sunset chaser

Omg anon absolutely I want.

Okay, Jesus, I actually have no idea where to start. If we're talking specifically Nightwing, I'll give a few Nightwing runs and a few runs starring Dick but that aren't, like, Nightwing runs, because I think Dick actually excels in environments with other people for entirely different reasons than how he excels alone.

Some runs and why I think they'd be good:

1.) Sam Humphries' Run (Nightwing 2016 #35-43)

This is a pretty niche pick. I don't think most people would include this in their first picks. But I actually think it's one of the best to start on, because it simultaneously acts as a relatively short, self-contained story that doesn't require a lot of background, includes a lot of core character traits and good characterization of Dick, and is generally intriguing in a lot of great ways.

2.) Peter Tomasi's Run (Nightwing 1996 #140-153)

Again, not a run I talk about a lot, but frankly you only need to know barely more than the Humphries run to start, it's also relatively short and self-contained, and this starts to introduce bigger aspects of Dick's surrounding cast like his brothers and connections within the hero community. It also, again, exemplifies many of the key character traits that makes Dick such an exceptional character. Dry humor and wit, love of community, intelligence and intellectual skill, occassional tendency to be an asshole/martyr. And 13 issues really isn't bad.

3.) Batman: The Black Mirror (Detective Comics #871-881)

This one requires a bit more knowledge of the universe, but it's not a huge deal. All you need to know is that Bruce is presumed dead at the moment, leaving Dick with the mantle of Batman, and he is having a... questionable time. Ideal for similar reasons as listed above.

From here, the runs recommended will have arcs that span more than a dozen issues, so they're a bit more of a commitment but imo where things really start to get good. These are the ones I can quote entire pages from.

4.) The Devin Grayson Run (Nightwing 1996 #71-117)

I know. It's a commitment, what with being >40 issues. But I swear to god, every common trope you see in modern day Nightwing is explored here. Devin Grayson defined how Dick is seen in the modern era, both with this run and her dominance in writing Dick in other comics throughout this era during events and team comics. I have no idea how much you know so I don't even want to spoil it, but rest assured, #88-#96 is the only time I have ever had my fitness watch register me as "running" while reading a comic book. That's how hype (or disturbing, depending on your interpretation) this was.

5.) Titans (1999) OR Titans: Rebirth

I'd personally go Titans (1999) out of a slight personal preference, but you should probably also try to get more familiarity with modern Nightwing, which the latter helps with while still being pretty good -- particularly at the beginning. It kind of falls off a bit, but you might still like it, and if you don't, it still teaches you an invaluable skill of comic book reading: When to abandon ship lol. The Titans are fundamental to Dick as a character. It cannot be understated. The only reason I don't recommend New Teen Titans to start, which is the seminal Titans run that basically all secondary and tertiary media is based on, is because it's very long and possibly not appealing to a new comic book reader. Comics changed a lot from the 80s to the 90s, I don't know how else to put it, and this comic was written very 80s.

If you're willing to try it though, pick up an issue of New Teen Titans, too. If it's too eccentric, go to one of the above recommended titles.

6.) Gotham Knights (2000)

Really, the essential reading here is the first 20-30 issues, but all of Gotham Knights is very good. It's more of the family together, more elaborations on their relationships, has some fantastic moments like brotherly shenanigans and the scene with the letters. Iykyk.

~~~

From here, I might branch out. If you liked the Titans and team based stuff better, The Outsiders (2003) and JLA (2006) from issue #41 and beyond (when Dick was leading the Justice League as Batman while Bruce was "dead") are both great options. Titans Academy is also there. You probably also really wanna learn to suck it up and learn to love New Teen Titans. That'll be a commitment.

If you prefer Batfamily, the world is your oyster. There are so many incredible event comics. Knightfall, Prodigal, Contagion, Legacy, No Man's Land, Officer Down, Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive, what have you (and approximately in that order, though I might've mixed up Murderer/Fugitive and Officer Down). I'd go all the way to War Games, but the scenes with Dick hit different after you've read Devin's run, so hold off until you get to Devin. I might also consider Grayson (2014) and Batman and Robin Eternal. Both are very controversial, or at least diamonds in the rough. It was New 52, so characterizations can be a bit odd at times and not everything is totally canon anymore, but for all its flaws I still find Grayson to be one of the most fun smaller runs involving Dick. It just felt so snarky and morbidly comedic. It's like a riff on James Bond.

And, of course, there are the event comics and tie-ins. These are limited release runs that only last a few issues, so not like a full series, but are nonetheless enjoyable. Dark Crisis, Technis Imperative, and Absolute Power are all like 4-6 issues and very fun in terms of the larger DCU and how Dick connects to them. Infinite Crisis, Identity Crisis, Final Crisis, and Blackest Night are heavier thematically or context-wise, but invaluable for understanding the larger world. And, of course, there is always Crisis on Infinite Earths. When you hear people say "pre/post-Crisis", this is what they mean, but it's kind of a behemoth and carries plenty of pre-90s comic eccentricities, so proceed at your own risk. It's lowkey a space opera.

I hope there’s a mini run or rewrite of New Teen Titans at some point that’s mostly loyal to the source material while getting rid of some of the… products of its era.

Things like the normalization of the shit Beast Boy said (not that they should completely sanitize it, because sanitizing is imo almost as bad, but maybe make it properly a character flaw). Or, more generally, removing the Marv-isms that made every male character have the same problems when it came to relationships. It pains me sometimes to read Dick and Kory from that era, because you can see even the narrative thought they were the amazing couple of all time, and they could have been — they should have been, given how modern comics treat the explosiveness of their first love in retrospect — but Dick was lowkey such an asshole at times.

And his worst offenses weren’t even like “this is a flaw of my character” offenses. They were “the writer views this as an acceptable way for a man to treat a woman in a relationship, complete with machismo and disregard for feelings”, which is not only contrary to how Dick’s character is otherwise depicted throughout media but also just. Like. Obviously bad. And again, that doesn’t mean making him some perfect special boi. But a lot of the narrative-backed OOC mistreatment of Koriand’r, which wasn’t an intentional flaw but literally just what Wolfman thought was fine, could be removed. If it could just be closer to how they were depicted in the Convergence event, that’d be dope.

I’m saying this because I tried to re-read some issues I was reminded of, and like 78% of it is great. But because so much of the comic (honestly, too much) is romance focused, either with Victor or Garfield or Dick, and because it always has these Marv-isms that just lowkey make me hate the character, it’s hard to get through.

Oh yeah also rewrite the whole blaming Tara for getting groomed. That was ass.

the photographer gets photographed 📸

It's not just Dickkory shippers; anyone with even a modicum of character ignores the existence of that annual, including the Dickbabs shippers themselves.

"The comics only show that their relationship is much more meaningful and profound."

It's not just Dickkory shippers; anyone with even a modicum of character ignores the existence of that annual, including the Dickbabs shippers themselves.

"The comics only show that their relationship is much more meaningful and profound."

Like Grayson trying to kill Zucco? Never happened as far as I can tell, and his time as Robin wasn’t about vengeance, almost every version of his backstory I could find stops to specify that he’s either becoming or continuing past the first case as Robin to help people, it’s compassion and a desire to make sure no one else has to go through what he did, along with a healing moment for him. (he even tries to save his parent's murderers in multiple versions)

His fight with Donna during NTT 1984 #19? He was being brainwashed by Brother Blood, they even say he wouldn’t have been lashing out had he not been brainwashed multiple times during the arc and treat it as weird that he’s acting that way. (brainwashing revealed in New Teen Titans 1984 #22)

Killing the Joker in Joker's Last Laugh? Yet again brainwashing. There was a villain named Rancor whose power is amplifying emotions until they’re uncontrollable, who was in prison for amplifying people’s rage until they committed murders they wouldn't have otherwise committed, who commented about amplifying Nightwing’s rage at the start of the fight, and Nightwing commented after that he didn’t know what happened he just suddenly lost control. (full rundown on Rancor and his powers found in Joker: Last Laugh Secret Files and Origins 2001)

I am still working on a full deep dive of Outsiders because there’s so much context, but that’s the important thing which I think gets missed a lot, the context. It is a direct follow up to Young Justice Graduation day (Donna’s Death and him getting trauma around leadership) and it’s linked to both the Devin Grayson run and Under the Red Hood, so yeah he’s lashing out, because he’s well past any reasonable human breaking point, this is him actively self-destructing, not his baseline personality. (Yes, it is a part of his character but in like the same sense the one-time Bruce attempted murder after Jason's death is, like no being murderous isn't normal for his character it's him at his all-time low)

This is not a complaint. Nor an opinion. It is simply an acknowledgement.

Bro literally gave the order for her to become a fucking nuke and he’s still ‼️‼️😮‼️‼️

Starfire! <3