Nightwing #3

Clownton Abbey!

The Joker Clown behind the truck on the cover had a big meltdown in the first issue about having to wear a green wig! And he should have! I'm not sure clowns can be funny in Gotham. Even without the green wig, as soon as he ran into the ring, not only the children but the grown-ups as well would run screaming from the tent.

Here we see a flashback to five years ago. Dick Grayson is still in the circus. So his parents are still alive and he has yet to become Robin. This means within five years, Batman has to train Dick, Jason, and Tim before ending up with Damian. That means Batman was busy with a new Robin roughly every year and a half. No, wait. Only four years to train those three Robins because Dick Grayson already mentioned how Batman was gone for one year. I guess Dick could have been with Batman for a year and a half. Then Dick could have moved on to form the Teen Titans (although I'm still not sure that that version exists in the New 52) and spend a year and a half with them. Then a year alone as Nightwing and a year as Batman. But this means that Batman would have had to deal with Jason Todd and Tim Drake in two and a half years before he disappeared for a year. I guess if Jason Todd was killed quickly, that's possible!

The fat lady is also the bearded lady! Twofer!

So many other titles take place in Gotham, it would be refreshing to have Nighting join a traveling circus! Yes, I am not planning on shutting up about this! Well, maybe I will.

Dick heads to Chicago to look up an old circus buddy who has turned into a contract killer. He thinks this guy Zane either has something to do with this or could lead him in the direction of the person who did. But Nightwing gets a bit cocky and Zane ends up using some sort of super power on Nightwing. Zane says he used to be called Feedback. Dick gets lost in hallucinations and, once again, should have been killed.

Before this panel, Dick is incapacitated by Feedback's power and Feedback shoots at him. But Dick is able to dodge the bullet and escape. But then he's once again overpowered by the hallucinations. But this time, Feedback decides to hit him with the gun instead of shooting him. Even though Feedback has no reason to let him live, is a killer himself, and has already tried to shoot him. Maybe his gun only holds three bullets!

"Damn! I'm out! Again!"

But Dick turns the tables on Feedback by feedbacking Feedback. Dick learns that Feedback knows nothing and then returns to Raya and the circus and utters the words I was hoping to hear:

And finally, we see that Haly's son Bryan seems to have put the hit out on Dick Grayson. Why? Why not! Or Because! Or Chicken Thigh!