Pick of the Brown Bag
September 12, 2022
by
Ray Tate
First let me apologize for the delay. It took me awhile to get this post edited into something easily digestible. I then survived being hit by a truck. Not a scratch on me despite the horrendous state of my car in the aftermath. I will sing the praises of the Mini-Cooper Clubman's safety features for the rest of my life.
In my final deep dive for Nightwing and Superman Son of Kal-El, not only will we be looking at the most recent issues but the way Tom Taylor replenishes the strength of DC's greatest asset, a shared multiverse of superheroes.
As usual, should you need a quick thumbs up or thumbs down for the comic books, you can find me on Twitter: #PickoftheBrownBag.
The overall theme of Nightwing is that Dick Grayson is a good man. That wasn't always the case.
What a cry baby. He should join the Republican Party.
In the New 52, Dick Grayson is a success story. Scott Snyder was the main architect of the Batman Family at the beginning of the New 52. Other writers followed the bread crumbs. The result is a transformation, better still, a reclamation of Batman, Robin and Batgirl.
Kyle Higgins, Benjamin Percy and now Tom Taylor in Nightwing all maintain an overall theme. Batman became Dick Grayson's father. Dick Grayson became a better man for it.
Taylor explicitly introduces the idea that Alfred contributed profoundly to their growth. Fitting then that It's Alfred, slain in Tom King's impressive and recommended run of Batman, that catalyzes Dick Grayson's current actions.
Alfred bequeathed his fortune to Dick Grayson. Dick takes a page from his adoptive father's book and becomes a philanthropist. His first goal redeem Bludhaven.
ZUCCO? The ZUCCO! The Killer of the Flying Grayson!
Family name, but Melinda is actually a spy in the House of Hate.
Bludhaven, created by Chuck Dixon, is a sister city of Gotham run by the political boss Blockbuster, who hates Dick Grayson more than his alter-ego.
Blockbuster and his cabal of lieutenants--which consist of the higher echelons of Bludhaven government--target Dick Grayson and his efforts to make Bludhaven a better place. To that cause, Blockbuster hires a group of assassins.
Blockbuster however doesn't know Dick Grayson is secretly Nightwing. And Nightwing has oodles of friends.
Taylor devotes two issues of Nightwing to bring in the Flash. You've got zero chance to stop the Scarlet Speedster by conventional means.
Keep your eye on the blur. Because the Flash will appear in Superman Son of Kal-El. Also written by Tom Taylor.
Son of Kal-El exemplifies how Taylor utilizes the shared universe model. If you've been following along Nightwing and Superman Son of Kal-El you know that these cameos root solidly out of previous plot lines.
Anybody that appears in Nightwing can appear in Superman Son of Kal-El. And visa-versa. These guest stars go down a lot easier with the foreknowledge. You can still enjoy either title without reading both, but it's more rewarding to think of the Flash's appearance as the result of a coffee chat between Dick and Wally rather than Superman seeking a favor from a fellow hero, who doesn't actually know him.
Fun Fact: Wally West is historically the first bona fide sidekick to join the Justice League.
That friend of a friend type technique also foreshadows the introduction of other Justice Leaguers. One is a surprise. So, I'll not spoil the party.
Classic Leaguers will take their places in the issue that properly introduces Supergirl cast member Dreamer to the DCU.
There's Kelex serving her tea. Because, of course. It's just perfect writing by Taylor.
Batman, practically a regular cast member in Son of Kal-El, and cover guest star Krypto clash yet again in the often hilarious issue twelve.
Ten Steps ahead of every person.
A super-powered dog, not so much.
Krypto has always been and is more than the joke he could have been. Krypto is simply inherently cool, and he doesn't act the part. The secret to Krypto is that he's a really good hyper-intelligent dog.
Returning to earth, Krypto detects an underlying threat from the Lex Luthor/Henry Bendix axis of evil.
Krypto's senses lead to a fun Gordon/Yuzna styled tour-de-farce beautifully, or disgustingly, rendered by artists Cian Tormey, Ruairi Coleman, Scott Hanna, colorists Frederico Blee and Matt Herms.
Dick Grayson furthermore checks in this issue, and it's quite a different take. We've never really seen Dick Grayson in a boardroom setting. Bruce, sure. Dick is usually in college, dropping out of college or being bullet shocked into amnesia.
You'll also note that Lex Luthor no longer possesses the knowledge he once did. He doesn't know Batman and Bruce Wayne are one in the same. He doesn't remember Dick Grayson being a pivotal part of Forever Evil. These events presumably died with Lex's sort-lived hero status and Justice League membership, during some Big Event I never read.
Taylor uses the secret identity to his advantage in storytelling. A long time ago, murmurs among fandom and creative talent threatened the concept of secret identities.
Frequently, Taylor finds something new or relishes traditional ideas to direct the secret identity as a cogent and potent plot device. For example, KGBeast's men never would have kidnaped Barbara Gordon knowing she is Batgirl.
I see what you did there.
In Nightwing 92 through current issue 95, Dick Grayson plays his chess game against Blockbuster. Now, Dick isn't a grandmaster like his father, but he makes some interesting moves. Like taking a powerful knight off the board.
With the removal of the dirty Commissioner, an older more mature face from the Superman cast replaces Blockbuster's tool.
This, combined with Lady Siva's warning, in issue ninety-one weakens Blockbuster's position considerably.
Dick makes his biggest move in issue ninety-five with the entire Batman Family and Titans backing his plays.
It should be the culmination of victory, but Taylor isn't done with Blockbuster yet. There's still another chapter to be written, and it involves the concepts we've been discussing in this post.
Before that, I'd be remiss in not spotlighting Taylor's playful writing for a scene involving Batwoman and Maggie Sawyer.
If you're like me, you're Nightwing. Puzzled by the glacial mood between the two ladies. See, I vaguely remember something between Batwoman and Maggie Sawyer, but I couldn't honestly tell you what it is.
The truth is that I loathe Batwoman. I think she has the personality of rebar. I've seen her written well enough once in Scott Lobdell's Red Hood and the Outlaws. That's it. Boom. One time.
I genuinely liked the much more sensible Ruby Rose-Batwoman of the CW, and I liked the second Batwoman, Javica Leslie, who was coming into her own as a detective. The Batwoman of the comic books is just another Batgirl substitute, existing solely because she's gay. Maggie Sawyer created by John Byrne is a million times more interesting than Batwoman. She started out that way and accumulated depth with every appearance. Floriana Lima incidentally rocked when she portrayed Maggie on Supergirl. The comic book Batwoman continues to be a flatline.
Well, that's a wrap. If you noticed, I was a little more forthcoming than usual, but honestly, as always, I told you absolutely nothing to spoil the entirety of the plotting. I kept tons of elements under the hat. So, if these hints tantalized you, imagine how exciting the actual books turn out to be. They're probably all collected by now or soon will be. So, if you haven't picked up the floppies, catch up with the trades. Toodles.
