Nightwing #65
Recap
Put simply, Dick Grayson learns the hard way there are no real do-overs. When great granda Talon comes a-knocking he's bringing a dark family legacy with him and he's determined to beat some sense into Grayson....quite literally in fact to get him to "see the light". Much to his new girlfriend's dismay Grayson isn't up to par with his usual self and as such is getting his clocked clean in all manner of speaking.
To make matters even worse, The Legion of Doom are making strides in their campaign of Doom against the world, we get a glimpse of how wide spread their actions are but how this will affect Dick remains to be seen. Underneath a warped sky the streets of Bludhaven rage with civil unrest so ya know that's nice. The knock off Nightwings are giving it all they got but are just outnumbered and outgunned by the mobs running wild. With the world at large and small going nuts and Grayson on the losing end of a brutal recruitment drive, things are looking bleak but man is it a fun read.
Review
Dan Jurgens is like an answered prayer on this book. I’ve raved about that every issue since he’s taken over and he just keeps on improving everything about this Ric Grayson debacle. The inescapable truth of what Talon brings and his intentions for Ric Grayson shine some heavy light on the reality that you don’t get to just walk away from your past because “don’t remember so it doesn’t count!”. For the first time since his amnesia we’re finally getting an interesting exploration of the nature of self. Grayson tries to defy his past but cannot shake his true nature as a hero and furthermore is literally slapped in the face with the past he thought he could just shrug off.
The best part about this is when you consider that Nightwing has always balanced the line between cavalier and uber-responsible so to try to return to that balancing act with only “half” of himself shows just why not only does Bludhaven and the Bat-family need him, but he needs himself. It’s a strangely comforting thing to contemplate whether intentional or not, by making Ric Grayson something actually interesting to read Jurgens just adds yet another reason why Nightwing as he should be is essential and beloved by fans.
Final Thoughts
Nightwing #65 [Jurgens/Cliquet/Filardi] bring some Essential of Emmerill level spice that is much needed to the formerly bland story of "I'm not actually Nightwing despite acting exactly like Nightwing" Ric Grayson. If the concept had been this well done from the start it woulda been much more popular with fans like Grayson was under Seeley.
Nightwing #65- All In the Family
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 8/108/10
- Color - 8/108/10
- Cover Art - 7.5/107.5/10
