Year One

This is a must have for Robin/Nightwing fans. The story fills in some great details on Dick's transition from "Boy Wonder" to "Man Wonder". Every character has their own voice and familiar characterization. Dick is brave and resourceful, Alfred is caring, Batman is callous and Jason Todd is a brat. The linear nature of the story is wonderful, not wasting time in re-caps and histories, but going forward with a great adventure. The only drawback is the blocky, cartoony nature of the artwork, but the story is so well-written you hardly notice it. What are you waiting for, buy this book!

NIghtwing Year One is really a coming of age story. Dick Grayson grows up and this details his break with Batman and changing from Robin to Nightwing. Nightwing has always been a favorite of mine, though that probably relates to how big of a Batman fan I am. And I loved the artwork, with its thick lines and heavy blacks.

This a great tpb laying the foundation of Dick Grayson's transformation from Robin to Nightwing. After a falling out with Batman when confronting Killer Croc goes awry, Dick goes to Metropolis to talk to Clark Kent. Superman gives Dick the inspiration of Nightwing after telling him the story of crime fighter in Krypton who is called Nightwing! After helping Superman disarm a terrorist attack, Dick travels back to old circus where he and his parent were once performers. The mysterious Deadmen inhabits various bodies to give Dick some advice as well. Upon returning to Gotham, he explores his feeling with Batgirl, confronts Jason Todd, the new Robin, and must work with Robin as Nightwing in order to save Alfred, who is disguised as Two Face after Batman is shot and is incapacitated. Well-done story weaving in the growth and maturity of Dick from Robin to Nightwing. Must own book for Batman and Nightwing fans! Fantastic art by McDaniels as always.

Dick Grayson's truly captured in this book as the heroic hot shot charmer that he is, and you see the character begin to come into his own. As Grayson's origin story unfolds, any reader could easily grasp Nightwing's relationship with Batman and Barbara. Through his reaction upon learning about the new Robin, you get a measure of what kind of man he isn't. He isn't mean-spirited or hot-tempered. He isn't a fluff character with no substance. In the evolution of his reaction to Jason Todd he feels stung, not because of being replaced by a new Robin, but because of what that may signify. Has Bruce replaced his surrogate son? "A guy can't be a Boy Wonder forever," and it seems that everyone understands that, and even Bruce, in the darkest corners of his mind, does too. Although, in small exchanges such as the one in the latest Infinite Crisis books between Wayne and Grayson, you catch a glimpse of the nostalgia between these two characters and an understanding. They're on equal footing as heroes now, and the events in this book are what set that into motion. This origin story also plants a few tasty seeds for readers to follow in other books: the Barbara/Grayson dynamic, Nightwing/Blüdhaven, and Jason Todd, which later leads into another major storyline that I won't spoil here. And there's no better way to get hooked on a book than being dazzled by Chuck Dixon's and Scott Beatty's mojo.

The writing team of Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon manage to strike the same kind of gold with Nightwing: Year One as they did with Batgirl: Year One and Robin: Year One before it. Showcasing the transition of Robin the Boy Wonder to the brooding Nightwing, Beatty and Dixon weave a tale that is surprisingly compelling and full of character development. Not to mention that there is plenty of action throughout this TPB as well, including a team up with the original Batgirl, and a confrontation with the Joker. The pencils by Scott McDaniel and inks by Joss Whedon's Fray inker Andy Owens are superb for the most part, even though they can look a bit cartoony from time to time. Virtually flawless and one of (if not the) best Nightwing stories ever, Nightwing: Year One is a welcome reminder of what a super hero comic should be. All in all, if you're a Bat-fan who enjoyed the previous Year One's, you'd do well to check this out.