a group of "Batman villains" and will surely be making more than one Batman reference to what is going on and how he is handling the situation. 

If the Nightwing: Rebirth one-shot was intended to be a setup establishing book for Nightwing's return to the fray, then this first issue is his jumping back into that fray headfirst, finding himself in the middle of a situation with a new character named Raptor that promises to challenge every bit of knowledge and experience that Dick Grayson possesses. This will be yet another fun read in DC Universe Rebirth. 

5 out 5 stars - DC UNIVERSE REBIRTH: Nightwing #1

This series publishes bi-weekly, next issue due out August 3rd. 

FROM THE PULL LIST: Nightwing: Rebirth #1

Until recently, the most exposure I had with Dick Grayson as Nightwing was in animated form, either in The Batman Superman Adventures or Batman: Under the Red Hood. I was aware of the character of course, but had never read him in books until DC Rebirth. 

After a brief look at his character in Titans: Rebirth last month, we now get Nightwing's rebirth one-shot to kick off his series, and it's one of the more solid, emotionally loaded books in the rebirth series so far. It's very similar to the other series getting a one-shot first issue in the same week, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps, though this story is uniquely human and Earth-centric and also is greatly influenced and affected by several of Dick's friends and allies that are helping him throughout this story. 

The plot is simple enough: Dick Grayson is leaving behind the past elements of his story from New 52 and is reclaiming the moniker of Nightwing again to become a hero as he once was before. Throughout the book, Dick narrates as he comes into contact with old friends and allies along the way toward his journey back to his costume. 

As someone using the DC Rebirth series as a way to finally become more acquainted with these characters, I'm unfamiliar with the events that Dick has been a part of up to this point, but graciously the book does a fantastic job of setting this new series up with Dick's own narrated recap, full of familiar characters and past events that will satisfy the loyal readers from before and get the newbies up to speed for the new stories. 

One thing that you really get the sense of in this book is the lives and characters that Dick Grayson has affected or been affected by over the years, all of them helping to shape his life in whatever place he found himself in. It is clear that Dick has been away from Gotham and his superhero identity for some time and now in a renaissance of his own, he wishes to reclaim that identity and go back to what he does best in terms of fighting bad guys. 

Again, similar to Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps, this book doesn't have a whole lot of action in it either and serves as a bridge from Dick's past in comics to what is now his future for this series. It also lays the groundwork for a few other stories coming in the rebirth series, most notably Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, which features The Huntress, who was also in this tale. 

Nightwing seems to have been one of those characters that lost a lot of his classic attributes and emotional weight during New 52, and now just as with numerous other characters is getting a fresh start with DC Rebirth. Considering how the other books have gone in the series to this point, there's no reason to believe that this one won't be just as good as the others. 

4 out of 5 stars - DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH - Nightwing: Rebirth #1

This series will run twice a month. Nightwing #1 is due to release on July 27.