After announcing his philanthropic plans for Bludhaven, Dick Grayson becomes the target of international assassins courtesy of Blockbuster. How does Dick get by with such a high price tag on his head? With a little help from his super friends.
Nightwing, Volume 2: Get Grayson (I guess that dismal Fear State thing didn’t count as a Vol 2 for reasons?) is ok, much like the first book. Tom Taylor continues to write Dick well in this breezy, light tone that makes the series a fun read, and Bruno Redondo’s artwork remains impressive and easily the star of the show. But the story is quite weak with Taylor quashing any threats Dick faces almost immediately, making for a tension-free, and often quite dull, read.
This volume opens with the Eisner-nominated (for Best Single Issue last year - it didn’t win) Nightwing #87 and you’ll see why - it’s such a beautifully structured issue. It’s all splash pages, no panels, with Dick appearing across the pages all over the place - foreground, background - while the reader-view pans from left to right. It’s really cleverly laid out and is an outstanding way to start the book.
Then the cracks start to appear in the next issue. Dick’s being targeted from all sides by world-class hitmen, which may be an obstacle for a non-powered character - but definitely isn’t for super-powered characters. So any excitement/inventiveness around Dick figuring out how to evade said threats is instantly neutralised by the introduction of characters like Superman, Flash, Mister Terrific, and the Titans. It’s such a boring and unimaginative solution.
There’s a forgettable two-issue crossover with Taylor’s other DC series, Superman, where Dick and Jon team up to fight some super-powered goons from Bendix. Redondo’s art is the only part of this that I enjoyed, otherwise it was a completely pointless team-up that seemed a desperate attempt to bolster the flagging numbers of Taylor’s Superman series.
Redondo ducks out for the final two issues with Geraldo Borges providing the art and it’s… fine. It’s not a million miles away from Redondo’s style but also not of the same calibre as we’ve gotten used to seeing in this series. And, once again, the same problem with the narrative and its lack of excitement applies to these two issues, as Nightwing and Flash effortlessly deal with the unremarkable La Agente Funebre.
It feels like DC are milking this series for all they can, drawing it out across as many books as possible. This volume ends at a point that should’ve been the middle of the book, rather than the conclusion, if not for the rubbish two-issue Superman crossover.
Tom Taylor gets Dick Grayson’s characterisation right and I enjoy the light tone of the series - it shouldn’t be dark and brooding, it’s not Batman, it’s the ex-upbeat and quippy Robin now grown-up, so it fits - and Bruno Redondo’s art remains the biggest draw (no pun intended) of the title. But the story in this one is noticeably lacking and the “conflicts” are made into jokes thanks to the abundance of superheroes willing to step in and help Nightwing. I get it, he’s well-liked by everyone, characters and readers alike, but it makes his stories so much less compelling to read as a result.
Nightwing, Volume 2: Get Grayson is fine - another decent, if underwhelming, addition to a decent series.
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