Nightwing #0

Poor guy only has one stick after giving the other one away to Damian. And he's too poor to buy a new one now that all his cash is invested in Amusement Mile.

Oh no! Don't you dare do it, DC! Get Tom DeFalco's name off of this book immediately! Kyle Higgins' Nightwing has been one of the most consistently entertaining books. Don't you dare shit on my fucking cake, you bastards!

Quickly scanning the credits page, I'm disappointed to see Tom DeFalco listed as the main plot guy. It's small consolation that Kyle Higgins is doing dialogue since how much dialogue is there actually going to be room for amidst all of DeFalco's Narration Boxes?

Dick begins telling his story about how he became Nightwing. I don't know who he's telling the story to. Maybe he got his hands on Batgirl's Diary and he's adding a special Dick Grayson Editorial Edition. Maybe he's telling his future daughter, Nightfire (or Starwing!), the tale of how he became the worst dressed crouch jumper in Gotham City. Okay, okay. He dresses just fine now. I was having flashbacks to the initial Preboot Nightwing costume.

Oh, there it is. Nearly.

It's Dick's moms birthday and, after she gets done yelling at him for being a douchebag kid, she receives a gift from him. It's a bracelet with two robins on it because she loves robins. And her nickname for Dick is Robin. So that's like a total coincidence that he ends being Robin, right?!

Later that night, Grayson's parents are killed in a trapeze accident orchestrated by Tony Zucco in an effort to get Haly to pay protection money so things like that never happen again. Bruce Wayne just happens to be in the audience! That's like another lucky coincidence or something.

This reminds me of something.

Bruce Wayne put Dick Grayson up in the Bruce Wayne School for Wayward Youths Who Might One Day Prove Themselves Useful, If You Know What I Mean (and I Think You Do (No, Not That You Pervert! They Might Show Promise as a Sidekick!)). It was a pretty long name to stick out on the front gate, so most people just referred to it as the Wayne "Care" Center. Or the Unknown Parents Memorial Orphanage. Or Little Arkham.

Whatever it was called, Dick didn't spend much time there. He mostly snuck out every night searching for Tony Zucco, the man responsible for the death of his parents. On one of those nights, he stumbled upon Batman beating up some thugs. Dick helps out when it looks like a civilian is about to be shot because Batman can't take care of everything all by himself! At least not yet. This was many years ago when Batman was still flawed and interesting. Now he can be in ten comics per month across the same space of time and still not miss out on any of Bruce Wayne's dates. This was also before Batman knew how to not act like Bruce Wayne while wearing the costume.

Apparently Dick is part Terminator.

For weeks, Batman and Dick would end up fighting side by side against thugs. Bruce needed to be there for him having lived through the same trauma. And Dick was grateful for the company of someone that knew what he was going through. Dick had done his research on Bruce Wayne after the first meeting, so he knew of Bruce's big change in Crime Alley. Meanwhile, Alfred sat at home rocking in a chair, drinking tea, and muttering, "This is not a good idea. This is so not a good idea."

And after the prerequisite number of dates, Bruce brings Dick home.

The most effective way to get a woman (or young boy) back to your apartment: put a sack on her head and tell him to trust you. You're welcome, dateless nerds!

And of course, as you can see by the Alfred speaking box in the corner, I was correct in speculation Alfred's reticence to the plan. But words, advice, and disapproval are the only power Alfred has. Bruce is going to do whatever he wants. And if he wants to invite a young boy into his secret life of cosplay and violence, that's his prerogative!

Bruce's main motive at the moment was to protect Dick. Instead of continually fighting side by side with him on the streets of Gotham, he begins training him in the Batcave. And Dick's drive for justice becomes more generalized and less about vengeance and justice simply for his parents alone.

Alfred politely pointing out to Dick that Bruce is insane.

This is a really nice scene between Alfred and Dick. It's a moment where we get to see Alfred changing his mind on the whole sidekick thing for a variety of reasons all wrapped up in a single page of dialogue. Dick needs support and family. Bruce needs these as well as something to temper his edge. But mostly, Alfred gets another chance to help raise a child to be a good and just man. And he can learn from whatever mistakes drove Bruce so far away from emotion and human contact to help keep Dick a well-rounded person. All three of these people benefit from Batman running around with a sidekick. This is a nice page to point to for anybody wondering, "How is having a young sidekick in anyway a good idea?" Well, maybe it's still not a good idea. But it benefits three men trying to get by the best way they know how. Together.

And then one night, after months of manning the computer and remaining in the Batcave, Dick finds a reason to don his new costume. Batman has been ambushed by Lady Shiva and she's poisoned him. It's time for Robin's coming out party!

I would have expected him to be crouching in his debut shot but maybe he waited to invent that signature move for when he became Nightwing.

Robin gets his ass handed to him by Lady Shiva. But she's impressed with him enough to leave them both alive. And to leave Dick with an invitation to join her if he ever wanted training past what Batman would teach him. Robin and Batman hobble back to the batcave and their new lives as the Dynamic Duo.

Nightwing #0 Rating: Surprisingly enough not ruined by having Tom DeFalco's input on the project.