Boy Wonder No More: Robin Becomes Nightwing

One of the more endearing qualities of the Batman Mythos is the concept of the Dynamic Duo.  Since the Spring of 1940, the team of Batman and Robin have been featured in comic books, television, movies, video games, etc.  Many people may not even know that there has been more than one young man to bear the mantle of the Boy Wonder (there have been several), mostly because the longest tenured and arguably most popular was the first: Dick Grayson.

 

Nightwing: Year One trade paperback cover art

Debuting in Detective Comics #38 (April, 1940), Dick remained in the pixie boots of Robin until mid-1984 when his role as leader of the group of sidekicks known as the Teen Titans and the lengths of time he was spending away from Gotham became longer and longer.  In order to step out of Batman’s shadow, Dick took on the role of Nightwing.  Dick first appeared as Nightwing in Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (July, 1984) battling his nemesis Deathstroke.

 

Tales of the New Teen Titans #44 (July, 1984)

It wasn’t until Nightwing got his own series (and 100 issues in at that) that the story of his transformation from Boy Wonder to Man Wonder was told in full.  Written by Chuck Dixon, Nightwing #101 to Nightwing #106 served as “Year One” for Dick Grayson as Nightwing.  The story begins with Robin returning to Gotham City from a mission with the Teen Titans to help Batman in a fight with Clayface.  Once back at the Batcave, Batman asks Alfred to get the Dynamic Duo a warm beverage to counter the effects of the winter weather to which they were just exposed.  Dick realized this request is just an excuse to get Alfred out of the room, which his internal monologue states might have prevented him and Batman from saying things they might regret.  After chastising him for never being around anymore, Batman fires Dick from being Robin.

 

Bruce being a total douche

Throughout the story, Dick encounters several other heroes, namely Superman who Dick turns to immediately after being fired, as Dick looks up to Superman and considers him a friend.  It is the Man of Steel himself that gives Dick the idea for the name Nightwing when telling him a story about a superhero of the same name on his native planet of Krypton.  Another hero the newly christened Nightwing teams-up with in this story is his former flame, Batgirl.  Having experienced a romance in their younger years, Dick and Batgirl have since split and Dick has been involved with Starfire of the Teen Titans more recently.  This leads to more than a few… Tension filled moments between the two.

 

Nightwing copping a feel

Lovebirds-of-Prey

Once establishing his new name and costume, he makes a visit to Arkham Asylum to see an “old friend”.

 

The Clown Prince of Crime getting dealt with

While the plot-line of the story is that of Dick’s transformation to Nightwing, it also serves to introduce the second Robin, Jason Todd.  Jason was a street-wise kid that Batman caught attempting to steal the hubcaps off the Batmobile.  Rather than turn him over to the authorities, Batman takes in Jason (who is either an orphan or has a deadbeat mobster for a father, depending on the story you’re reading) and trains him as the new Robin.  This is significant for two reasons.  First, it establishes the concept of “The Boy Wonder” as a role to be passed on, rather than being the identity of one person consistently.  Secondly, it grows the “Batman Family” by one.  Eventually, Batman’s network of allies would grow to be a formidable force and this story begins this trend.

 

Boy Wonder version 2.0

Jason is put through a gauntlet of challenges that serve as a “final test” for him to finally become Robin.  Through the course of this, he encounters Nightwing and the two team-up to complete the challenges together, effectively passing the torch from one to another.

 

A Duo of a different Dynamic

Now, this isn’t a “Batman” story, per se.  It’s about Dick Grayson (which is ironic because it’s Batman that acts like a total Richard throughout the story).  But, Dick (or Robin or Nightwing) has been around just one year shy of the amount of time that the Dark Knight has and is, in my opinion, the second most important person in the Batman Mythos.  Consequently, we’ll be seeing quite a bit more of Nightwing in the posts to come.

Thanks for reading!

-Josh

Sources: Wikipedia

Batman, related characters, and images in this blog are owned and trademarked by DC Comics, a division or Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

Super BFFs: The History of Superman and Batman

They’re the two biggest, most popular superheroes in history.  They’re the two most influential people in the DC Universe.  They’re allies.  They’re oftentimes enemies.  They’re the leaders of the Justice League.  They’re the original Super Friends.  They’re Batman and Superman.

 

Artwork by Jim Lee

Originally meeting in the pages of Superman #76 (1952), the friendship of the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel has endured over the course of six decades.  In that first story, Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent have been booked as cabin mates on a cruise.  Throughout the story, they learn each other’s secret identities and team-up for the very first time.  Granted, the story is a little goofy, but it was the 50’s, so things weren’t all explosions and convoluted plot twists like they can be today.

 

Superman (vol. 1) #76

Together, Batman and Superman had been headlining a book called World’s Finest Comics since the Spring of 1941, but always appearing in separate stories, never together.  Okay, quick general comic book industry history lesson:  Comic books became super popular during World War II.  The main reason for this being that comics were a highly mobile, inexpensive form of entertainment for G.I.s stationed overseas.  When the war ended, interest waned and sales dropped.  Pretty much every comic outside of the titles starring the main three heroes of DC (Action Comics, Batman, Superman, Detective Comics, Wonder Woman, All Star Comics starring the Justice Society of America lasted until early-1951, but ended after that, and World’s Finest Comics) was cancelled due to the decline.  So, rather than having Batman and Superman in separate stories in World’s Finest Comics as a double-sized book, DC pulled a cost cutting move (and a promotional tactic) and had Batman and Superman (and more often than not Robin as well) begin appearing in regular-sized team-up stories beginning with World’s Finest Comics #71 (July 1954).

 

World's Finest Comics #142 featuring Composite Superman

The characterization of the two heroes from the early 50’s through about 1985 was that of best friends.  Chums.  Pals.  Lots of laughing, smiling, and bright, fun adventures.  By ‘85, DC Comics had come to the conclusion that quite a bit of their history had become convoluted and, in a move to simplify things, the maxi-series (as opposed to mini-series…) Crisis on Infinite Earths was launched.  Throughout the years, continuity had changed so many times- alternate earths were visited, multiple versions of characters existed, Superman used to be Superboy, but then there was a different version, etc. and so forth.  Confusing, see?  With Crisis on Infinite Earths, a cataclysmic event occurred, all the alternate earths were destroyed, history was rewritten, and various characters were given clean slates.  Batman remained relatively untouched other than de-aging the character considerably and allowing him to continue on the road away from the campiness of the Batman television show of the 60’s and more toward the Dark Knight that we know today.  Superman, on the other hand, was in bad shape.  He had gone from the Last Son of Krypton to being one of a handful of Kryptonians that survived: There was Supergirl, Superboy, Krypto the Superdog, to name a few.  In addition, Superman had come to a level of having nearly godlike powers.  So much so that writers had a hard time coming up with obstacles for him to overcome.  After Crisis on Infinite Earths, Superman’s history was “rebooted” to return him to those lone survivor roots and to de-power him quite a bit.

 

The Man of Steel #3 writing and art by John Byrne

In 1986, the series The Man of Steel, written and drawn by John Byrne, was launched.  The series served as a new origin for Superman and Clark Kent in the post-Crisis universe and by issue #3, the first encounter of Superman and Batman was ready to be retold.  This time, there were no cruise-liner shenanigans.  Rather, this story featured Superman and Batman at odds with one another (fore(post?)shadowing their confrontation from The Dark Knight Returns, a story released earlier that year, but set in the future of both men).  Superman travels to Gotham after hearing of the existence of a vigilante operating there.  Ultimately, Batman and Superman are forced to team-up to take on a villain together which doesn’t return them to the status quo of being super best buddies, but it does end with both men having a high level of respect for the other.  

 

Cover art to the collected edition of Superman/Batman

In later years, they would once again star in an ongoing series together in the same vein of the World’s Finest Comics series of the past.  This time titled Superman/Batman, the first 25 issues were written by acclaimed writer Jeph Loeb and a rotating crew of artists including two of my favorites: Ed McGuinness and Michael Turner.  Notable stories include the two icons clashing with Lex Luthor (who had been elected President of the United States), the reintroduction of Supergirl into the DC Universe, and a time travelling story featuring super-villains to the future.  Superman/Batman #26 was set to be the writing debut of Sam Loeb, Jeph’s 17-year-old son.  Tragically, Sam lost a three-year battle with cancer on June 17^th, 2005.  A veritable army of comic creators who had known Sam collaborated on the issue to produce a story that served as a dual-eulogy for Sam as well as Superboy (who had recently been killed).  The total of 26 contributors (including Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (who were Marvel-exclusive creators at the time), Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, and Jeph’s longtime partner and friend Tim Sale) on the issue donated their fees and royalties the Sam Loeb College Scholarship Fund.  A back-up story written by Jeph Loeb just ten days after Sam's death depicts young Clark Kent's friendship with a boy named Sam who gets cancer. 

 

Superman/Batman #26

The Superman/Batman series ran for 87 issues (plus five annual issues) before cancellation during DC’s “New 52” reboot of their publication line.  After a hiatus, a version of the series with an inverted title, Batman/Superman was re-launched with a brand new #1 issue in June 2013 with writer Greg Pak and artist Jae Lee.  Their initial story portrays (another) first meeting of DC’s premier heroes, this time in the New 52 continuity.

 

Batman/Superman #1 by Greg Pak and Jae Lee

Despite 75 years of existence and 60+ years of friendship, Batman and Superman have never appeared together on screen (in live action, anyway).  It seems strange, but it’s true.  These two icons will, however, meet for the first time cinematically in 2016.  Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, slated to also include fellow Justice Leaguers Wonder Woman and Cyborg, will be a momentous occasion.  I gave my first thoughts on Ben Affleck’s Batsuit, but earlier this week, the official title (it had just been called "Man of Steel 2" or "Batman vs. Superman" to this point) and logo for the film were revealed.  There isn’t a lot to say about it, as its simplicity and minimalism speak for themselves, so I’ll just say: it’s about damn time.

 

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) Official Logo

I compare their friendship to that of my best friend and myself.  One is bright and optimistic; the other is dark and brooding.  One is friendly and likeable by nature; the other is… Not.  But, together, it works.  They’re the classic “good cop, bad cop”.  They’re two sides of a coin.  They’re peanut butter and chocolate.  They’re inspirational.  They’re best friends.

Thanks for reading.

-Josh

Sources: excerpts from primary source interviews; Wikipedia

Batman, related characters, and images in this blog are owned and trademarked by DC Comics, a division or Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

Dark Victory and Something Extra

Dark Victory, the not-quite-as-successful and not-quite-as-good sequel to The Long Halloween, was released in late 1999-early 2000.  Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale continued their take on the early years of The Dark Knight’s career in this direct continuation of the earlier work.

Cover to the Dark Victory Absolute Edition

Taking place about nine months after Harvey “Two-Face” Dent killed Carmine Falcone in the climax of The Long Halloween, Dark Victory depicts a “copycat killer” continuing the work of the “Holiday Killer” from the previous book.  This time around, the killer targets people from Harvey Dent’s past (police officers, judges, city officials, etc.) rather than Mafioso, however, the murders still take place on holidays throughout the 16 months (early August of one year to Thanksgiving of the next year) that the story takes place.  The killer, dubbed the Hangman Killer for his use of the children’s game “hangman” when leaving notes behind at the scene of the crime, is ultimately revealed to be Sofia Gigante, daughter of Carmine Falcone.  Her motivation was to exact revenge upon Harvey Dent for his murder of her father.

Sofia Gigante AKA The Hangman Killer

As I mentioned, Dark Victory is not quite as good as Loeb and Sale’s earlier work on Batman, but it does have its cool points.  For example, the inclusion of Police Chief O’Hara, a character from the 1960’s television show.  Unfortunately, Chief O’Hara was one of the victims of the Hangman Killer.

Chief O'Hara in Dark Victory

His Batman (1966) counterpart

Loeb and Sale also released a “companion piece” to Dark Victory starring Catwoman.  Titled Catwoman: When in Rome, the four-issue mini-series details Selina Kyle’s journey to Italy to seek out the truth behind her link to the Falcone Family.  With her travel companion, Edward Nygma (The Riddler), it serves as a good comedic break from the darkness that is the rest of the main series.  It is never fully revealed, but the general gist is that Selina is Carmine Falcone’s daughter.

Cover to the Catwoman: When in Rome trade paperback

Ultimately, Two-Face has the last laugh over the Falcone Family as it is revealed that he is in possession of Carmine’s body.

I keep wanting to make a joke about "ice pops" and Carmine being the "pop" of the killer of this story... I got nothin'.

What makes this story so important to me can be summed up in one word: Robin.  Dark Victory serves as a re-telling of the origin of Dick Grayson as the Boy Wonder.  Early in the story, Bruce Wayne attends the circus in Gotham City.  As punishment for the circus owner not paying protection money to the mafia, the ropes used by the star attraction, trapeze artists known as The Flying Graysons, are burned (using the same acid used to disfigure Harvey Dent) causing the parents of young Dick Grayson to fall to their deaths.  Bruce Wayne takes Grayson into his home and become his guardian.  Filled with rage, Grayson wishes to hunt down the man that is responsible for his parents’ death, a mafia enforcer named Tony Zucco.  This plotline plays out in parallel to the main plot of discerning the identity of the Hangman Killer and, in the process, Grayson is instrumental in helping Batman (who had revealed himself as Bruce Wayne) in breaking the case.

The Dynamic Duo

Without Batman’s consent and with Alfred’s help, Grayson modifies his Flying Grayson costume into something more befitting a crime-fighter.  In the final battle with Two-Face and The Joker, Grayson, now calling himself “Robin” comes to The Dark Knight’s aid.

"What is that you are wearing?"

Dark Victory won’t ever make a Top Ten List of mine.  And that is mainly due to its reliance on the mythos set up in The Long Halloween.  It is a sequel and reads just like it; without having read the original work, the sequel falls short.  That said, it is still a great story to introduce Batman’s first sidekick and does a nice job of wrapping up the plotlines of the Falcone Family and Two-Face.

In an additional, completely not related item, Batman vs. Superman director Zack Snyder originally teased the reveal of an image of the new Batmobile to be used in the 2016 film.  When the picture was released via Twitter yesterday, it turned out to be something so much more amazing.

 

THAT is Batman

Now, filmmaker Kevin Smith said of the new Batsuit a few months ago:

“He (director Zack Snyder) pulls me to the side, he pulls out his iPhone as if it was going to be ‘Look at this picture of my kids,’ and he showed me something that, I’m  not kidding, I went glassy-eyed, and not because I was baked, absolutely glassy-eyed, and I went weak in the knees” Smith said. “It made me happy in such a way that nothing that I’m not involved in has made me feel in a long time. I saw…the batman costume. More than that, I saw a picture of him (Ben Affleck) in the costume.”

Those words have had me more excited to see the new Batsuit than almost anything else.  Knowing how much of a Bat-Fan Kevin is, I knew he would know what he is talking about.  Now that I’ve seen it, I have to say I agree to the fullest extent.  It has short ears similar to that of artist Jim Lee’s design in the Hush series, a Bat-symbol reminiscent of that in The Dark Knight Returns, but best of all, IT’S GREY!  I hate all-black Batsuits, so this is welcome news.  Hopefully this is just the first in a series of great news items for the upcoming Batman vs. Superman (that’s not really going to be the title, is it?) film.

Thanks for reading!

-Josh

Sources: excerpts from primary source interviews; Wikipedia

Batman, related characters, and images in this blog are owned and trademarked by DC Comics, a division or Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.