Nightwing #6

They should have Ultimate Fighting matches where one trained fighter goes up against 20 untrained people.

Nightwing and the circus continue to cross the United States. They're currently in Austin, Texas, and Nightwing is out beating the crap out of hired killers trying to track down someone who knows something about Saiko. He eventually crosses the path of a man that has an old, dead phone number. This man also tells Dick that Saiko hasn't been around for awhile because he's on "personal business." The phone number and the message give Dick a little more trail to follow.

Raya (the redhead and Dick's first love) and Raymond (Saiko) have convinced Bryan Haly, the old Circus Owner's son, to put on a tribute show. That's all they've said about the show but I imagine it'll be a tribute show to Dick's parents and the others who died in the circus "accident" so many years ago. I'm making this assumption because that show is where Raymond wants to kill Dick. Raymond somehow thinks Dick is somehow at fault. And Bryan Haly just wants his circus back from Dick, so he'll do anything toward that end. I don't think Haly knows Dick is going to be murdered but I believe he knows something is up about the tribute show that will help him get his circus back.

A lot of that was speculation and I should probably turn the page and get some answers.

He wouldn't be Batman's student if this didn't set off a bunch of alarms and red flags!

The first thing Dick asks Raya is, "How many people know about this?" He can see the set-up on the wall and his detective brain kicks in to start putting together suspects. Of course everybody in the circus knows about it. But at least Dick knows when the attempt is going to be made on his life. And just like Batman, he'll go stumbling right up to the edge of the cliff to catch the bad guy. My guess is he'll go on with the performance and take a bullet just to catch this Saiko. Maybe he'll get Batgirl or Batman to help him out since he'll be out of costume and up on a trapeze.

Apparently I was wrong! Dick tries to shut the show right the fuck down!

Dick tries to stop the show but nobody agrees. The show will go on in Gotham. Speaking of Gotham, a one page scene a bit later shows some Gotham City Po-po investigating the murder of two gang bangers. They find a baton with Nightwing's little red bat symbol on it at the scene. Oh noes!

On the night of the show, Alfred shows up with some words of encouragement for Dick. A lot of words! I'll just scan them in and you can read them if you've got good eyesight.

Alfred is my favorite character in DC. After Ambush Bug. Unless Alfred is Ambush Bug and Ambush Bug is just pretending to be someone named Irwin Schwab.

Before the performance, Dick is shoved out to center ring by his friends and coworkers to give a speech. As he's thanking everyone, the motion sensors he set up in the rafters detect movement. Saiko is in position and watching from above. Dick changes into Nightwing and swings up into the tent to confront Saiko. Although before he goes, Raya seems to realize that Dick really does care for everyone in the circus and considers them all his family. Even though he couldn't stay around after his parents were killed. Who could?

And then lots of explosions happen down on the floor of the circus while Nighwing hangs above it all.

I don't know what Raymond is talking about. I have no idea what happened to him after the tragedy or why he's blaming Dick. I'm pretty sure he's jealous of Raya's feelings for Dick. And maybe he believes that if Dick had been around, whatever happened to him wouldn't have happened. Maybe it will all be explained next issue.

Nightwing Issue #6 Rating: +1 Ranking. I considered not moving it at all but this comic is just a steady workhorse. It's just grinding out a good story and it reminds me of reading comics in the late eighties and early nineties. Good stuff even with a character I normally don't care too much about. I really like him in this series though.