Story: Retribution Part 2: Contested (22 pages)
(previous part in Gotham Knights #20)
Writer(s): Devin Grayson
Pencils: Roger Robinson
Inks: John Floyd
Characters:
Bruce Wayne / Batman, Dick Grayson / Nightwing, Yoska Graesinka
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Barbara Gordon / Oracle, Ra's al Ghul, Enrico Inzerillo (it seems to switch somewhat whether the last name is 'Inzerillo' like in this issue or 'Inzerillos' like in the last), Jack (Giacomo) Inzerillo (Enrico's son), Ubu (Ra's al Ghul's minion)
Synopsis:
Yoska thinks Dick stayed with Bruce to steal from him, that this is Dick's "secret," and says that Dick doesn't need the adoption, that he has another plan. After hearing that, Dick breaks into laughter. Jack visits Enrico in prison, he wants him to get the word out to his men to meet him in Blüdhaven to help him raise bail. Meanwhile Oracle did a background check and research on Yoska, who seems to have no reason to lie about being Dick's grandfather. Batman realizes that Yoska thinks he is telling the truth and has been deceived himself. Yoska and Dick are in Dick's apartment, they talk about Dick's life and his past. An assassin shoots at Yoska, but Dick throws Yoska down, and Batman overpowers the shooter on the rooftop. Dick asks Yoska by whom he was told about Dick, and it turns out that "the nice man" was Ra's al Ghul. Batman learns from the assassin, Ubu, one of Ra's al Ghul's minions, that the instructions were to miss Yoska, and that he won't cause further trouble. Batman lets Ubu go and, alerted by shots, catches up with Jack Inzerillo, who has led his father's men into a trap orchestrated by another crime organization and watched them be shot. Jack had hoped to get into the other organization, and thought that the plan was just to scare his father's men, but the guy from the other organization has played and manipulated Jack, who now regrets his part in the execution of three of his father's men. Batman takes in Jack and the guys from the other crime organization. Changing to his Bruce identity he then checks on Dick and Yoska, and offers Yoska to help tracking down his real family, but Yoska prefers to leave. Ubu returns to Ra's al Ghul, who has set up the whole thing with the adoption to teach Batman a lesson, of how even the deepest loyalties are vulnerable to manipulation. Ra's al Ghul acted out of revenge, because blames Batman for the rift between himself and his daughter Talia. In the end Bruce and Dick file the papers, finalizing the adoption process.
Important Continuity Events:
- Dick Grayson's adoption by Bruce Wayne becomes legal. [p. 22]
Continuity References:
- Dick tells Yoska briefly about his father's death ("He was murdered. A man wanted money, and he cut the trapeze guy wire to prove he meant business."). That event has been retold in multiple versions, for example in a flashback in Batman #436, in ?? [p.7]
- Ra's al Ghul told Yoska that Dick is a police officer, the key issues of the arc concerned with Dick's decision to join the police force are: Nightwing #25 (we first learn that Dick decided to change Blüdhaven by joining the PD), Nightwing #41 (he graduates the academy), and Nightwing #48 (he gets a job at the Blüdhaven PD). [p. 7]
- Bruce mentions the fissure between Ra's al Ghul and his daughter Talia, that happened in ?? [p. 20]
- Bruce refers to Dick's past relationships with Huntress (in ??) and Koriand'r (in ??), and also sums up parts of Koriand'r's biography, which we learn about in ?? [p. 22]
Dick Grayson Character Details:
- Dick says he doesn't know what half the Rom terms Yoska uses mean [p. 2], still he can translate the saying Yoska uses before he leaves (or is familiar enough with it to know the meaning when he hears it). [p. 18]
- Dick doesn't want Yoska call him Ryeka. [p. 2]
- Dick has known Bruce since Dick was eight. [p. 8]
- Dick says to Yoska that he has a god life and owes most of it to Bruce. [p. 8]
- Dick has a photo album that has at least one picture of his father. [p. 13]
- Dick doesn't keep his gun locked up. [p. 17]
- Dick enjoyed hearing Romany again. [p. 20]
- Dick always wondered about his father's side of the family. [p. 20]
- Dick says even if Yoska really had been a relative, it wouldn't have made any difference in his relationship with Bruce. [p. 21]
- Dick mentions being left in an orphanage was the alternative to being taken in by Bruce. [p. 21]
Bruce Wayne Character Details:
- Thinking that Dick had a living relative was enough to make Bruce doubt his right to Dick's loyalty. [p. 21]
- Either Bruce doesn't remember Koriand'r's name or he just prefers to describe her ("That persecuted alien warrioress who was literally chased here by extraterrestrial slavers?") to emphasize his point, that Dick is attracted to people in trouble. [p. 22]
Gotham City Details:
- One of Gotham's prisons is called "The Schreck." [p.4]
Trivia:
- Romany saying Dick knows how to translate is:
"Si khohaimo may patshivalo sar o tshatshimo." -- "There are lies more believable than truth." [p. 18]
Story: Retribution Part 1: Sons and Lovers (21 pages)
(next part is in Gotham Knights #21)
Writer(s): Devin Grayson
Pencils: Roger Robinson
Inks: John Floyd
Characters:
Bruce Wayne / Batman, Dick Grayson / Nightwing, Barbara Gordon / Oracle, Yoska Graesinka
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Clark Kent / Superman, Enrico Inzerillos, Jack Inzerillos (Enrico's son, aka 'Archipelago'), Rachel Green, Nicclai, Mitchell
Synopsis:
Batman intercepts a drug shipment that Jack Inzerillos organized without the approval of his father Enrico. Enrico thinks that the younger generation are criminals without respect, that they cannot be controlled, and he is both frightened by the scope of his son's ambition as well as scared for him. Enrico takes the fall for Jack and agrees to wait for the police, if Batman stops his son before he gets killed. The next day Bruce Wayne visits LexCorp in Metropolis. He had hoped to speak with Talia, but she sent a representative. He briefly talks with Clark, but gets a phone call from his lawyer Rachel Green, who tells him that Yoska Graesinska is contesting Dick's adoption, and claims to be Dick's paternal grandfather. Batman convinces Dick to meet with Yoska. Jack and Nicclai threaten the judge to make him rule in favor of bail (to set a sum of 16 million dollars), intending to use the bail for money laundering. Mitchell, the judge's son, barges in with a gun, threatening Jack and Nicclai. In true villain fashion Jack describes his crimes in detail in front of the judge during the stand-off, explaining that he smuggles immigrants and guns. Batman appears and stops both Mitchell and Jack, then lectures them that having fathers who worry about them is a luxury they shouldn't squander. A little late Bruce then comes back to the manor, where Dick and Yoska are already waiting for him. Yoska says he knows all about "the secret."
Continuity References:
- Bruce mentions that Lex Luthor became President, that happened in ?? [p. 7]
- Talia Head (Ra's al Ghul's daughter) took over as LexCorp's CEO in ?? [p. 7]
- Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson signed the paperwork for the -- now contested -- adoption in Gotham Knights #17. [p. 9]
- Yoska mentions Zitka, an elephant (?) in Haly's circus, it first appears in ??. However there must be at least two elephants that have a sort of connection to Dick, because in A Lonely Place For Dying, specifically in The New Titans #60, the name of the elephant who recognizes Dick is given as Elinore, though in The New Titans #60 we do see two elephants, so maybe Zitka is the other one. [p. 14]
- Jack refers to the quake, that happened in the Cataclysm storyline (most Batman titles from March to May 1998), to the forced cessation leading to Gotham's No Man's Land status that happened in the Road To No Man's Land storyline (Batman, Detective Comics and Shadow of the Bat in December 1998 and January/February 1999), and to a plague, probably meaning the Contagion storyline (March/April 1996 in most Batman titles). He says those disasters and the mess they caused in the official records made Gotham the best place to dump people unnoticed. [p. 18]
- Both Alfred and Robin are still absent, Alfred left in Nightwing #53, Robin has left in ?? [p. 20]
Dick Grayson Character Details:
- Barbara calls Dick "Hunk Wonder" through their comm link when she announces Batman's presence to him; Dick hopes she isn't using an open channel. [p. 10] But it turns out Batman has heard it, and teases Dick with this, by calling him "Hunk Wonder" as well. [p. 13]
- Dick recognizes "Yoska Graesinka" as a Rom name and says it is probably Kalderasha, associating the name with one of the larger subgroups/dialects of Romany, Kalderash (literally "Kalderash" comes from the Romany word for copper-smith). [p. 11]
- Dick is very sceptical about the possibility that Yoska Graesinka could really be his paternal grandfather, because aerialist traditions like the one in his family are almost always passed down through the generations and had his paternal grandfather been alive he would have traveled with the circus show. [p. 11]
- His mother's father died when he was six. [p. 11]
- Dick gets angry when Batman says "But your people are notoriously difficult to keep track of." Dick perceives the "your people" phrasing to imply a derogative "Vagrants. Itinerants. Gypsies.", though when Oracle breaks up their argument he apologizes and says he overreacted. [p. 12]
- When asked for change by a panhandler he gives him detailed information about shelters, i.e. addresses, services, and opening times. [p. 13]
- Dick doesn't understand Yoska when he's talking in Romany. [p. 13]
- He dislikes that Yoska calls him Ryeka, instead of the English variant Richard or Dick. [p. 14]
- Dick knows where to find Bruce's scotch, however we don't see him drink any himself, that is consistent with his attitude towards drinking established previously, for example in Nightwing #4. [p. 20]
Bruce Wayne Character Details:
- Bruce looked for any living relatives of Dick after the death of Dick's parents, and found none. [p. 10]
- Bruce is not happy when Clark tries to chat with him, and to find out what's bothering him. [p . 7]
- Bruce blocks Yoska's questions if he is all alone at the manor, diverting the conversation. [p. 20]
- When Yoska asks Bruce "How you train wild gypsy?" he answers "Loyalty." [p. 21]
Barbara Gordon Character Details:
- Barbara is visibly frustrated when both Dick and Batman want her to play referee in their argument about meeting Yoska Graesinka. [p. 12]
Romances:
- Dick and Barbara are a couple, though their relationship is not central to the story, it's visible .
Trivia:
- translation of the Romany words and dialogs (I don't speak Romany myself, but I hope that these translations I found for the phrases and words are correct, the sources I used for the phrases not translated in the comic itself are here, here, and here):
"Devlesa avilan!" -- "It is God who brought you!" [p. 13]
"Droboy tume Romale!" -- "It is good to see you, Rom!" (a traditional greeting) (the comic has a typo, there the dialog reads "Droby tume Romale!") [p. 13]
"Tshatshimo Romano" -- "The truth is told in Romany." (the comic has a typo, so there the dialog reads "Ishatshimo Romano") [p.13]
"raya" -- "landowners" (it seems to be the plural, though in the comic it's used as singular) [p. 14]
"Yekka buliasa nashti beshes pe done grastende..." -- "With one behind you can't sit on two horses..." [p. 14]
"Mandar tsera tai kater o Del mai but te aven tumenge..." -- "From me a little money, but may God give you plenty..." [p. 20]
- The scotch Bruce offers is called Laphroaig. [p. 20]
Story: Sibling Rivalry (22 pages)
Writer(s): Devin Grayson
Pencils: Roger Robinson
Inks: John Floyd
Characters:
Dick Grayson / Nightwing, Jean Paul Valley / Azrael II, Bruce Wayne / Batman, Aliki Marceau and Margot Marceau / Double Dare, Penguin
Synopsis:
Double Dare have stolen some jewels from the Penguin, who sends heavily armed henchmen after them. Nightwing is also chasing them to retrieve two million dollars worth of bonds they have stolen from the Wayne Enterprises Orphan Charity, or rather from someone who had stolen that money previously. Batman sends Azrael to help Nightwing, who wasn't aware that the Penguin is after Double Dare too. Nightwing and Azrael follow Double Dare to Penguin, where Double Dare offer Penguin a deal to give the jewels back (never expecting him to agree but counting on Nightwing and Azrael to show up). The Penguin's henchmen start shooting, however Azrael and Nightwing show up, disable the gunmen, and also force Double Dare to give back the bonds. During this and afterwards Azrael and Nightwing talk about their relationship with each other.
Contrasted with that plot is an (unsent) letter to Bruce Dick composed in the aftermath of reading some of Batman's files [see Gotham Knights #??], in which he muses about his relationship to Batman, and his own insecurities. The insights he gained from those files make him reevaluate some of his assumptions and anxieties, assuring him of his place in Batman's life.
Continuity References:
- Nightwing reads the files he refers to in his unsent letter to Batman in Gotham Knights #??. [p.8]
- Nightwing as well as Double Dare mention their previous encounter in Blüdhaven; it was in Nightwing #32, Nightwing #33, and Nightwing #34. [p. 7f]
- Dick mentions being hurt by Batman's decision to choose Azrael to stand in for him, that refers to events in the Knightfall storyline, specifically Azrael became Batman in Detective Comics #665 (?).The talk about this with Batman which Dick mentions might be the one in the Prodigal storyline, in Robin Vol. 2 #13. [p. 15]
Dick Grayson Character Details:
- Dick starts the unsent letter to Bruce with "Dear Batman" because "Dear Bruce" feels even weirder to him, he wonders what Batman calls him in his head. [p. 5]
- Nightwing calls Azrael "Az" [p. 11, 20]
- Dick knows at least some French [p. 11] and it was not Batman who taught him. [p. 12]
- In the unsent letter to Batman Dick wonders about words to describe their relationship, and what he means to Bruce. He always hated the term ward. ("Thing is, I don't know how to assure you in WORDS. I Mean there ARE no words. What AM I, Bruce? Your trainee? Your soldier? Your "sidekick"? Your ward? "Ward." I HATE that word. It stopped having any MEANING the minute I turned EIGHTEEN, and I was afraid I would too. Stop having MEANING, I mean, for YOU.") [p. 13]
- Dick feels sometimes like there's a competition between the people around Batman, though he is glad not to be alone in Batman's orbit. [p. 14]
- Dick was hurt by Batman's decision to choose Azrael, and though Batman eventually heard him out, Dick doesn't think Batman understands this. ("You eventually HEARD ME OUT on the issue, but I don't think you ever really GOT how much it HURT me to when you choose Azrael to stand IN for you instead of ME. The only thing I hate more than WEARING that cape and cowl, and imagining a world without you IN it -- is watching someone ELSE do it.") [p. 15]
- Dick used to worry that he didn't factor into Batman's thinking, or that Batman worries he can't take care of himself, but after reading the files it occurred to him that "[...] maybe it's not about that. Maybe you're worrying that you can't take care of me." [p. 17/18]
- Dick says to Azrael that if he had to name three things he'd feel least confident about it would be women, his place in the world, and Batman. [p. 20]
- Nightwing and Azrael both think that Batman doesn't loose confidence. [p. 20]
- Dick thinks Batman would trade everything, including all his current relationships to people close to him, if he could have his parents back, whereas Dick would not. [p. 21/22]
Jean Paul Valley Character Details:
- Azrael didn't know Double Dare before. [p. 8]
- Azrael admits that he thinks Nightwing doesn't like him, that this was obvious from how Nightwing acts around him compared to how Nightwing is with Robin. [p. 10]
- The order insisted that Azrael learned French. [p. 12]
- Azrael envies Nightwing for his confidence (with women, with his place in the world, with Batman). [p. 10, 19]
Romances:
- Aliki and Margot enjoy watching Nightwing move, and they choose their crimes at least partly based on which might attract Nightwing to come after them. [p. 1, 6f] They also flirt with Azrael. [p. 10] Neither Nightwing nor Azrael are particularly enamored with Double Dare though.
Trivia:
- Double Dare's dialog in French on page 7 is in English:
Margot: It's not about that. I thought he was in Blüdhaven.
Aliki: Ah! What a story!
Margot: Aliki, don't you have any shame?
Aliki: No, but you--
Margot: Wait! He starts to worry!
- In the French dialog on page 10/11 Double Dare ask Azrael first to reveal his identity, then press him for Nightwing's name and address. The (approximate) English translation is:
Azrael: My name is Azrael.
Margot: Ah! You are French.
Azrael: No, but I speak a little--
Aliki: Where are you from?!
Margot: Since when are you living in Gotham?
Azrael: Uh...I'm afraid I can't answer you --
Aliki: Ah! My name is Aliki, and this is my sister Margot!
Nightwing (low, in English). Well, this is fun...
Margot: Ah, do you know where he lives?
Azrael: Uh...
Aliki: What is his name?
Azrael: Well...
Nightwing (shouting): Hey! Do you have fun?
Double Dare and Azrael are all surprised , as an increasingly aggravated Nightwing reveals that he understands them.
- Nightwing uses his motorcycle (btw, its hub caps show the Batsymbol).
Story: Forever Hold Your Peace
Writer(s): Devin Grayson
Pencils: Greg Land
Inks: Bob McLeod
Characters:
Dick Grayson / Nightwing, Emily Claire Washburn
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Bruce Wayne / Batman, Tim Drake / Robin III, Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara Gordon / Oracle, Wally West / Flash III, Linda Park, Donna Troy, Roy Harper, Lian Harper, Dennis (Emily's son from her first marriage), Annelise Schubert (childhood friend of Annelise), David Schubert (Annelise's father), James Stridham (Emily's deceased ex-husband three; son of a WayneCorp executive), Douglas (owner of Douglas Auto Salvage), Mr. Fulson (off-screen, business man who wants to dump chemical waste illegally), Harry (one of Fulson's two thugs )
Synopsis:
Dick marries Emily Washburn to find out whether she killed her prematurely deceased previous husbands. It turns out her childhood friend Annelise is framing Emily to avenge her father David Schubert, who is in Blackgate, because he took the fall for Emily's first husband in a counterfeiting operation and Emily's husband got away with the money.
Dick Grayson Character Details:
- Dick enjoys spending time with Emily's kid Dennis, they go to the zoo, the circus [p. 12, 31]
- when Dennis wants to play Superman and Batman ("Look! Look! I'm Superman! You be Batman, okay?") Dick declines ("Uh, no, thanks. But how about I help you fly?") [p. 12]
- Dick's mother was a dental assistant from the East Coast before she fell in love with Dick's father and married into the circus life. [p. 13]
- Dick's father was Romany. [p. 13]
- Dick is horsing around with Tim on a rooftop when Batman and Robin visit, acting a lot like a big brother [p. 41]
Bruce Wayne Character Details:
- Bruce says he wants Dick to inherit WayneCorp some day. [p. 11]
- Bruce uses Alfred's concern as an excuse to look after Dick ("Alfred asked me to see if--"), but Dick sees through that ("You can tell Alfred that I'm a big boy [...] ...and it's nice to see you too.") [p. 40]
Romances:
- although a minister marries Dick and Emily, Dick asks Donna to destroy marriage certificate, thus the marriage never became legal [p. 16]
- Dick actually sleeps on the couch during the "marriage" and skillfully arranges separate rooms for their honeymoon (with the help of "Oracle Travel"), so it's implied that he never actually sleeps with Emily. She proposes marriage counselling.
- Dick cares about Emily and offers to "start over" after he had cleared her name, but he's not in love with her, and Emily doesn't want to continue a relationship. [p. 53]
- There is some romantic tension between Dick and Barbara [p. 14ff]
Trivia:
- Dennis watches Superman cartoons on tv.
Story: Rough Justice (22 Pages)
(continued in Nightwing #8)
Writer(s): Chuck Dixon
Pencils: Scott McDaniel
Inks: Karl Story
Characters:
Dick Grayson / Nightwing
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Barbara Gordon / Oracle, Wally West / Flash III, John Grayson (Dick's father, in a flashback), Mary Grayson (Dick's mother, in a flashback), Ricky Noone, Sulieman Thomas Ali, Timothy "Lunchmeat" Deever, Turk Fremunda, Dudley Soames, Roland Desmond / Blockbuster II, Chief Redhorn, Antonio "Angel" Marin (or his body anyway), Bridget Clancy, Hank Hogan (first name not known yet)
Synopsis:
Nightwing is fed up with being one step behind the criminals and mobs, playing catch-up. He recalls a lesson his father taught him about the importance of strategy, so now he systematically captures all the mob criminals he knows of. He starts with Ricky Noone and his enforcers, who work for Marin's loansharks, then Sulieman Thomas Ali, who runs the meth and crack labs and street trade, then Timmy "Lunchmeat" Deever and his "removal" experts, and finally Turk Fremunda and the unions. Nightwing brings them all to a refrigerated warehouse, and hangs them onto meat hooks. He starts to interrogate them, starting with Turk Fremunda. But Fremunda refuses to tell Nightwing both where Marin is as well as who's running Blüdhaven. Fremunda says nobody cares who the capo is, as long as everything runs smoothly. When Nightwing gets ready to leave (or at least pretends to do so), threatening to leave them to die of hypothermia, Fremunda tells Nightwing that the new boss has positioned guards at St. Antony's nursing home. Nightwing checks out the nursing home, and it turns out the lead is solid. He's now back to detective work again. Meanwhile the BPD bomb squad checks out a barrel that was addressed to Chief Redhorn. The barrel isn't a bomb, but contains Angel Marin's body, preserved in formaldehyde to obscure the true time of death. Marin's head is twisted backwards. Chief Redhorn is getting angrier with Soames, both because of the mob war and because of Nightwing. He wants the status quo back. Soames says he's working on it, but of course he's in truth working for Blockbuster. During Dick's shift at Hogan's Alley some cops talk about Marin's body. With Oracle's help he finds out that Blockbuster's mother, Joyce Elizabeth Desmond, is a resident of St. Anthony's. Dick recognizes the name and calls Wally, i.e. The Flash, for an update on Desmond. Wally hasn't run into him, but Impulse has, and he's more dangerous than he was before. Blockbuster and Soames look out over Blüdhaven from Blockbuster's villa. Soames thinks it wasn't a good idea to dump Marin's body, that now there'll be more heat from Chief Redhorn, because the deaths can't be explained anymore as Marin cleaning up his own organization. Blockbuster says that it is Soames job to keep police interests distracted. Soames might have higher ambitions, he refers to Blüdhaven as "ours" when talking to Blockbuster, and Blockbuster isn't happy about that "greed." Soames explains it as a slip of the tongue. Soames also worries about Nightwing, but Blockbuster thinks Nightwing is a mere shadow of his mentor Batman, a charlatan who can be occupied with lowlifes and streethoods. Nightwing takes that as his cue to make his presence known, and confronts Roland Desmond, aka Blockbuster. Nightwing says he almost decided Soames was Blüdhaven's new crimelord, had it not been for Desmond's mother and the gunmen assigned to guard her.
Important Continuity Events:
- Blockbuster is seen openly as the hidden power in Blüdhaven for the first time. [p. 22]
Continuity References:
- Nightwing thinks that he almost got Robin killed, that refers to events in Nightwing #6. [p. 2]
- Sulieman Thomas Ali was last seen in Nightwing #3, he was also mentioned by Marin in Nightwing #5. [p. 3]
- Turk Fremunda was mentioned by Marin in Nightwing #5, but he's seen here for the first time. [p. 5]
- The anxiety dream is the same as in Nightwing #4. [p. 14]
- Dick recognizes Desmond's name, their last encounter was in ??. [p. 16]
- Wally mentions that Impulse encountered Blockbuster, that was in ??. [p. 18]
- The "now" and "before" when Wally talks about Blockbuster might refer to the events (which were ??) that increased his intelligence in ??. [p. 18]
- Blockbuster met Batman before in ?? [p. 19]
Dick Grayson Character Details:
- Dick's father told him about the importance of strategy when he taught him to be a trapeze artist. [p. 2]
- Dick's mom called him "little Robin" [p. 6]
- Dick wonders if he might be responsible for Angel Marin getting killed, because he shakes things up in Blüdhaven. It might have happened anyway, but Dick thinks that kind of justification is a slippery slope. [p. 12, 13]
- Dick is still plagued by the recurring anxiety dream about the falling boy he can't reach, who's shouting something he can't hear. [p. 14]
- According to Oracle Dick snores, she says she can hear it through their computer connection. [p.14]
- Oracle calls Dick "Bucko" [p. 14]
- Dick sleeps in his boxers. [p. 14]
- Dick is reluctant to ask Batman for help, even for research and information gathering help. He's more comfortable asking Oracle, though the task wouldn't necessarily require her level of expertise. [p. 15]
- Dick recognizes Desmond's name. [p. 16]
- Dick hasn't met Impulse, he doesn't know his name. [p. 18]
- Dick agrees that he's no Batman, but he tells Blockbuster and Soames that he's close enough to shut them down. [p. 21]
Barbara Gordon Character Details:
- Oracle can hear sounds, like snoring, in Dick's bedroom. [p. 14]
- Oracle has access to Medicare, Medicaid, social security and private insurance files. [p. 16]
Bridget Clancy Character Details:
- Clancy was born in Hong Kong, but was adopted by an Irish family and left Hong Kong as a baby. She came to America to go to college and never went back. [p. 13]
Blockbuster Character Details:
- His mother's name is Joyce Elizabeth Desmond. She's in the St. Anthony's nursing home, guarded my three mob gunmen. [p. 16]
- He had a run in with Impulse. [p. 18]
- There are no mirrors in his house, he also keeps it dark. [p. 20]
- He once was a petty felon. [p. 21]
- Compared to Nightwing he's really huge. [p. 22]
Romances:
- Dick and Clancy are flirting. [p. 13]
Blüdhaven Details:
- The St. Anthony's nursing home is in the Caernarvon section. It's know as St. Ant's to the locals. [p. 8]
- Blüdhaven is an Archdiocese. [p. 15]
Trivia:
- There's a DC Logo on one of the letters in Dick's mail. [p. 13]
- According to Oracle Batman got half a dozen Crays in his basement. [p. 15]
- St. Anthony's records are still on paper. [p. 15]
- Dick has a coffee mug with the Bat-Logo. [p. 18]
[Note: This entry is based on the TPB edition of the issue.]
Story: The Visitor (22 pages)
Writer(s): Chuck Dixon
Pencils: Scott McDaniel
Inks: Karl Story
Characters:
Dick Grayson / Nightwing, Tim Drake / Robin III
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Hank Hogan (first name not known yet), Bridget Clancy, Maxwell Reed, Dudley Soames, Roland Desmond / Blockbuster II (his identity isn't revealed yet, we just see his back-lit silhouette), Angel Marin, Montello (BPD cop), Flaherty (BPD cop), Marsha Gurwitz (friend of Clancy), Sonny Brewer
Synopsis:
Dick is late for his job at Hogan's Alley again, in the bar a couple of drunk cops brag that they would arrest any masked vigilantes they meet on their beat, drinking even before their shifts. As Dick walks home from Hogan's he meets Clancy and her friend Marsha. So far he hasn't managed to see Clancy's face, so he mistakes Marsha for Clancy, because Marsha is a redhead, and Clancy has an Irish accent, though she's Asian. Dick is quite embarrassed, but Clancy and Marsha are very amused, so Dick cheers up a bit too. He comes into his apartment, and immediately knows he's not alone. He pounces the visitor, and it turns out to be Robin. Robin accompanies Nightwing to visit Maxwell Reed, who's back in his house now that Lady Vic isn't after Marin anymore. Though Nightwing thinks Reed owes him a favor, because he saved his daughter, Reed doesn't think so. Only when Nightwing pretends to be sanctioned by Soames, Reed is willing to give Nightwing information. Reed tells him about Sonny Brewer. Brewer is responsible for laying off bets for Angel Marin's bookmakers, i.e. he places bets on the favorites with other bookies to offset potential losses. Nightwing and Robin stake out the location, a dry cleaner that serves as front for the money drops. They talk about their different approaches as Robin, and take turn watching. Meanwhile Soames confronts Reed, and then kills him for telling Nightwing about Sonny Brewer. On the rooftop Nightwing has dosed off and has one of his recurring anxiety dreams about a falling boy whom he can't catch. Robin wakes him as Sonny goes into the dry cleaner. When Sonny doesn't come out after twenty minutes, they know something has gone wrong. Nightwing wants to go down to check, but Robin jumps down first to put a transmitter on Sonny's car. Nightwing tries to warn Robin, that Robin isn't getting it, that they already know Nightwing and Robin are there, that it's a trap. The car explodes as Robin tries to attach the transmitter, and Nightwing barely manages to tackle Robin to get him out of harm's way. Then several thugs come out of the dry cleaner shooting at them. Nightwing fights them and in the end he throws their cash into the flames. Nightwing worries that Robin will tell Batman that he's "not cutting it" in Blüdhaven, but Robin thinks he must make a difference if they go to all this trouble to kill Nightwing. Nightwing replies that Robin will know he got really close if he's found floating in the harbor with a twisted neck. Angel Marin can't think of more information to give his captor, so Blockbuster (only his silhouette is seen) snaps Marin's neck.
Important Continuity Events:
- Blockbuster finally kills Angel Marin. [p. 22]
Continuity References:
- When Tim talks to Dick he says "I told you I'd be stopping by after our thing with the Titans." He probably means events in Teen Titans Vol. 2 #4 and Teen Titans Vol. 2 #5, from January and February 1997. [p. 6]
- Dick mentions the twenty-one dead gang members found in Gotham's harbor, that brought him to Blüdhaven in Nightwing #1. [p. 7]
- Nightwing mentions that he saved Reed's daughter, he also notes that Reed isn't on the run anymore, and back in his house. That refers to the Lady Vic storyline in Nightwing #4 and Nightwing #5. [p. 8]
- Nightwing tells Robin that Soames brought him to a landfill to kill him, that happened in Nightwing #2. [p. 11]
- Tim says he invited himself as Robin, that refers to the A Lonely Place Of Dying storyline in Batman #440-442 and The New Titans #60-61. [p. 12]
- The anxiety dream is the same as in Nightwing #4. [p. 16]
Dick Grayson Character Details:
- Dick suspects that Batman sent Robin to check on him. He feels he hasn't made a lot of progress since he came to Blüdhaven. [p. 7]
- Dick enjoys working with Tim. [p. 7ff]
- Dick still has the anxiety dream about the falling boy he can't reach, who's shouting something to him. [p. 16]
- Dick feels responsible for how bad their night turned out. He sees it as the latest in a list of foul-ups since he came to Blüdhaven, only worse because he endangered Tim's life too. [p. 19]
- Dick feels that Tim is family, the closest thing to a brother he'll ever have. [p. 19]
Tim Drake Character Details:
- Tim is surprised how bad the situation in Blüdhaven is. [p. 7]
- Tim thinks he couldn't handle being on his own like Dick is in Blüdhaven, that he's a different Robin than Dick. [p. 11]
- Tim isn't a natural athlete like Dick, he has to work harder for that, he also envies Dick for his streetsmarts. [p. 12]
- Tim doesn't plan to be out on the rooftops ten years from now, or to take over from Batman, he intends to do his "shift" as Robin and then go back to a "normal" life. [p. 13]
-Though Dick says he was more impulsive as Robin than Tim, Tim jumps down to put a transmitter on Sonny's car without listening to Nightwing's warning. [p. 18]
Bridget Clancy Character Details:
- Clancy eats ice-cream even though it's snowing. [p. 3]
- Clancy's first name is Bridget. [p. 4]
- Clancy has an Irish accent. [p. 4]
Trivia:
- Blüdhaven bus service is lacking. [p. 1]
- While in Gotham corruption starts at the bottom in Blüdhaven it starts at the top, and trickles down from city hall and the justice center. [p. 2]
- Tim and Dick bring soup and sandwiches to their stake-out. [p. 11, 13]
- The dry cleaner at Halyard square that serves as front for Sonny Brewer's transactions is called "Snappy Dry Cleaners". [p. 10]
[Note: This entry is based on the TPB edition of the issue.]
Story: Lady Be Deadly (22 pages)
(continued in Nightwing #5)
Writer(s): Chuck Dixon
Pencils: Scott McDaniel
Inks: Karl Story
Characters:
Dick Grayson / Nightwing, Dudley Soames
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Biff Tooly (one of Angel Marin's gang), Lady Elaine Marsh-Morton / Lady Vic (real name not revealed yet), Maxwell Reed (Marin's consigliore), Bivens (Lady Vic's servant), Bridget Clancy (her first name isn't known yet), Hank Hogan (owner of Hogan's Alley; first name not known yet), Roland Desmond / Blockbuster II (his identity isn't revealed yet, we just see his shadow), Phillip (one of the cops working for Soames), Marcus (one of Reed's bodyguards), Sandy (one of Reed's bodyguards), Maxine Reed (Reed's daughter), Angel Marin
Synopsis:
Lady Vic has beaten up at least seven men to get to question Tooly, one of Angel Marin's gang. She asks him where she might find Angel Marin. Marin owes her a "considerable sum of money" and she now wants to collect. Tooly say nobody has seen Marin in weeks, but finally he tells Lady Vic that Marin's consigliore, Maxwell Reed, might be able to tell her where he is. Meanwhile Soames gives out Maxwell Reed's name to Nightwing, in answer to the same question. Nightwing doesn't think Black Mask is the source for the shifting power balance between Blüdhaven's gangs. Nightwing thinks it's homegrown. Soames gives the appearance of not caring one way or the other, as long as the gangs just kill each other. Dick gets a day job as a bartender at the cop bar Hogan's Alley, trying to find his own information sources in order not to rely on Soames so much. Reynard and his men corner Soames, because each time they ran into Nightwing, they were working based on tips from Soames. Soames has been giving information to both Black Mask and Nightwing, playing them against each other because he works for Blüdhaven's true power, and Reynard and his men are going to return to Gotham as a message to Black Mask. A huge shadow falls over them, and they end up dead in the alley with twisted necks. Oracle gives Nightwing a list of Marin's known associates from the FBI's database, all but Tooly and Reed are dead. Nightwing finds a terrified Tooly, who still hasn't recovered from Lady Vic's attack last night. Tooly tells Nightwing that Reed has a yacht. Tooly is under surveillance of the Blüdhaven PD, who listen in on that conversation and alert Soames, who keeps that tape. On Reed's yacht Nightwing evades Reed's bodyguards and slips into Reed's bedroom unnoticed, but Reed bites the hand Nightwing put over his mouth, and alerts the guards. As Nightwing fights with Reed's guards, Lady Vic appears, holding Reed's daughter hostage. She kills two of Reed's guards. Nightwing thinks that maybe Angel Marin is cleaning out his own mob, laughing at them. Elsewhere Angel Marin is sitting in a cell, he is interrogated through an intercom, most likely by the new mob boss, the "true power" in Blüdhaven, but the interrogator remains hidden. Marin is asked for the details of his organization, and reveals payoffs, kickbacks, suppliers, accounts, legit and not-so-legit receipts. Marin writes everything down, and is taped at the same time. The interrogator says that he needs to know more, that Marin will only live as long as he is of use.
Important Continuity Events:
- Dick gets a day job at the cop bar Hogan's Alley as a bartender. [p. 11]
- It's revealed that Soames works for the true power in Blüdhaven (i. e. Blockbuster, but his name is not given yet). [p. 12]
Continuity References:
- Dick mentions the twenty-one dead Angel Marin gang members found in Gotham's harbor, that brought him to Blüdhaven in Nightwing #1. [p. 4]
Dick Grayson Character Details:
- Though Dick suspects that Soames knows far more than he's telling, he can't touch him -- according to the "rulebook" -- because Soames is still a legitimate lawman. [p. 6]
- Dick has a recurring nightmare, an anxiety dream: He's Robin again, a small boy is falling down and shouts something to Dick that Dick can't understand because of the rush of the air, and though he gets closer to the boy, he can't reach him in time. [p. 8] Dick thinks the reason this dream is reappearing now is because he relies on Soames too much, that he has to make it on his own instead. [p. 9]
- There is something disgusting, probably moldy (?) in Dick's fridge. [p. 9]
- Dick has never tended bar before. [p. 10]
- Asked whether he drinks, Dick says "never." [p. 11]
- The reason Dick gives for wanting to work in a cop bar is that he's an "aspiring writer" who wants to listen to good stories, but it's not clear whether that is only a cover story. [p. 11] His main objective is to get more information about Blüdhaven, independently from Soames. [p. 12]
- Dicks first thought after getting his day job is that he can't wait to see Bruce's face when he hears of this. [p. 11]
- Nightwing takes Tooly's guns with him (probably to destroy them and not to "turn them in for a new pair of sneakers" like he says to Tooly, though). [p. 14]
Barbara Gordon Character Details:
- Oracle has access to the FBI's database. [p. 13]
Trivia:
- Dick notes that Gotham is different from Blüdhaven, that while in Gotham new ganglords like to announce their presence, they like their secrets in Blüdhaven. [p. 6]
- The shampoo brand Clancy's using is called "Perky Plus." [p. 10]
- The sign of the "Hogan's Alley" bar shows a shot-through, human target practice silhouette. [p. 10]
- Maxwell Reed's yacht is called "Quid Pro Quo." [p. 14]
- Angel Marin went to the St. Anscom's school for boys. [p. 22]
[Note: This entry is based on the TPB edition of the issue.]
Story: The Freebooters (22 pages)
Writer(s): Chuck Dixon
Pencils: Scott McDaniel
Inks: Karl Story
Characters:
Dick Grayson / Nightwing
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Bruce Wayne / Batman, Tim Drake / Robin III, Bridget Clancy (we learn her last name, the first name is not given yet), Reynard, Sgt. A. Capone (a police officer), Sulieman Thomas Ali, Pescado (one of Reynard's men), Doc (one of Reynard's men), Mitch (Reynard's helicopter pilot)
Synopsis:
Nightwing moves into his new apartment, dealing for the first time with mundane concerns, like utility bills, on his own. He's cleaning his apartment and musing about his life, when he has to prevent a mugging right under his window. He realizes that Blüdhaven needs a protector. He e-mails Soames and they meet again. Nightwing suspects that Soames is playing both sides, and not sharing everything he knows. Nightwing knows that somebody is running Blüdhaven in the vacuum left by the Angel Marin gang, but it's not Black Mask (though he also wants to take over Blüdhaven's mobs) and it's not Freddy Minh, but Nightwing doesn't know who it is. He thinks Soames knows, though. But Soames only tells him that Blüdhaven's underworld is going through a sea change and that Black Mask and his gang from Gotham aren't helping matters. Soames gives Nightwing the tip to check out "Ali's Bank in the Zee Moores" because Black Mask has a new score planned there. Nightwing figures out that this refers to one of the places which cash checks in the "Zee Moores," a Blüdhaven slum. Nightwing watches the container and concludes that the place has to be crooked, because he doesn't see a single elderly person or "welfare mom" all day but only young guys who come in with paper bags and leave without them. Nightwing is interrogating the owner, Sulieman Thomas Ali, when a helicopter flies over them, lowers a magnet onto the container, and lifts the whole thing off ground. Nightwing throws Ali out of the container shortly after it has been lifted and then stays to fight Reynard and his men, who rappeled themselves down into the container. The helicopter has problems holding the container because of the weight and the windshear, and is forced to drop it. It collides with the edge of one of the highrise buildings. Reynard and his men manage to jump onto the roof top in time, but Nightwing has to jump off the container as it already tumbles down. When the container crashes, the crack money, that was stored in the container, rains down on the poor neighborhood. Nightwing gets back on the rooftop in time to catch Reynard and his men, and gives Reynard a message for Black Mask, that Black Mask should stay out of Blüdhaven. Later Nightwing checks in with Batman and Robin, reporting slow progress on the twenty-one dead, that the real power in Blüdhaven is well concealed, and that the police is corrupt. Batman offers to be there in a half hour, but Nightwing says he can handle Blüdhaven.
Important Continuity Events:
Nightwing moves into his new apartment in Blüdhaven. [p. 4]
Continuity References:
- Dick mentions that Batman sent him to Blüdhaven to find out who killed twenty-one of Angel Marin's gang, that happened in Nightwing #1. [p. 1]
- He mentions his former girlfriend Koriand'r (Kory), they were together from ?? to ?? [p. 5]
Dick Grayson Character Details:
- Dick feels he's letting down both Batman and the twenty-one dead Angel Marin gang members, because so far he hasn't solved the crime [p. 1]; he thinks that this ties him still to Gotham and to Bruce, though he was looking to get a new start. [p. 2]
- Dick encounters problems with the utilities companies because he has no credit history and needs to pay cash advances. [p. 4]
- It is like Dick Grayson doesn't really exist, Dick feels he hardly knows him. [p. 5]
- For years Alfred or Kory have handled the mundane details (like utility and phone bills) for him, and he had to rely on a line of credit paid for by Bruce. [p. 5]
- Dick thinks Gotham will always be Batman's town, never his own turf, and this new start on his own in Blüdhaven might be what he needs [p. 5]; and Blüdhaven deserves -- or at least needs -- a protector. [p. 6]
- Nightwing has the sudden vanishing when he meets with police officers down pat, just like Batman. [p. 8]
- Nightwing takes his victories where he finds them, even if they're just temporary. [p. 20]
- It's important to him to handle Blüdhaven on his own, and he likes the challenge of a town hopelessly lost to corruption, injustice and violence. [p. 22]
Bruce Wayne Character Details:
- Batman calls Nightwing "Dick", even even though Nightwing is in costume and their conversation centers on superhero things. [p. 22]
Romances:
- Dick is still interested in the superintendent of his building, but so far hasn't even managed to get a look at her face despite his curiosity. [p. 3]
Blüdhaven Details:
- The Zee Mores are hundreds of acres of highrise slums built in the name of the philanthropist Zeephram Moore who oversaw their construction as a "haven for the city's poor." Now they are "fortresses for the vicelords." [p. 9]
Trivia:
- The superintendent's last name is Clancy, and she prefers to be called just "Clancy" not "Ms. Clancy". [p. 3]
- There's a "Sgt. A. Capone" in the Blüdhaven PD. [p. 6]
- Soames calls Nightwing "lad". [p. 7]
- There are no banks in the Zee Moores only containers cashing checks for a percentage. [p. 9]
- Surprisingly there are what looks like rooftop gargoyles on (at least one of) the utilitarian highrise buildings in the Zee Moores. [p. 20]
[Note: This entry is based on the TPB edition of the issue.]
Story: Gangland Express (22 pages)
Writer(s): Chuck Dixon
Pencils: Scott McDaniel
Inks: Karl Story
Characters:
Dick Grayson / Nightwing
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Dudley Soames, Bridget Clancy (the super; her name doesn't appear yet), Reynard, Mrs. Minh (Freddy Minh's wife), Chief Redhorn
Synopsis:
Soames has brought Nightwing to a garbage dump, but he reveals that he has his own agenda and disagrees with Chief Redhorn on the necessity for killing Nightwing. Soames says Chief Redhorn will believe him if he tells him Nightwing escaped. As Soames wants to remove Nightwing's cuffs, Nightwing has already opened them. To Nightwing's surprised "You're not bent?" Soames replies that he believes in "a more ordered community than they have now" and says there's a lot that Nightwing needs to know. The most urgent though were a smuggled shipment. Dick gets an apartment in one of the worst parts of Blüdhaven. At night Black Mask's False Facers unload cars from a ship to a hijacked train, but the cars are a few years old. Some of the False Facers discover Nightwing and shoot at him, but Nightwing evades the bullets through acrobatic maneuvers, gets behind the thugs and disables them, but still doesn't know what's exactly is happening, and suspects Soames hasn't told him everything. Meanwhile Soames brings back the container with the eggs to the Minhs. Nightwing searches the cars to find what's being smuggled, but it turns out the used cars themselves are the contraband. Nightwing successfully fights Reynard and the other goons, totaling many of the cars in the process. For this second failure Black Mask sends a killer (in a clown mask) to Reynard, but Reynard manages to shoot the clown and says Nightwing is next on the list. Meanwhile Chief Redhorn also wants Nightwing dead and is furious at Soames' failure.
Continuity References:
- Dick's "He [Batman] didn't call me when he needed me most." refers to events in the Knightfall storyline (in several Batman titles starting in May 1993), specifically that Batman asked Azrael to stand in for him in Detective Comics #665 (?). [p. 5]
- Dick says his last relationship ended with a funeral. That refers to ?? [p. 7]
Dick Grayson Character Details:
- Dick feels insecure about his ability to handle the situation, but at the same time he doesn't want to call Batman for help. He still feels hurt because Batman chose Azrael to stand in for him. [p. 5]
- Dick's new apartment is in the Melville section of Blüdhaven. [p. 6]
- Dick likes Irish accents. [p. 7]
- Dick thinks his romances always end ugly. [p. 7]
- Dick says he doesn't expect to be in Blüdhaven a long time. [p. 7]
- Dick always thought the Wayne estate was too far from the action, and had arguments with Bruce about this, though looking at the dilapidated apartment he acknowledges the Batcave's good points. [p. 7]
Romances:
- Dick finds Clancy, the super, attractive (though he hasn't seen her face yet), but thinks right now is not the right time for a girlfriend. [p. 7]
Trivia:
- The sign on Clancy's door says "Forget the dog! Beware of the super." [p. 8]
- The docks the shipment arrives are called "Waterloo Docks" [p. 9]
- The smuggler ship is flying the "Rheelasian" flag. [p. 9]
- The writing on the cooler for the eggs say "L'il Igloo". [p. 14]
[Note: This entry is based on the TPB edition of the issue.]