What do you think?
Rate this book
Nightwing (2016)
Nightwing, Vol. 2: Back to Blüdhaven
Dick Grayson's adventures as Nightwing continue in the second volume collecting the best-selling Nightwing series from DC Universe: Rebirth!
Former Robin and retired superspy Dick Grayson has returned to Gotham and stepped back into his life as Nightwing--the blue-and-black clad vigilante known for going where others won't. Fresh off a deep cover operation to infiltrate the Parliament of Owls, Nightwing must come to terms with secrets of his past that will forever change his destiny. Featuring appearances by Batman and Superman, this volume is packed with nonstop action and adventure!
Written by Grayson veteran scribe Tim Seeley, Nightwing, Volume 2: Blüdhaven continues the spectacular adventures of the former Robin, Dick Grayson!
Collecting: Nightwing 9-15
Former Robin and retired superspy Dick Grayson has returned to Gotham and stepped back into his life as Nightwing--the blue-and-black clad vigilante known for going where others won't. Fresh off a deep cover operation to infiltrate the Parliament of Owls, Nightwing must come to terms with secrets of his past that will forever change his destiny. Featuring appearances by Batman and Superman, this volume is packed with nonstop action and adventure!
Written by Grayson veteran scribe Tim Seeley, Nightwing, Volume 2: Blüdhaven continues the spectacular adventures of the former Robin, Dick Grayson!
Collecting: Nightwing 9-15
168 pages, Paperback
First published June 20, 2017
About the author
Tim Seeley
1,542 books548 followersTim Seeley is a comic book artist and writer known for his work on books such as G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, The Dark Elf Trilogy, Batman Eternal and Grayson. He is also the co-creator of the Image Comics titles Hack/Slash[1] and Revival, as well as the Dark Horse titles, ExSanguine and Sundowners. He lives in Chicago.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews
September 22, 2017
3.5 stars
Nightwing is back in blue and back in Blüdhaven!
Alright, so Dick is feeling kind of lost after (what he feels was) a bad judgement call in the last volume. So when Superman tells him that the Nightwing from his Earth used to reside in Blüdhaven, he decides to see if there's anything there that might help him find his way. He finds a job at a youth center that needs help and decides to give up the tights for a while.
At first, he just tries to settle in and reestablish a connection with himself (blah, blah, blah), but it isn't long before boredom sets in and he's out on the rooftops again.
Most of the story is just your standard superhero in a new city stuff. There's a ragtag group of misfits that ends up helping him, there's a grumpy cop that crunches on her cigar and tells him we don't need no stinking help, and there's a new love interest introduced.
The villain, you ask?
Ugh. It's the industry standard bad guy that you can see coming from a mile away. There was supposed to be a Big Reveal moment, but...no. It was more like one of those yeah, yeah! I know who it is already, move on! moments.
So why am I leaning toward 4 stars?
That last issue was so freaking sweet!
AND THEN THAT ENDING!
I must read the next volume. That is all.
Nightwing is back in blue and back in Blüdhaven!
Alright, so Dick is feeling kind of lost after (what he feels was) a bad judgement call in the last volume. So when Superman tells him that the Nightwing from his Earth used to reside in Blüdhaven, he decides to see if there's anything there that might help him find his way. He finds a job at a youth center that needs help and decides to give up the tights for a while.
At first, he just tries to settle in and reestablish a connection with himself (blah, blah, blah), but it isn't long before boredom sets in and he's out on the rooftops again.
Most of the story is just your standard superhero in a new city stuff. There's a ragtag group of misfits that ends up helping him, there's a grumpy cop that crunches on her cigar and tells him we don't need no stinking help, and there's a new love interest introduced.
The villain, you ask?
Ugh. It's the industry standard bad guy that you can see coming from a mile away. There was supposed to be a Big Reveal moment, but...no. It was more like one of those yeah, yeah! I know who it is already, move on! moments.
So why am I leaning toward 4 stars?
That last issue was so freaking sweet!
AND THEN THAT ENDING!
I must read the next volume. That is all.
March 15, 2022
This one was so good OMG!
I loved this one and well it starts with a team up with Superman, well the superman of old as he helps Dick defeat the Dr Destiny and iits a fun sort of issue and just shows Nightwing as one of the centers of the DCU and the next is him moving to Bludhaven and getting a job there and beginning a new life until he sees former Z-list villains from Gotham come here particularly The Defacer nd this run-offs and well they all sort of team up to rescue their friend Grimm and its a long exposition until they help each other to free this guy and stop an assassin in the process and save the mayor and uncover deep secrets of Bludhaven and all and in the process maybe Nightwing finds himself and its a redemption for these villains?!
Its an amazing volume and I love the use of Dick here and well his psychology and all that and the whole process where he sort of helps these people is great and gives them a chance of redemption and I like the element of "hope" here and then the last issue of love story with Shawn was so good and that climax omg and the cameos by various people Dick knows, now that was a cherry on the cake! <3
Overall its a great volume and does a great job of introducing new and old things and establish a great ending! <3
I loved this one and well it starts with a team up with Superman, well the superman of old as he helps Dick defeat the Dr Destiny and iits a fun sort of issue and just shows Nightwing as one of the centers of the DCU and the next is him moving to Bludhaven and getting a job there and beginning a new life until he sees former Z-list villains from Gotham come here particularly The Defacer nd this run-offs and well they all sort of team up to rescue their friend Grimm and its a long exposition until they help each other to free this guy and stop an assassin in the process and save the mayor and uncover deep secrets of Bludhaven and all and in the process maybe Nightwing finds himself and its a redemption for these villains?!
Its an amazing volume and I love the use of Dick here and well his psychology and all that and the whole process where he sort of helps these people is great and gives them a chance of redemption and I like the element of "hope" here and then the last issue of love story with Shawn was so good and that climax omg and the cameos by various people Dick knows, now that was a cherry on the cake! <3
Overall its a great volume and does a great job of introducing new and old things and establish a great ending! <3
June 22, 2018
Nightwing goes to Bludhaven on the advice of Superman.
What's mainly interesting about this one is that he meets young reformed villains trying to stay out of trouble who are still seen as villains. No real fighting with them for the most part. They mainly break down and are terrified of him which turns the emotional tables for Nightwing.
The lesser story after the main one drops the overall quality.
OVERALL GRADE: B.
What's mainly interesting about this one is that he meets young reformed villains trying to stay out of trouble who are still seen as villains. No real fighting with them for the most part. They mainly break down and are terrified of him which turns the emotional tables for Nightwing.
The lesser story after the main one drops the overall quality.
OVERALL GRADE: B.
December 9, 2017
Nightwing continues it's solid, fun adventure, without throwing any big "twist" or "turns" into it.
Nightwing heads back to Bludhaven because, well he has to. Bludhaven and nightwing go together like peanut butter and jelly. So saying that we head back but this is very different. Gone the dirty dark gritty streets of Bludhaven and filled with a Las Vegas type setting. Looking spectacular but under it lies dark secrets. Dick is trying to find his place after the last volume of getting his shit wrecked and betrayed. So now he meets a new group of people, really young adults/kids, trying to place their old criminal life's behind them. On top of that Dick is also beginning to spark a relationship because, well he's Dick, and he needs to get some all the time.
Good: I enjoyed the group of criminals trying to fix themselves. Redemption arcs can be interesting and watching them work with Nightwing to fix things was nice. I also really enjoyed Richard as always, trying to find his place, and helping fight crime with his happy go lucky style is fun. I think the biggest positive comes from the last Issue. While I don't think Tim Seeley writes plots so far all that great he does character moments really really well. The last issue is building two characters up very well.
Bad: The art, while solid, feels too safe for Nightwing. I just don't think it fits the look of the man in black and blue. I also thought the big reveal at the end of who is bad was SO obvious that it hurt. Like anyone who's read a couple of books or watched a few movies or TV shows can see it coming from a mile away. Also the fights were lackluster.
Overall Nightwing suffers from similar problems of the first volume. It's not horrible by any means, it's solid, but the moments of character interaction and growth is where the series really shines and we need more like the last issue. For now it's GOOD but could be GREAT. A 3 out of 5.
Nightwing heads back to Bludhaven because, well he has to. Bludhaven and nightwing go together like peanut butter and jelly. So saying that we head back but this is very different. Gone the dirty dark gritty streets of Bludhaven and filled with a Las Vegas type setting. Looking spectacular but under it lies dark secrets. Dick is trying to find his place after the last volume of getting his shit wrecked and betrayed. So now he meets a new group of people, really young adults/kids, trying to place their old criminal life's behind them. On top of that Dick is also beginning to spark a relationship because, well he's Dick, and he needs to get some all the time.
Good: I enjoyed the group of criminals trying to fix themselves. Redemption arcs can be interesting and watching them work with Nightwing to fix things was nice. I also really enjoyed Richard as always, trying to find his place, and helping fight crime with his happy go lucky style is fun. I think the biggest positive comes from the last Issue. While I don't think Tim Seeley writes plots so far all that great he does character moments really really well. The last issue is building two characters up very well.
Bad: The art, while solid, feels too safe for Nightwing. I just don't think it fits the look of the man in black and blue. I also thought the big reveal at the end of who is bad was SO obvious that it hurt. Like anyone who's read a couple of books or watched a few movies or TV shows can see it coming from a mile away. Also the fights were lackluster.
Overall Nightwing suffers from similar problems of the first volume. It's not horrible by any means, it's solid, but the moments of character interaction and growth is where the series really shines and we need more like the last issue. For now it's GOOD but could be GREAT. A 3 out of 5.
November 20, 2023
Dick heads to Bludhaven for a fresh start. There he encounters the Run-Offs, former foes of his that are trying to make a fresh start. I'm pretty sure all of them but Defacer appeared in the Chuck Dixon penned Nightwing book. Someone is trying to frame them all for murder. It was no real surprise at who was actually behind the murders.
I felt this volume was a much more natural fit for Nightwing than all the baggage of the Court of Owls storyline. Marcus To's art is great. My favorite issue was the last issue of the book. Seeley really outdid himself with this one.
Received an advance copy from DC and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I felt this volume was a much more natural fit for Nightwing than all the baggage of the Court of Owls storyline. Marcus To's art is great. My favorite issue was the last issue of the book. Seeley really outdid himself with this one.
Received an advance copy from DC and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 20, 2023
Solid, but not special, Nightwing's journey of finding himself outside of the suit is cut short for cheesy romance and reformed villains. The art works nicely with the tone and it's easy to read overall despite its lack of depth.
July 26, 2018
I can't quite put my finger on what makes this such a blah series for me but I think it's because, similar to Batgirl, this doesn't feel like Dick Grayson. It feels like Tim Seeley took Rebirth as an opportunity to just reboot Dick's entire personality. Again, if this is your introduction to Dick Grayson, this is probably fine. If you're like me and threw yourself headfirst into Nightwing lately, this series is 3 things:
1. Charmless
2. Boring
3. Baffling
I don't understand what's going on here. Dick Grayson is a charming, interesting, funny and intelligent character. Sure, most dudebros think we love him because he's gorgeous but, beyond that, he was a talented acrobat before he was personally trained by Batman. The Batman. He is a very intelligent character and Rebirth Nightwing has yet to show some of that training. Nothing about this book required a lot of brainpower. None of Dick's "quips" had the same charm as Grayson or previous iterations of Dick. He's just... here. It's like a CW reboot of the character. All of the charm was extracted and sort of passed on to these new side characters.
Look, none of them made an impression on me. I'm still not sure why there was a squirrel here. I will say, I was moderately interested in the cowboy dude. Not gonna lie, I would've been more interested seeing him with Dick. I thought they actually had interactions that were interesting.
Also, has this Defacer (I hate this name) chick been around before? Or was she retconned into his history? Because, not gonna lie, I know nothing about this Rebirth history where it looks like Dick was Robin with pants? Why? Why do people keep taking away his shorts?
I didn't like the coloring in this book. Namely the fact that Dick (while often colored lighter than Damian) was Edward Cullen pale and so was Damian (who is not white, mind you).
Forgot to mention, there’s a point when the “Run-Offs” are telling their story. We get a pet peeve of mine: people giving exposition through dialogue that doesn’t sound like dialogue. When explaining past events, we just say “C happened and the X happened”, whatever but when you have characters add descriptors that would be better suited for a flashback or a narrative box, it makes the dialogue sound unnatural.
I had hope since they were returning Dick to Blüdhaven but none of the intrigue from that arc pre 52 was here either. It was like they were trying to avoid making it too dark and all the complexities from Dick's decision in earlier iterations was gone. He's not here to fix the city from within the police department. He's trying a new route, which could have been interesting, but we barely get that before we're put on this case with the most predictable reveal I've seen in a while.
But I digress, in summation:
I was bored. This is not the Dick Grayson I love. I just want to get to the issues with Damian so I can stop reading.
The only aspects of this I enjoyed were Damian's little appearance and finding out that Dick called Roy to talk about soaps. That was about it.
1. Charmless
2. Boring
3. Baffling
I don't understand what's going on here. Dick Grayson is a charming, interesting, funny and intelligent character. Sure, most dudebros think we love him because he's gorgeous but, beyond that, he was a talented acrobat before he was personally trained by Batman. The Batman. He is a very intelligent character and Rebirth Nightwing has yet to show some of that training. Nothing about this book required a lot of brainpower. None of Dick's "quips" had the same charm as Grayson or previous iterations of Dick. He's just... here. It's like a CW reboot of the character. All of the charm was extracted and sort of passed on to these new side characters.
Look, none of them made an impression on me. I'm still not sure why there was a squirrel here. I will say, I was moderately interested in the cowboy dude. Not gonna lie, I would've been more interested seeing him with Dick. I thought they actually had interactions that were interesting.
Also, has this Defacer (I hate this name) chick been around before? Or was she retconned into his history? Because, not gonna lie, I know nothing about this Rebirth history where it looks like Dick was Robin with pants? Why? Why do people keep taking away his shorts?
I didn't like the coloring in this book. Namely the fact that Dick (while often colored lighter than Damian) was Edward Cullen pale and so was Damian (who is not white, mind you).
Forgot to mention, there’s a point when the “Run-Offs” are telling their story. We get a pet peeve of mine: people giving exposition through dialogue that doesn’t sound like dialogue. When explaining past events, we just say “C happened and the X happened”, whatever but when you have characters add descriptors that would be better suited for a flashback or a narrative box, it makes the dialogue sound unnatural.
I had hope since they were returning Dick to Blüdhaven but none of the intrigue from that arc pre 52 was here either. It was like they were trying to avoid making it too dark and all the complexities from Dick's decision in earlier iterations was gone. He's not here to fix the city from within the police department. He's trying a new route, which could have been interesting, but we barely get that before we're put on this case with the most predictable reveal I've seen in a while.
But I digress, in summation:
I was bored. This is not the Dick Grayson I love. I just want to get to the issues with Damian so I can stop reading.
The only aspects of this I enjoyed were Damian's little appearance and finding out that Dick called Roy to talk about soaps. That was about it.
June 21, 2017
There's a lot that I like in here. It was about time that Dick got out of Gotham and back to Bludhaven. He simply isn't needed in Gotham, and getting him out of the shadow of Batman, Batwoman, Batgirl, Robin, Red Robin... It's necessary for the character, and it's a better and more sustainable move than working undercover as a spy. I like Dick going into social work, though there's a few truly hysterical mentions of Dick "draining" his savings. The notion that Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne's oldest son, doesn't have a hefty trust fund that would let him do whatever the hell he wants without concern for money is probably the least plausible thing in a life that has included dating an orange alien, but DC writers have been trying to convince me this is so for years. I also sort of fell in love with the concept of a group of D list ex-villains moving to Bludhaven to get away from the Bats so they can try to start over.
The relationship with Shawn Tsang is probably going to divide a lot of readers. Why does Dick need yet another love of his life? He's already gone through three, and there's no way this relationship can survive the next writer reverting to Babs or Kori or Helena. And yet... I kind of like Shawn. And the fast-forward issue that tried to convince me they were super serious did at least make them look like a cute couple, even if I'm not entirely sold on them being deeply in love.
Oh, yeah, there's a story, too. And it's not bad. I feel like I've read this story in Bat-related books at least two or three times before. There's nothing unusually good about this take, and the ending is predictable as can be. But a paint-by-the-numbers story is largely redeemed by an interesting cast of characters, including a delightfully salty police detective. I wanted to like it more than I did. It's a fairly good volume overall, but it would have been great with a more exciting story.
The relationship with Shawn Tsang is probably going to divide a lot of readers. Why does Dick need yet another love of his life? He's already gone through three, and there's no way this relationship can survive the next writer reverting to Babs or Kori or Helena. And yet... I kind of like Shawn. And the fast-forward issue that tried to convince me they were super serious did at least make them look like a cute couple, even if I'm not entirely sold on them being deeply in love.
Oh, yeah, there's a story, too. And it's not bad. I feel like I've read this story in Bat-related books at least two or three times before. There's nothing unusually good about this take, and the ending is predictable as can be. But a paint-by-the-numbers story is largely redeemed by an interesting cast of characters, including a delightfully salty police detective. I wanted to like it more than I did. It's a fairly good volume overall, but it would have been great with a more exciting story.
June 24, 2020
5 🌟
Dick gets help from Superman to defeat Dr. Destiny. Dick also moves to Bludhaven to get a fresh start as Nightwing and life.
Dick gets help from Superman to defeat Dr. Destiny. Dick also moves to Bludhaven to get a fresh start as Nightwing and life.
June 22, 2017
Read this review and more on my blog, uncovered-books.
I received a free copy of Nightwing Volume 2: Back To Blüdhaven from DC Comics in exchange for my honest opinion.
After the events of Nightwing Volume 1 and Batman: Night Of The Monster Men, Nightwing feels like to have a fresh start as he had started questioning himself.
The storyline follows Nightwing moving from Gotham to Blüdhaven and what happens in the first few weeks that he is their. Both Nightwing and Dick Grayson have to deal with stuff that they thought that they would not have to and this leads to a very good character arc.
The art style was again a good balance of background detail whilst not distracting you from what was the focus of the panel. The contrast between the colour palette of Nightwing and Dick Grayson made it obvious which aspect of him we were focusing on .
Another great addition for Nightwing which most people will enjoy.
I received a free copy of Nightwing Volume 2: Back To Blüdhaven from DC Comics in exchange for my honest opinion.
After the events of Nightwing Volume 1 and Batman: Night Of The Monster Men, Nightwing feels like to have a fresh start as he had started questioning himself.
The storyline follows Nightwing moving from Gotham to Blüdhaven and what happens in the first few weeks that he is their. Both Nightwing and Dick Grayson have to deal with stuff that they thought that they would not have to and this leads to a very good character arc.
The art style was again a good balance of background detail whilst not distracting you from what was the focus of the panel. The contrast between the colour palette of Nightwing and Dick Grayson made it obvious which aspect of him we were focusing on .
Another great addition for Nightwing which most people will enjoy.
May 18, 2018
This is the point in Nightwing's Rebirth solo where everything gets kind of...weird.
The concepts aren't bad by any means. Dick Grayson goes to Bludhaven with self-discovery in mind--he's been to Paradise, but he's never been to Me, you know? And he meets a self-help group of D-list villains he and Batman kicked to the curb years ago. Dick has to ask himself if people can change for the better, and what his role in helping them rehabilitate should be. The ideas are there.
The problem is Shawn Tsang. I don't hate the concept of her by any means, though I for serious don't understand how her hair works. (She flips between black locks and teal, and that's not how hair dye works. I NEED TO UNDERSTAND.) I love seeing new love interests for my faves when they're interesting (NEVER 4GET MELITA GARNER, MELITA IS THE BEST), and Shawn's interesting. She's an artist who's made mistakes and is trying to make up for them. It feels like Dick and Shawn's love story just slams together like a train crash, though--an adventure, a single issue Telling The Story Of Their Love, and ta-daaaa? I don't know, it was hard to swallow, especially when you factor in what happens in volume 3. (Spoilers, sorry, but having read all of these issues in quick succession, it's hard not to consider where this storyline goes when writing my review.)
The more Tim Seeley one reads, the more one wonders just how much he had to do with Grayson's scripts, to be honest. Grayson handles Dick rebounding off his on-again-off-again thing with Babs with a lot more nuance. Its exploration of Dick's limits has more complexity. And frankly, Tiger's a better character than Raptor.
I wouldn't skip these comics, necessarily, but I'd read them with the knowledge that Tim Seeley is eventually taken off Nightwing, thank goodness.
The concepts aren't bad by any means. Dick Grayson goes to Bludhaven with self-discovery in mind--he's been to Paradise, but he's never been to Me, you know? And he meets a self-help group of D-list villains he and Batman kicked to the curb years ago. Dick has to ask himself if people can change for the better, and what his role in helping them rehabilitate should be. The ideas are there.
The problem is Shawn Tsang. I don't hate the concept of her by any means, though I for serious don't understand how her hair works. (She flips between black locks and teal, and that's not how hair dye works. I NEED TO UNDERSTAND.) I love seeing new love interests for my faves when they're interesting (NEVER 4GET MELITA GARNER, MELITA IS THE BEST), and Shawn's interesting. She's an artist who's made mistakes and is trying to make up for them. It feels like Dick and Shawn's love story just slams together like a train crash, though--an adventure, a single issue Telling The Story Of Their Love, and ta-daaaa? I don't know, it was hard to swallow, especially when you factor in what happens in volume 3. (Spoilers, sorry, but having read all of these issues in quick succession, it's hard not to consider where this storyline goes when writing my review.)
The more Tim Seeley one reads, the more one wonders just how much he had to do with Grayson's scripts, to be honest. Grayson handles Dick rebounding off his on-again-off-again thing with Babs with a lot more nuance. Its exploration of Dick's limits has more complexity. And frankly, Tiger's a better character than Raptor.
I wouldn't skip these comics, necessarily, but I'd read them with the knowledge that Tim Seeley is eventually taken off Nightwing, thank goodness.
August 29, 2017
Mediocre story about Dick once again finding his place in the world. Somewhat predictable and above all... FUCKIN' BORING! I had higher expectations about this title but as it seems i'm probably bailing out of it.
*The extra star was because of the fine art and the well-put cliffhanger at the end...
*The extra star was because of the fine art and the well-put cliffhanger at the end...
May 2, 2022
all 3 stars are for the jason cameo
May 12, 2022
Rep: Romani mc, Chinese American li
December 14, 2019
I would have gave an extra star if he ended up with the love interest I liked! :P Lol....
January 6, 2021
El guión, el arte, la caracterización, todo muy mehh.
pero Nightwing es uno de mis personajes más queridos, así es que lo seguiré leyendo.
pero Nightwing es uno de mis personajes más queridos, así es que lo seguiré leyendo.
June 11, 2017
[Read as single issues]
The second Rebirth storyline for Nightwing takes him back to his old stomping ground - welcome back to Bludhaven, Dick. Hope you survive the experi-no, wait, that's X-Men.
So after his disastrous attempts at taking down the Parliament Of Owls and Raptor, Dick heads off out of Batman's shadow to star fresh in Bludhaven. Soon he finds trouble in the form of the Run Offs - ex-supervillains who just want to live normal lives, but instead keep getting framed for crimes they didn't commit. Enter Nightwing, who isn't about to let that happen.
The actual mystery of the story isn't that compelling, if I'm honest. The real fun is seeing Dick interacting with all these different characters, and his burgeoning relationship with Shawn Tsang, made even better by flashbacks to their previous encounters when Dick was just Robin.
The art is by the always delightful Marcus To, with Minkyu Jung aiding him in finishing off the final few issues as well as the epilogue issue. To's artwork is great, although I don't think pairing him with colourist Chris Sotomayor is such a good idea - Sotomayor's colour choices here seem to make things look a little washed out, as opposed to the bold colours he usually selects. Not a deal breaker, but it creates a slightly different atmosphere for the book than you'd expect, given To's previous collaborations with Guy Major and Ruth Redmond on Red Robin and New Warriors respectively.
The second Rebirth storyline for Nightwing takes him back to his old stomping ground - welcome back to Bludhaven, Dick. Hope you survive the experi-no, wait, that's X-Men.
So after his disastrous attempts at taking down the Parliament Of Owls and Raptor, Dick heads off out of Batman's shadow to star fresh in Bludhaven. Soon he finds trouble in the form of the Run Offs - ex-supervillains who just want to live normal lives, but instead keep getting framed for crimes they didn't commit. Enter Nightwing, who isn't about to let that happen.
The actual mystery of the story isn't that compelling, if I'm honest. The real fun is seeing Dick interacting with all these different characters, and his burgeoning relationship with Shawn Tsang, made even better by flashbacks to their previous encounters when Dick was just Robin.
The art is by the always delightful Marcus To, with Minkyu Jung aiding him in finishing off the final few issues as well as the epilogue issue. To's artwork is great, although I don't think pairing him with colourist Chris Sotomayor is such a good idea - Sotomayor's colour choices here seem to make things look a little washed out, as opposed to the bold colours he usually selects. Not a deal breaker, but it creates a slightly different atmosphere for the book than you'd expect, given To's previous collaborations with Guy Major and Ruth Redmond on Red Robin and New Warriors respectively.
July 27, 2017
This was great! I really enjoyed the new supporting cast here, and hope we see more of the Run-Offs in the future. Seeley does a great job with characterization and making Dick Grayson a three dimensional person in the pages of the book. Marcus To provides some nice art with colors by Chris Sotomayor. One of the best Rebirth books so far.
July 16, 2019
I enjoyed this volume so much more than the first one. I was hooked from the start and it ended with such a cliffhanger, will need to get my hands on the third volume.
June 21, 2017
The first volume of this Rebirth Nightwing series didn't feel like much of a rebirth. It was too tied into everything that happened to Dick Grayson going all the way to the very beginning of the New 52. Dick was still dealing with people like Tiger and Midnighter that he'd met during his spy days as Agent 37 working for Spyral. He was still taking on the Owls. Hell, Dick even had some interactions with someone that knew his mother waaaay back in the day. Since the first volume dealt with so much of the past, it seemed more of a continuation of the New 52. With this volume, we finally get a proper rebirth.
The book starts off with a standalone issue that has Superman take Dick to Bludhaven, a city not far outside Gotham. The Superman Dick knew is dead. This Superman is from a different universe. He tells Dick that in his world Nightwing left Gotham for Bludhaven to become his own man and escape Batman's shadow. Since Dick is trying to rediscover himself after all he's been through in recent years, he decides moving to Bludhaven temporarily to find himself. As so often happens, life has other plans. As soon as Dick moves to town, he is pulled into a case where prominent city figures are being killed. Dick runs into some former Gotham villains that have relocated to Bludhaven for pretty much the same reasons he did. They're tied up in what is going on, but how? Are they as guilty as they appear or is it something else? This story is the major part of the book and takes up the middle 5 issues.
Finally the book wraps up with another solo issue tale. It takes place over the course of a couple of months as Dick narrates to us about the new love in his life. Many of Nightwing's costumed allies that know him very well all meet with him at different times to see how he's doing on his own. We, the readers, find out about his relationship as he discusses it with the various Bat-family members and former Teen Titans that show up. The meeting between Nightwing and Batgirl is short, but extremely touching. I've said before in reviews for previous books that Tim Seeley really understands who Dick Grayson is as a character. That is never more evident than the scenes Dick and Batgirl have shared in the last 2 volumes. As much as I enjoyed the rest of the book, that one little section really stands out to me like a gigantic Bat-signal is drawing my focus right to it. That one scene touched me deeply and makes me want to give a higher score than what the rest of the book deserved. I debated with myself for a while before finally deciding on a 4 star score for the writing.
I initially didn't think the art in this volume was going to be a whole lot better than the art in volume 1, which absolutely loathed. The first issue in the book, #9, is drawn by artist Marcio Takara. His art has its good moments, but it's really inconsistent looking. One panel will be good. The next several won't look anything like the good panel. All of his characters are really baby-faced. This version of Superman is older than the one Dick knew, but he looks like a teenager in the face. Issues #10-14 were drawn by Marcus To. There is a remarkable difference in the art during this meaty section of the book. This is the best art on the series to date. As much as I loved To's art, it makes me sad in a way because I'm pretty sure I will have to suffer through the atrocious artwork of the artist that drew volume 1 when I get to volume 3. Why can't To, or at least somebody as talented as To, draw the other parts of the series? The final issue is illustrated by Minkyu Jung who has a similar style to To, but the art is just shy of the bar set by To. It looks good. It just doesn't look as good as To's art. 3.75 stars for the art.
I don't think the story was quite as good as volume, but it was still highly enjoyable. The art was much better though. That means this one gets a higher overall rating than volume one did. I'd recommend this volume to anyone that likes Nightwing. This is also a great jumping on point for new readers. Overall rating 4 stars.
***** I got digital copy from the publisher through Netgalley.com.
The book starts off with a standalone issue that has Superman take Dick to Bludhaven, a city not far outside Gotham. The Superman Dick knew is dead. This Superman is from a different universe. He tells Dick that in his world Nightwing left Gotham for Bludhaven to become his own man and escape Batman's shadow. Since Dick is trying to rediscover himself after all he's been through in recent years, he decides moving to Bludhaven temporarily to find himself. As so often happens, life has other plans. As soon as Dick moves to town, he is pulled into a case where prominent city figures are being killed. Dick runs into some former Gotham villains that have relocated to Bludhaven for pretty much the same reasons he did. They're tied up in what is going on, but how? Are they as guilty as they appear or is it something else? This story is the major part of the book and takes up the middle 5 issues.
Finally the book wraps up with another solo issue tale. It takes place over the course of a couple of months as Dick narrates to us about the new love in his life. Many of Nightwing's costumed allies that know him very well all meet with him at different times to see how he's doing on his own. We, the readers, find out about his relationship as he discusses it with the various Bat-family members and former Teen Titans that show up. The meeting between Nightwing and Batgirl is short, but extremely touching. I've said before in reviews for previous books that Tim Seeley really understands who Dick Grayson is as a character. That is never more evident than the scenes Dick and Batgirl have shared in the last 2 volumes. As much as I enjoyed the rest of the book, that one little section really stands out to me like a gigantic Bat-signal is drawing my focus right to it. That one scene touched me deeply and makes me want to give a higher score than what the rest of the book deserved. I debated with myself for a while before finally deciding on a 4 star score for the writing.
I initially didn't think the art in this volume was going to be a whole lot better than the art in volume 1, which absolutely loathed. The first issue in the book, #9, is drawn by artist Marcio Takara. His art has its good moments, but it's really inconsistent looking. One panel will be good. The next several won't look anything like the good panel. All of his characters are really baby-faced. This version of Superman is older than the one Dick knew, but he looks like a teenager in the face. Issues #10-14 were drawn by Marcus To. There is a remarkable difference in the art during this meaty section of the book. This is the best art on the series to date. As much as I loved To's art, it makes me sad in a way because I'm pretty sure I will have to suffer through the atrocious artwork of the artist that drew volume 1 when I get to volume 3. Why can't To, or at least somebody as talented as To, draw the other parts of the series? The final issue is illustrated by Minkyu Jung who has a similar style to To, but the art is just shy of the bar set by To. It looks good. It just doesn't look as good as To's art. 3.75 stars for the art.
I don't think the story was quite as good as volume, but it was still highly enjoyable. The art was much better though. That means this one gets a higher overall rating than volume one did. I'd recommend this volume to anyone that likes Nightwing. This is also a great jumping on point for new readers. Overall rating 4 stars.
***** I got digital copy from the publisher through Netgalley.com.
February 1, 2018
I thought vol. 2 was a real step up from Nightwing, Volume 1: Better Than Batman. I also really enjoyed the art by Marcus To a lot more than Javier Fernandez's (vol. 1).
The reason why I love Nightwing, in general, is his heart. That was missing a bit from vol. 1...
It's OK for your character to be a bit lost, it's not "OK" to lose touch with your character's development.
It's not that I need to see Dick struggle to make it a good Nightwing book, I just like the equal page time for both Dick Grayson and Nightwing. I like when both Dick and Nightwing have to overcome something, it seems to always make him stronger (like in the series Grayson).
(Side note, how can Dick Grayson and Nightwing move to the same city at the same time, and no one ever takes a sec to scratch their heads?)
I LOVE the support group. The Run-Offs.
I think it's hilarious that they all ran away from him. And sweet when they help.
My favorite is Randy/Stallion. <3
("A clenched fist ain't equal to open arms.")
The Defacer isn't so bad either. Even if Nightwing is just into her cuz of "Catwoman syndrome". LOL
Though if someone calls her a "super villain" one more time, I'm gonna scream!
Sure, her vandalism cost millions of dollars in city cleanup, but really? Supervillain?! Overexadurate much?
The two "that's what I wanted to tell her." pages were really fun. Stylistically they were novel, but somehow still very Nightwing.
Also, the date/relation recap in issue 15 was adorkable!
And besides for being hilarious, sometimes Jason drops the biggest truths: "Angry people are always looking for someone to help them direct their rage. I mean... look at us."
The scene with Batgirl was necessary but awkward. :( Poor kids.
And to step back to issue 10 in this volume...
It wouldn't be a Nightwing story if no one took a crack at his ass.
And speaking of asses... Detective Svoboda is a real piece of work. And I kind of like it.
She's a total asshole, but it works.
I wonder what their relationship will grow into...
The reason why I love Nightwing, in general, is his heart. That was missing a bit from vol. 1...
It's OK for your character to be a bit lost, it's not "OK" to lose touch with your character's development.
It's not that I need to see Dick struggle to make it a good Nightwing book, I just like the equal page time for both Dick Grayson and Nightwing. I like when both Dick and Nightwing have to overcome something, it seems to always make him stronger (like in the series Grayson).
(Side note, how can Dick Grayson and Nightwing move to the same city at the same time, and no one ever takes a sec to scratch their heads?)
I LOVE the support group. The Run-Offs.
I think it's hilarious that they all ran away from him. And sweet when they help.
My favorite is Randy/Stallion. <3
("A clenched fist ain't equal to open arms.")
The Defacer isn't so bad either. Even if Nightwing is just into her cuz of "Catwoman syndrome". LOL
Though if someone calls her a "super villain" one more time, I'm gonna scream!
Sure, her vandalism cost millions of dollars in city cleanup, but really? Supervillain?! Overexadurate much?
The two "that's what I wanted to tell her." pages were really fun. Stylistically they were novel, but somehow still very Nightwing.
Also, the date/relation recap in issue 15 was adorkable!
And besides for being hilarious, sometimes Jason drops the biggest truths: "Angry people are always looking for someone to help them direct their rage. I mean... look at us."
The scene with Batgirl was necessary but awkward. :( Poor kids.
And to step back to issue 10 in this volume...
It wouldn't be a Nightwing story if no one took a crack at his ass.
And speaking of asses... Detective Svoboda is a real piece of work. And I kind of like it.
She's a total asshole, but it works.
I wonder what their relationship will grow into...
July 27, 2022
English/Spanish review:
Don't know. I didn't dislike this,neither loved it. There's lots of quirky dialogue,like that Cowboy being so weird about his desire of physical contact in front of Nightwing. The plot twist was so obvious,tbh I'm not in love with the new girl,just let my man get back with the alien. Buuut...
There was some interesting stuff here,even though the plot's mostly new city,new life but there were many funny details or jokes and last issue had a really good placed plot twist,it's obviously not gonna get that bad tho. Why won't comics do that plot twisty thing at the last page more often?
Will keep reading.
Español:
No sé. No me disgustó esto,tampoco me encantó. Hay muchos diálogos extravagantes,como el cowboy siendo tan raro acerca de su deseo de contacto físico frente a Nightwing,el giro de la trama fue tan obvio,para ser sincero,no estoy enamorado de la chica nueva,solo dejen que mi bro vuelva con la alienígena. Pero...
Hubo algunas cosas interesantes,aunque la trama es principalmente nueva ciudad,nueva vida hubo muchos detalles divertidos o chistes y el último número tuvo un giro de trama muy bien ubicado,obviamente no se va a poner tan mal. ¿Por qué los cómics no hacen usan es giro de trama en la última página con más frecuencia?
Voy a seguir leyendo.
Don't know. I didn't dislike this,neither loved it. There's lots of quirky dialogue,like that Cowboy being so weird about his desire of physical contact in front of Nightwing. The plot twist was so obvious,tbh I'm not in love with the new girl,just let my man get back with the alien. Buuut...
There was some interesting stuff here,even though the plot's mostly new city,new life but there were many funny details or jokes and last issue had a really good placed plot twist,it's obviously not gonna get that bad tho. Why won't comics do that plot twisty thing at the last page more often?
Will keep reading.
Español:
No sé. No me disgustó esto,tampoco me encantó. Hay muchos diálogos extravagantes,como el cowboy siendo tan raro acerca de su deseo de contacto físico frente a Nightwing,el giro de la trama fue tan obvio,para ser sincero,no estoy enamorado de la chica nueva,solo dejen que mi bro vuelva con la alienígena. Pero...
Hubo algunas cosas interesantes,aunque la trama es principalmente nueva ciudad,nueva vida hubo muchos detalles divertidos o chistes y el último número tuvo un giro de trama muy bien ubicado,obviamente no se va a poner tan mal. ¿Por qué los cómics no hacen usan es giro de trama en la última página con más frecuencia?
Voy a seguir leyendo.
October 16, 2017
Way better!
World: The art is good, I like the character designs and lines (reminds of Albuquerque light, especially the eyes). The world building is also fantastic, this new Bludhaven is great and the idea of setting it apart from Gotham with it being Vegas is pretty good fitting the trapeze artist that Dick is, I'm enjoying it. The pieces we get this time around with the job and the advertising was both good and bad, giving Dick a job is great, the advertising stuff was choppy. Overall I really like that he's back where he needs to be (oh and the Dixon nod was great).
Story: Much better than the last arc, much more small and grounded, without all the baggage from the Grayson run. This is small self contained and a good intro to Bludhaven and also Nightwing on his own. The Run-Offs were a great creation and putting a spin on these villains and also Dick working out his own stuff was fantastic. The villain was dull though and telegraphed a mile away. Then we get Tsang...another Nighwing girlfriend, oh this will not end well and we know that to be true. Dick is just being Dick but yeah it will end in tears. A good course correct from the horrid first arc.
Characters: Dick is much more like the Dick I remember, he's a dawg but he's also open with his emotions and that's what sets him apart from Bruce. I like his internal monologue and banter with the Run-Offs it's good and solid work. Tsang is okay at the moment but Dick's significant others don't last long so yeah it's gonna be the same old same old. The villain was bland and pointless this arc but thats fine cause Dick and the rest was spot on. I loved the Run-Offs they were well done.
A good second arc that is focused and puts Dick where he needs to be.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is good, I like the character designs and lines (reminds of Albuquerque light, especially the eyes). The world building is also fantastic, this new Bludhaven is great and the idea of setting it apart from Gotham with it being Vegas is pretty good fitting the trapeze artist that Dick is, I'm enjoying it. The pieces we get this time around with the job and the advertising was both good and bad, giving Dick a job is great, the advertising stuff was choppy. Overall I really like that he's back where he needs to be (oh and the Dixon nod was great).
Story: Much better than the last arc, much more small and grounded, without all the baggage from the Grayson run. This is small self contained and a good intro to Bludhaven and also Nightwing on his own. The Run-Offs were a great creation and putting a spin on these villains and also Dick working out his own stuff was fantastic. The villain was dull though and telegraphed a mile away. Then we get Tsang...another Nighwing girlfriend, oh this will not end well and we know that to be true. Dick is just being Dick but yeah it will end in tears. A good course correct from the horrid first arc.
Characters: Dick is much more like the Dick I remember, he's a dawg but he's also open with his emotions and that's what sets him apart from Bruce. I like his internal monologue and banter with the Run-Offs it's good and solid work. Tsang is okay at the moment but Dick's significant others don't last long so yeah it's gonna be the same old same old. The villain was bland and pointless this arc but thats fine cause Dick and the rest was spot on. I loved the Run-Offs they were well done.
A good second arc that is focused and puts Dick where he needs to be.
Onward to the next book!
June 23, 2017
“Y'know what, I'm too tired to pretend I understand this alternate universe stuff.” Nightwing, I'm with you sometimes, bro. ;)
At the beginning of Nightwing, Volume 2: Back to Blüdhaven, Nightwing is unsure what his future will entail. He’s suffering from nightmares that he's unable to shake even during his waking hours. Superman has an idea of what is causing the nightmares and offers to help. He suggests that moving to Blüdhaven would be in Dick's best interest, to which Dick agrees. Once there, he discovers that his supervisor is a former villain, Defacer. While patrolling the city, he encounters another former villain from Gotham named Gorilla Grimm. Dick discovers a support group for former Gotham villains who want to change their villainous ways. Unfortunately, crime is on the rise and the reformed villains are being framed. Nightwing must side against the law to prove his unlikely new friends' innocence before it is too late. “I know what this looks like. Me in the lead. Nightwing. Former kid sidekick. Current young adult superhero. Flanked by my new super-team. But these guys aren't superheroes. And we're not charging into battle against some cosmic maniac. No. We're running full steam...”
I was provided an Advanced digital copy of this comic by Netgalley. Thank you!
At the beginning of Nightwing, Volume 2: Back to Blüdhaven, Nightwing is unsure what his future will entail. He’s suffering from nightmares that he's unable to shake even during his waking hours. Superman has an idea of what is causing the nightmares and offers to help. He suggests that moving to Blüdhaven would be in Dick's best interest, to which Dick agrees. Once there, he discovers that his supervisor is a former villain, Defacer. While patrolling the city, he encounters another former villain from Gotham named Gorilla Grimm. Dick discovers a support group for former Gotham villains who want to change their villainous ways. Unfortunately, crime is on the rise and the reformed villains are being framed. Nightwing must side against the law to prove his unlikely new friends' innocence before it is too late. “I know what this looks like. Me in the lead. Nightwing. Former kid sidekick. Current young adult superhero. Flanked by my new super-team. But these guys aren't superheroes. And we're not charging into battle against some cosmic maniac. No. We're running full steam...”
I was provided an Advanced digital copy of this comic by Netgalley. Thank you!
December 9, 2017
4 stars because I enjoyed the art. It’s been too long since I read the first volume so I don’t recall what brought us to this point. I’m not sure this isn’t all a dream like the first (random, not connected to anything I could recall) issue was about. I was a bit confused at first, I’m sure there are Batman, Titan, Batgirl, Teen Titans, etc tie-ins that might make things more clear as well.
Once we get into the Bludhaven stuff it didn’t really matter and I could enjoy the effort being made to have a cohesive story build over time with the random reflections thrown in to hint at other stuff. That villain could have used a bit more explanation, and maybe the next issue will offer some, we seemed to just jump into a new story of slice of life romance without entirely wrapping up the Run-offs story by explaining mirrorface. Sure I get that Dick trusted the villain because deep down he actually trusted himself and that was being reflected, but how did the villain become a mirror in the first place? I don’t know if I liked the change in tone for the last issue, maybe I just found it questionable because I was thrown by sudden secret identity knowing relationships, but I liked the Defacer even if I wasn’t totally onboard for their relationship.
Overall I don’t know how I feel about the new gray direction DC seems to want to take Nightwing in. He’s a good guy, a nice and kind guy who I can see sympathizing with criminals, but I don’t think I like them making his actual morals questionable instead of just an act for an undercover gig. Dick Grayson doesn’t need to be the poster boy for the everything that was bad is good thing that society has going on now, though there’s no denying his character can handle it better than some superheroes without needing to be tortured or become some kind of antihero. They might be pulling back from that grayness that wasn’t entirely believable last volume by the end of this volume, but refrigeratoring and angst isn’t necessarily going to be an improvement.
Once we get into the Bludhaven stuff it didn’t really matter and I could enjoy the effort being made to have a cohesive story build over time with the random reflections thrown in to hint at other stuff. That villain could have used a bit more explanation, and maybe the next issue will offer some, we seemed to just jump into a new story of slice of life romance without entirely wrapping up the Run-offs story by explaining mirrorface. Sure I get that Dick trusted the villain because deep down he actually trusted himself and that was being reflected, but how did the villain become a mirror in the first place? I don’t know if I liked the change in tone for the last issue, maybe I just found it questionable because I was thrown by sudden secret identity knowing relationships, but I liked the Defacer even if I wasn’t totally onboard for their relationship.
Overall I don’t know how I feel about the new gray direction DC seems to want to take Nightwing in. He’s a good guy, a nice and kind guy who I can see sympathizing with criminals, but I don’t think I like them making his actual morals questionable instead of just an act for an undercover gig. Dick Grayson doesn’t need to be the poster boy for the everything that was bad is good thing that society has going on now, though there’s no denying his character can handle it better than some superheroes without needing to be tortured or become some kind of antihero. They might be pulling back from that grayness that wasn’t entirely believable last volume by the end of this volume, but refrigeratoring and angst isn’t necessarily going to be an improvement.
October 9, 2017
Really 3 1/2 stars, because I enjoyed certain elements but there really wasn't anything in there that really stood out.
The volume starts out with a team-up between Nightwing and Superman that leads to Dick deciding he needs to move to Bludhaven in order to "find himself." Which is actually a clever idea, since the Batfam in Gotham is getting ridiculously large.
The story then proceeds to give him a crime to solve, characters to charm, and a new love interest. It's straightforward. Nothing out of this world but still a solid Nightwing story.
The art is good; consistent and emotive are always good things in comic art.
Overall, I think I enjoyed super spy Grayson a little better but it looks like Nightwing is setting itself up for some solid storylines. Let's hope I'm right.
The volume starts out with a team-up between Nightwing and Superman that leads to Dick deciding he needs to move to Bludhaven in order to "find himself." Which is actually a clever idea, since the Batfam in Gotham is getting ridiculously large.
The story then proceeds to give him a crime to solve, characters to charm, and a new love interest. It's straightforward. Nothing out of this world but still a solid Nightwing story.
The art is good; consistent and emotive are always good things in comic art.
Overall, I think I enjoyed super spy Grayson a little better but it looks like Nightwing is setting itself up for some solid storylines. Let's hope I'm right.
November 12, 2017
Nightwing plays a little like Batgirl in that the melodrama circles the action. The story is a little messy but it leads to a conclusion and setup for the next book. I've been letting the Rebirth issues pile up as I've been reading non fiction but this is a great rest from the terrors of the real world. I hope the rebirth series continues on this path of interesting stories, there aren't a lot of characters I'm not interested in reading at the moment.
August 4, 2020
This is a nice superhero story. I just love this character and Tim Seeley treats him very well. Ok, the villain here was very obvious, but the other characters were nice, the drawing (although i would choose Mr. Hernandez from the first volume) and the ending was nice too. Got volume 3 right here and i can't to get through it.
August 3, 2018
Really liked this one, it had some great development and loved the little cameos. Not 100% sold on the romance plotline which felt like it had little development but it's a comic so i'll give them a pass
November 18, 2021
2.5 stars
This was okay, enjoyable and I really like Nightwing as a character. I'm hoping the plots start to pick up soon though because I can't really say anything besides that it was enjoyable enough. Interested in seeing more of Bludhaven though, that's for sure.
This was okay, enjoyable and I really like Nightwing as a character. I'm hoping the plots start to pick up soon though because I can't really say anything besides that it was enjoyable enough. Interested in seeing more of Bludhaven though, that's for sure.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews