Nightwing #89 (2004)

Nightwing #89 (March, 2004)
"Avalanche"
Script - Devin Grayson
Penciller - Patrick Zircher
Inker - Andy Owens
Colorist - Gregory Wright
Letterer - Clem Robins
Editor - Michael Wright
Cover Price: $2.25

What if I were to tell you that we're about to discuss a comic that shows what happens when an oversized criminal kingpin discovers a costumed hero's secret identity... and uses that information to systematically take apart that hero's life?

You might say something like, "Hey Chris, I didn't know you covered Marvel books here!" or, "When did Daredevil join the DC Universe?"

Wellllllll.....

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We open with Dick Grayson waking up at his ex-girlfriend Barbara Gordon's apartment... since they're no longer an item, and because his staying there might get kinda weird... she gives him the ol' heave-ho.  Dick hops on his motorbike, and heads back to Bludhaven.  Along the way, he recounts recent events... he's lost his girlfriend, his day-job on the Bludhaven Police Force... and Haley's Circus has been burned down.

We shift scenes to the big-bad... Blockbuster, Roland Desmond.  He's chatting up a couple of members of his gang, Giz and (don't call her Catwoman) the Mouse.  Worth noting, because why not... Giz has his trusty pet squirrel (named Goober) sitting on his shoulder.  Anyhoo, Rolly offers to double their pay if they make an upcoming... er, we'll just call it a demolition project... "memorable".

Dick returns to his Bludhaven apartment building, and runs into a fella named Yoska.  At this point, Dick was discovering his Romany roots... something that really seemed to irk many of the readers of the day, though I can't say for certain why this was such a big deal for them.  Granted, I never took the time to research either.  Anyhoo, Yoska refers to Dick as "Ryeka" and offers him an adorned bottle of wine perfect for "popping the question".  Dick mutters something about his current relationship status before graciously accepting the gift.

Dick then suits up, and heads out on a rare daytime patrol... he gets out just in time to see... his entire building exploded!

The building is literally gone in an instant... leaving nothing but a smoldering mess.  Nightwing rushes back to sift through the wreckage for survivors... and unfortunately comes up empty.

Nightwing discovers Yoska's body... and finds the beads that once adorned that celebratory bottle of wine, then... walking through the smoke... Tarantula?

At this point in time, Nightwing was acting as something of a mentor for this new female Tarantula.   She's been depicted as... let's say, unhinged (though, it's about to get worse), so Dick assumes that she's responsible for the blast.  He lunges at her... and she pleads her innocence.  She was only in the area because she knows that the original Tarantula (John Law) lived in the building, and she was trying to save him.  She also reveals that the baddie behind this tragedy is... Roland Desmond.

Then... Aaron Helzinger, perhaps better known as Amygdala bursts from the wreckage.  Ya see, Aaron's been released from Arkham, and has proven to be something of an ally and a pal (a pally?) to Nightwing.  He was also a tenant of the building, and right now, isn't quite in his right (gentle) mind.

The Bludhaven P.D. train their guns on Aaron... and Nightwing throws himself in front of the poor rampaging goof.  Captain Amy Rohrbach, Dick's former boss instinctively refers to Nightwing as "Dick"... and gives him a few moments to get control of the situation, which he does... by being brutally honest with Amygdala.

Rohrbach calls Nightwing over to see if he has any info... and he gives her the straight dope on Blockbuster.

Dick's taking this all as badly as you might imagine... and blames himself for the loss of life.  It's not yet clear whether or not he knows this destruction actually is a result of his living here... but, Dick's a smart cookie (and he's being written by that other D. Grayson)... so, I gotta imagine he knows what's up.  On his way out, he is approached by a very overzealous Maxine Michaels, who'd love an exclusive interview.  Dick punches her... cameraman...'s camera.

We wrap up with Blockbuster watching the news of his Bludhaven Bombing... and greeting the next member of his gang who is to continue running Dick Grayson through the wringer... Shrike!

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So yeah... this is pretty much Daredevil: Born Again... again.

I must not have read "Born Again" before reading this the first time around, because I swear... I never noticed the similarities.  Then again, I've never claimed to be quickest on the draw when it comes to reading comprehension.

That said, it's not a bad story... but, then again, "Born Again" has gone on to become one of my all-time favorites, so I might be biased.  This story works really well... in a vacuum.

What I mean by that, is... I feel like we're supposed to forget that Nightwing might be the most well connected member of heroing community.  I mean, his "father" is Batman.  He's friends with Superman.  He's been a member of the Titans, Outsiders, and the Justice League of America.  What I'm trying to say is, dude's got this meta-powered army at his disposal... and he's going to spend the next several issues sweating Blockbuster?

I know a little while after this story hits we get Identity Crisis, that has a major focus on "mind-wiping"... so, maybe that's off the table (editorially) here... but, I mean... in the DC Universe, that's gotta be a go-to option in situations like this, right?  Hell, right around this time Batman told his entire "family" that he set up dummy identities for all of them, just in case word got out.  I dunno... maybe I'm thinking too hard... or, maybe this is a case of trying to force a square peg into a round hole story-wise.

Of course this all kinda culminates in that issue (which we've already discussed here)... so, I guess (if we throw this into that vacuum) taking Dick Grayson apart piece by piece kinda "sets up" that event from that issue.  It doesn't really excuse it... but, I suppose I can't argue that it puts Dick in a particularly vulnerable and "broken" place.

The apartment explosion here... kinda left me cold.  I feel like this was part of the plan for awhile, and so we were being introduced to more and more colorful tenants... forcing relationships between them and Dick.  They just felt like cannon fodder... which I guess, at the end of the day... they were.  Somehow, Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli were able to evoke so much more emotion when they blew up Matt Murdock's building... and (best I can recall) we didn't even know his neighbors.

Overall... I can't argue that this is an important issue... nor can I argue that this was a beautifully drawn issue!  It might be worth a look, I suppose it's a "Your Mileage May Vary" sorta deal.

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Titans #13 (2000)

Titans #13 (March, 2000)
"Fallout"
Story - Jay Faerber & Devin Grayson
Penciller - Patrick Zircher
Inkers - Andrew Robinson & Mark Propst
Colorist - Pam Rambo
Letters - Comicraft
Associate Editor - Maureen McTigue
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50

Sticking with the Titans for another day... and, wouldja lookit that... it's one'a those covers.  What's that thing I was saying yesterday about Titans books "running in place"?

Times like this I feel like we need a "greatest hits" line of comics, so the ongoing books can actually... ya know, go-on.

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We open in the Titans rarely-used conference room, wherein Nightwing is raking the team over the coals for their poor showing against the H.I.V.E. and... Tartarus.  Tartarus, if you're unaware, is like the anti-Titans.  Every member has a correlating baddie.  Starfire takes exception to Dick's outburst... and has one of her own.  The rest of the Titans just sit and wait for it all to be over.  Well, Roy has somewhere he'd rather be... and that's at the bedside of his... not gonna say "baby-mama"... Cheshire.  To which, Tempest mutters about having his own wife to return to.

At this point, Dick... really acts his name, and goes off on "marriages of convenience"... which, as you might imagine, triggers Starfire something good.  Can't really argue though, it seems like every time the Titans go "off planet" Starfire winds up with another husband.

The rest of the Titans kinda clutch their pearls... as if they'd never seen teammates fight before.  Vic, for no other reason than to remind us what happened nearly twenty-years earlier, mentions Terra... then, he quits the team.  Not so fact, kemosabe... it's not just that you shouldn't quit... it's that you're not allowed to!

Ya see, the whole mishagoss that started this volume of Titans was the JLA/Titans: Technis Imperative miniseries... in which, Vic was the main antagonist!  When the dust settled, the JLA wanted to send Vic to S.T.A.R. Labs... however, Nightwing was able to convince him them (okay okay, it was Batman) to release Cyborg to the Titans.

Amid the tension, Flash runs off to attend a JLA meeting.  This Flash... may or may not be Wally West... or, maybe it's just not "our" Wally West.  Either way, he jets.  Dick asks Jesse Quick to drag his speedster-ass back right away... so he can fire him from the team.

Nightwing then turns his attention to the rest of the group... and suggests they do a little soul-searching.  All of the "established" members walk out.

We pop over to S.T.A.R. Labs where Vic is looking for some answers... hell, at this point, he might be looking for the questions as well!  Either way, he's here to chat up his old friend Sarah (not from the Special School).  Unbeknownst to him, Gar tagged along for the trip... and to try and talk his golden pal off the precipice.

Back at the Tower... Donna Troy's room is bombarded with advice-seeking Titans... which causes her to lash out.  Remember, over the past few years, Donna's lost her fair share of things too.  Her son, her identity... her memories... and now, perhaps her boyfriend Roy.  She boots her teammates out, and suggests they find another listening ear to talk into.

Over at Manhattan General, Roy attempts to sneak in to have a look at Cheshire.  He gets the ol' heavy-ho.  His tagger-alonger is Damage, who witnesses the whole thing.

Then, over to the Titans Island docks... where Tempest sulks.  He is approached by his tagger-alonger, Argent... who tells him there's more than one brunette on the island he can talk to.

Inside the Tower, Nightwing works out his aggression on a heavy bag.  His tagger-alonger is Jesse Quick who... quits the team!  She ain't buyin' all the "we're a family" shim-sham, especially since she doesn't even know Nightwing's civilian identity... nor has she ever seen his face without the mask.

Back in the city, Roy fires an arrow into Cheshire's hospital room... with a note proclaiming his love for her.  That's kinda weird... I didn't think they were ever "in love".  Oh well.

Next stop, the Dockside Diner... where putting the team back together kinda went down.  Argent and Tempest are having some coffee... and are soon joined by Starfire and Donna.  Starfire insists that she brought Donna out to listen to her troubles, but I'm not buyin' it.

They are then joined by Roy and Damage... and they awkwardly sit in silence... until Donna asks where the rest of the team might be.

We close out by finding out where the rest of the team are... and a cry for help from our old friend Lilith Clay!

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Now, I give this book a hard time every now and again... but, I gotta admit... I'm a sucker for this inter-titans drama.  Of course, much of this will be blamed on the freaking Gargoyle... but, at least for this issue, I think we can just try and enjoy it for what it is.

There's definitely a feeling of "been there, done that" to this book... which, by the second year into a run, should be over with.  I get "playing the hits" when a new volume is starting out... that's the honeymoon period... we want to see "the hits".  But, a riff on New Teen Titans #39... with barely a year's worth of stories under your belt?  I'm sorry... I just don't think this book "earned" that.

The more I revisit some of the post-Marv Titans, the more I see that... while a lotta folks love this property... and a lot of creators want to work on this property... once they've got it, they don't seem to know what to do with it.  And so, we get the "greatest hits".  Don't know what to do?  Break 'em up!  What next?  Throw a "traitor" on the team!

It feels like another property I love, the Fantastic Four.  The past several volumes of that series has been... break 'em up, spend a year bringing them back together... then, cancel the book and start all over again!  I'm not looking for anyone to reinvent the wheel... I mean, we saw whatever the hell the New-52! volume was... but, instead of just rehashing and reheating the past, maybe use the past to build the future.  That's not what we get here.

That said though... I didn't dislike this book one bit.  I felt that the characterization, while extreme in places, really worked.  There is a real feeling of frustration bubbling up here... and it makes your mind wander with all of the possibilities... that is, if you don't know about the Gargoyle.

And, while I still don't feel like this volume "earned" the Perez homage... this team definitely did need a "culling" of sorts.  There were definitely too many Titans... a cast this unwieldy lends to having half the team only appear in the background.  Trimming the fat is a good thing for this book.

I think my only real "ehh" bits here is Roy's devotion to Cheshire.  That doesn't quite sit right with me... also, Vic losing his cool.  I always see Vic as being hot-but-level headed.  I'd figure he'd understand what Dick had done for him... and appreciated it, at least on the level that he's not living the rest of his life hooked up to machines at S.T.A.R. Labs.

The art here is from another of my favorite guys, Patrick Zircher.  While I'm a big fan of Mark Buckingham (whose art opened this volume), I feel like Zircher is a much better fit.  There's really not a bad looking page in this book.

Overall... if you're a sucker for Titanic drama (like I am), you're probably going to dig this.  If you're tired of all'a that... you might wanna give this a pass with the knowledge that "the Gargoyle did it".

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Next Planet Over would only last about another year... news of their shutdown was reported in April, 2001 

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Young Justice #22 (2000)

Young Justice #22 (August, 2000)
"... the Best Intentions!"
"Father's Day"
"Stakeout"
"Other Interests"
Writers - Todd DeZago, Jay Faerber, Chuck Dixon, & Brian K. Vaughan
Pencillers - Todd Nauck, Coy Turnbull, Patrick Zircher, & Scott Kolins
Inkers - Bud LaRosa, Rodney Ramos, Norm Rapmund, & Dan Panosian
Letterers - Clem Robins, Ken Lopez, & Albert DeGuzman
Colorist - Jason Wright
Separations - Digital Chameleon
Assistant Editor - Maureen McTigue
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50

Hey, there's a familiar cover... well, kinda familiar.

It's pretty reminiscent of New Teen Titans #8... "A Day in the Lives"... except here, we have a red robot instead of a red menace!

That Titans issue was a classic.  Does Young Justice have any hopes of living up to it?

Read on...

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We open with the Red Tornado who is having a good hard think on whether or not he should consider himself a "father" to Traya.  He's struggling with the fact that he feels so much like a father... but, technically, isn't.  Just then, his attention is drawn to a playground where children are... well, playing.  He sees a certain group, and they instantly remind him of... well, you know.

He then hears a girl crying.  He approaches her to find out what's up... and she tells him that a boy just hit her.  When Reddy confronts the boy... he explains that he saw that she was all by herself and was just inviting her to play "tag" with the rest of the kids.

We wrap up with a woman who was watching (but, for some reason didn't get involved when she saw a girl crying) tell Reddy that he's a "natural" when it comes to parenting.

Then... an interlude!  Back at the temporary Young Justice HQ in the Poconos, Bart is trying to figure out a way for Superboy to get his powers back.  Ya see, this is on the heels of the "Sins of Youth" event, in which all of the teen heroes swapped ages with the adult heroes... so, say... Superboy became Superman, and vice-versa.  Anyhoo, when Superboy returned to his "real" age, he no longer had powers.  And so, here we have Bart Allen rummaging through his issues of Secret Origins to try and concoct Kon's return to a super-powered state.

Our next vignette features Robin and Nightwing as they stakeout a fella named Billings in Bludhaven.  Robin's having some trouble readjusting to being in his teen-age body after briefly becoming Batman.  He's also struggling with the fact that... being Batman was hard.  Who better to chat up than the original Robin... and short-tenured Batman himself, Dick Grayson?

They continue to chat, and the subject shifts to secret identities.  Ya see, Tim hasn't shared his with his Young Justice teammates... because, with his comes (in theory) the whole Bat-Family.  Dick points out how funny it is that Tim felt overwhelmed by the responsibility of being Batman... however, feels right at home leading an entire superhero team.

Just then, they see their ticket into Billings' house.  Hungry Harry's Deli delivers!  When Billings goes to answer the door, we find out exactly what kind of sandwich he ordered... a knuckle sandwich!  (Yeah, that was pretty bad... I apologize).

Turns out he'd actually ordered cheesesteak fajitas... which, I feel like they were trying to establish as the "tourist food" of Bludhaven.  As they tie the baddie up, Nightwing is convinced that everything will eventually work itself out.

Back to the interlude... Bart has read his comics and has a few ideas on how Kon-El might get his groove back.  First he tops off his Soder Cola with some Super Soldier Serum Syrup... then places a non-radioactive spider atop his sushi rolls.  It's a cute scene.

Our next story features Cassie as she finds out she'd scored the lead in her schools presentation of Our Town.  She's not at all sure how she feels about this... after all, she only tried out so her gal-pal wouldn't have to do it alone.  Said gal-pal then starts getting on her about planning her life.  Wow, that escalated pretty quickly.

Later on, Cassie returns home... and unfortunately for her, it's report card day.  Her mother is furious that her daughter got a B in history... and forbids her from meeting up with her Young Justice friends on school nights until she raises that grade.

She can, however, train with Artemis.  The pair discuss some of Cassie's trepidation when it comes to heroing.  After the age-swap of "Sins of Youth" Cassie knows that she most definitely does want to be a superhero when she grows up... but, what about now?  Maybe she'd like to have a semi-normal teen-age experience... maybe even be in a school play.  Welp, that's not what "Artie" wants to hear... and she dismisses her.

On the ride home, the Sandsmarks happen across a a woman who had just flipped her car and slammed into a pole.  She made it out okay, however, her baby is still struggling in the inferno.  Lucky for her, one of those Sandsmarks is Wonder Girl.  Cassie saves the tot... realizes the kind of difference she can make as a superhero... and the following day, drops out of the play?  Okay.

Our final "interlude" has Bart still trying all sorts of ways to give Kon some (any) powers.  He starts by bathing him in a mixture of chemicals... which, I guess isn't the worst idea considering how several of the speedsters got their powers.

When Kon doesn't immediately exhibit super speed, Bart figures maybe he used the "Plastic Man chemicals" instead... and checks to see if Superboy's appendages have become all stretchy.  No dice there either.

Superboy then pins Bart down and tells him to back off... then we close out with a look at all the rest of the goofy stuff Impulse had snagged in his attempt to make a hero out of Kon.  How did Bart get a hold of a Green Lantern battery?!  And 'Mazing Man's helmet?!

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Had more fun with this than I expected.  Young Justice is one of those weird books... it was probably in my Top 3 books while it was coming out, but I have such a hard time revisiting it.  Not sure if I just "outgrew" 'em... maybe it reminds me how none of "these" characters really exist anymore... or, maybe it just reminds me that this was half-a-life ago, and I start questioning all of the decisions I've made since then.  Either way... ahem, had a good time with this.

Should we start with the framing/interlude sequence?  These scenes were cute.  Bart acting like you'd imagine Bart would in this sort of situation.  I mean, he's being a complete pain in the ass... but, his heart is definitely in the right place.  He's going to these lengths in order to help his buddy.  Gotta remember that Kon is one of his very few "real" friends... and he probably doesn't wanna lose him as a "running buddy" on the team.

It's also always neat to see those "gallery" panels with oddities like, ya know, 'Mazing Man's helmet (which even makes it to the cover!).  And all the Bart-takes on classic superhero origins was a lot of fun to see.

Let's talk about the Cassie arc first.  I get what they're going for here... but, and I think we've talked about this before... when you bring the idea of superheroes being able to save "everybody", it all kinda starts to fall apart.  Here we have Cassie, who just happened to be in the right place to save that baby from the burning car... which says to her that she needs to be a superhero from this point on... and walk away from her role in the school play.

But... heroes can't be everywhere, right?  I mean, if Cassie had her way, she'd have been across country hanging out (and heroing) with Young Justice on this night... and that baby wouldn't have made it.  So... which is it?  You're never going to be everywhere at once... and if heroes could save everybody... then nothing bad would ever happen.  Not sure what giving up a role in a school play would help.  Again... I get what they're going for... I just think it's a pretty flimsy way to go about it.

Red Tornado's story was... ehh, a bit on the saccharine side.  Another where I "get what they're going for", but still... feels a bit trite.  I mean, for the entire thing to work, we have to allow for the fact that a grown-up woman ignored the cries of a young girl... who, as far as anyone knew, had just been slapped by one of the boys.

And, really... what exactly did Reddy do besides ask "What happened here?"  Is that really being a "natural" father?  I think that's just being an adult, no?

Unsurprisingly, (and ignoring it's non-ending) I felt like the Nightwing and Robin bit was likely the strongest of the issue.  Tim struggling with how much he should let his teammates "in" has been an ongoing thread in Young Justice from the very start.  I appreciate that they understand (and explain) just what a domino-effect giving out his secret identity has the potential to cause.  It really could unravel the entire Bat-Family... which wouldn't be a good thing.

I dig that while Tim and Dick have so many similarities, they're also very different young men.  I loved that Dick was quick to point out the differences between the Teen Titans and Young Justice.  His dismissal of the "Junior Justice League" as perhaps a little "less stable" than his old team was pretty neat... and, also pretty true.

This was a "jam" issue of sorts, with several writers and artists... all of which flowed pretty nicely.  The only artist who really stuck out here was Zircher, as he is far less cartoony than the rest of the team.  Still, great work all around as far as art is concerned.

Overall, yeah... this is worth a peek.  It's not quite on the level of a Scott Lobdell post-crossover X-Men issue, but if you ask me... few things are.  The kids are starting to get their lives back to normal following "Sins of Youth", and it was a pretty good time.  This issue is available digitally.

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