Story: The Bigger They Are (22 pages)
(continued from Nightwing #7)
Writer(s): Chuck Dixon
Pencils: Scott McDaniel
Inks: Karl Story
Characters:
Dick Grayson / Nightwing, Roland Desmond / Blockbuster II
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Dudley Soames, The Loners (biker gang), Tad Ryerstad (name not known yet)
Synopsis:
Nightwing fights Blockbuster, who is slow, but really strong. Nightwing evades Blockbuster's punches, who demolishes the whole building. Soames just watches. Blockbuster is especially enraged because he thinks Batman sent Nightwing to claim Blüdhaven for him, like a "prince regent assigned to rule an outlaw province." Nightwing taunts Blockbuster, says that Blüdhaven is only a second-rate town. Nightwing uses a 30 kV tazer on Blockbuster, expecting that to take him out, but it doesn't work. Blockbuster manages to get his hand on Nightwing's neck, but doesn't snap it instantly, but rather squeezes it. Nightwing passes out, and right before loosing consciousness he hears Batman's voice sending him to Blüdhaven. Just as Blockbuster gets ready to snap Nightwing's neck, Soames steps in, pointing a gun at Blockbuster. Soames points out that killing Nightwing by twisting his neck will draw Batman's attention to Blüdhaven, and they are not ready for that kind of heat. To lead Batman away from his operation, Blockbuster decides that Nightwing has to die in an inconspicuous way. So he hires the biker gang "The Loners" to do it. Nightwing wakes up surrounded by the gang on their bikes, but he manages to fight them all and win. As Dick walks home, hurting all over, he meets a homeless man, who asks Dick for some money. He gives him fifty bucks, and says if he shows up in the morning, cleaned up and sober, he'll see about really helping him. The man promises to show up, however he runs into a wannabee vigilante (later known to be Tad Ryerstad), who beats him up severely, and says that he never wants to see him again on "his" block again. Meanwhile the biker gang comes back to Blockbuster to tell him that "it didn't work out." Blockbuster rips out the support beams in the building where they meet (some sort of warehouse), and lets the whole structure collapse on them. Blockbuster himself walks away from the ruins, to Soames, who's waiting outside with the car. Blockbuster tells Soames to take care of Nightwing, and to get someone more talented this time.
Important Continuity Events:
- Tad Ryerstad's first appearance as a wannabee vigilante. [p. 18]
Continuity References:
- Blockbuster had his intelligence increased in ?? [p. 5]
- What Nightwing hears Batman say in his head before he passes out, i.e.the twenty-one dead mobmen and that Batman sends Nightwing to Blüdhaven, refers to the events in Nightwing #1.
Dick Grayson Character Details:
- The fear of failing or disappointing Batman is still foremost on Dick's mind. [p. 8]
Blockbuster Character Details:
- He calls Batman "The Bat" like the street criminals in Gotham do. [p. 4]
- He amped his I.Q. to supergenius. [p. 5]
- Blüdhaven is only the infancy of his ambitions. [p. 6] He wants Gotham, Star City, Metropolis and New York City too. [p. 7]
- A 30 kV tazer doesn't affect him much. [p. 7]
Trivia:
- Blockbuster has a custom made car that is larger in the rear passenger section. [p. 22]
[Note: This entry is based on the TPB edition of the issue.]