Dammit, Kalinara beat me to it. I was planning my own post on methods to fix Nightwing. My ideas are different, though, so here we go.
Obviously, moving him somewhere different is good. Somewhere away from the Batman Family would be a good idea. The California angle is good, because he’d be close to the Titans’ base of operations. And yes, he does need a day job. I was not fond of the “becoming a policeman” storyline, mainly because it really didn’t go anywhere. Done correctly, it might have been good. I’d rather than they go back to the idea of Dick Grayson running a detective agency (they were setting that up in the Titans back in the olden times). This allows for a lot of flexibility in storylines, as well as a place for a new supporting cast to gather.
I admit, once again, to not much liking Dixon’s run, but he almost got it right with the other tenants of Dick’s apartment building: there needs to be a mix of characters to kick off adventures and ongoing fun. I’d start off with getting a decent staff for the detective agency. I’d probably add Bette Kane to the cast, since I’d really like to see a Nightwing/Flamebird combination (though the Flamebird wouldn’t need to be Bette). I would also have an Ace around; comics need more animals. :) There would definitely be someone actually running the agency (the agency could also just be a fiction, in a way: owned secretly by Dick, but actually run by someone else. That’s a lot like the Dixon apartment complex, though).
As for storylines, detective work can really broaden the scope of adventures Nightwing might have. Plus, such work could involve being undercover. I loved the times in the Titans when Dick would have to wear a different disguise when dating Starfire. We forget that he’s not only an acrobat, martial artist and detective, but also adept as disguises and subterfuge.
Like Kalinara, I’d really hold off on any romantic interests for a while, as well as any crossovers with major characters. Spend time developing the supporting cast (which seems to be a lost art these days: most supporting casts of comics seem to be leftover heroes (I know, Bette Kane is a leftover hero, shut up)). I miss the days of heroes hanging out with normal people. I also like the idea of Nightwing working with the police, rather than the current “Nightwing is a killer. OMG!” plot in the current comic. One of the reasons Dick became Nightwing was so that he could be a public face for the Titans: let him be a public hero.
I want to return Nightwing to the original vision, as George Perez outlined back when he and Marv Wolfman created the character:
“I want to make him a swashbuckler, an acrobat, an incredibly good fighter. In many ways, he’s the Titans’ answer to Captain America. I want to make him happy-go-lucky, bring back the enjoyment of adventure that he had. One thing I liked that Marv did in issue #39 was how openly Dick speaks his affection to Koriand’r now, calling her ‘m’Iove’ and everything, making passes at her right in front of everybody with absolutely no worries anymore. The hang-ups are disappearing. He’s not going to be that morose character he had been in trying to find his identity. Now he’s found it. Now we’re going to use Dick Grayson the way we want to use him, utilizing both his detective and acrobatic skills.”
This entry was posted on Friday, April 21st, 2006 at 8:50 pm and is filed under DC Comics, Random Musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Responses to “Fixing Nightwing”
Ooo, I like the private detective idea too. And having Flamebird could definitely be fun…though, I’d prefer if they make sure to keep the relationship vaguely platonic. At least at first. Let the relationship build instead of just leaping into bed.
I always thought Bette seemed like fun. :-)
April 23rd, 2006 at 12:51 am |
[...] Admittedly, Dick has been through a lot in the past several years, but maybe I’m not the best guy to talk about that, having barely read his book (or Outsiders) apart from crossovers. The people who have seem pretty exercised about it, though. On her Pretty, Fizzy Paradise blog, Kalinara says the character is “ruined,” and thinks Nightwing dying in Infinite Crisis would have been more meaningful. My closest recent encounter with the Nightwing book was 2005’s “Nightwing: Year One” (#s 101-06), with which I did have some problems. [...]
June 4th, 2006 at 6:23 pm |