Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Review: Nightwing #23

By Philip Schweier
June 21, 2017 - 04:30

I hate comic book ret-cons. Some are okay, when they add layers of motivation, character, details of a particular incident. But when they revise some element, or alter some detail simply because they have an attitude of, “Well, it was never like that.” YES. It was. It was exactly like that, and I have the back issues to prove it.

Case in point, page 1 of the latest issue of Nightwing. It depicts a flashback of Batman and Robin duking it out with Blockbuster. The original Robin, Dick Grayson. The one who wore a bright yellow cape, short pants and green pixie boots.

Only here, he’s dressed in Tim Drake’s Robin costume; a costume he never wore. It’s a minor detail perhaps, but to me, it a major slap in the face. “Thanks for supporting us for decades,” says DC. “By the way, all that history you’ve invested in over the years? It means nothing.”

Well, if it means nothing to you, why should it mean anything to us? All the easier to drop your titles like a bad habit and start perusing what Marvel and Dark Horse have to offer.

As for the issue of Nightwing itself, well, the words predictable and angst-ridden come to mind. It’s long past time for Dick Grayson’s relationship with a former minor super-vandal to come to an end. He gets played by someone he trusted. And the Bludhaven cops resent him almost as much as DC’s general readership.

It’s not a good time to be a DC fan. If this is how they treat one of their longest lasting characters, it makes me wish he had died in one of the many Crises.

Rating: 2/10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12