Nightwing #22

What kind of crappy comic book is this? Nightwing versus a man in a suit?! I want villains in costumes, damn it!

Instead of picking up the phone and letting the corrupt cops handle the murderer Tony Zucco, Nightwing decides to take matters into his own hands. But since Nightwing doesn't kill, he's going to have to end up handing Zucco over to the police at some point. The only way to make sure Zucco is convicted is to take down the Mayor of Chicago and his police chief and the judges and the other dirty cops and probably punch some lawyers in the face and protect the jurors from mob threats. It just seems like an awful lot of work. You know what's not an awful lot of work? Accidentally killing Tony Zucco while trying to apprehend him!

Currently in Chicago, some dirty cop named Detective Morgan has hired Dick Grayson's roommate (a photographer for the paper) to edit together some footage of Nightwing and The Prankster working together and get it on the air.

The sorry state of journalism (and many other aspects of American life) as represented in a comic book. Money and power and fame equal good! Questioning people that have money and power and fame? Bad!

My commentary blog and my main website generate zero dollars for me. But guess what that means? I am beholden to nobody. I'm able to swear and speak my mind and question everything and draw pornographic images. I can call Dan DiDio a cunt as often as I want and nobody is going to tell me to stop or else. Well, maybe Dan DiDio's lawyer might try. But then he'd have to prove, in court, that Dan DiDio isn't a cunt and I'm not sure he'd want to be saddled with that kind of a work load.

That bit about DiDio being a cunt was just an example. I really have no thoughts, positive or negative, on Dan DiDio and how he's running DC. I probably haven't been paying enough attention to that aspect of the comic book world. This blog is mostly just focused on the writing and, to a lesser extent but always important especially when Rob Liefeld's at hand, the art. I did just finish reading Sean Howe's Marvel Comics: The Untold Story and it was a fantastic look at the business side of comics. I'd love to read a history on DC Comics now. But in trying to avoid spoilers, I simply do not follow any comic book news outlets. It's not that I'm not interested! But even just giving sneak peeks of future covers can spoil where a comic book's plot is headed. So I remain fairly ignorant of that shit.

Although maybe I'm going about this all wrong! Maybe I should be taking money from DC Comics and then raving about every single comic book they put out! That would even save me time since I wouldn't have to even read the comics at that point! "Scott Lobdell's Superman is a wild and fantastic ride. You've never seen the Man of Steel like this!"

Ouch. Typing that hurt my soul a little bit.

When the hell did I start reading Spiderman?

Nightwing has apparently learned how to teleport since he visits the mayor by popping into his office and then, just as quickly, disappearing right in front of him. His main purpose was to plant an enormous Nightwing shaped bug on the mayor's desk which the mayor should find the first time he goes to wipe a booger under there. His not-so-main purpose was to tell the Mayor that he knows his assistant, Billy Lester, is actually Tony Zucco. Afterword, Dick goes to lunch with his roommate that I kept thinking was The Prankster but I suppose she actually isn't. But she might be his sister!

Jesus, Dick! You sexist bastard!

I don't like Dick's roommate Joey. I might have said I liked her previously but now I don't like her. I don't like her because of this panel:

When did everything we say in society become so fucking unbelievable that everybody had to start shoving "literally" into every sentence they say?

Speaking of saying "literally" in every sentence, I still have a Channel Mastered episode of Big Brother to watch! The Channel Master is the lower class, non-cable version of the DVR. I think I'll save watching the episode for later in the day when I can drink some Sake every time somebody says "literally." I love watching Big Brother because I'm a huge fan of stories that rely heavily on power shifts. You know? Stories like The Breakfast Club and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. And, well, pretty much every story worth telling! Big Brother is horrible but also interesting in the way that normal people perceive power within a confined space among a small group of people. And this season is especially strange in that they have a houseguest that even CBS is trying to distance themselves from because of her casually racist attitude. Never before have I seen CBS put up disclaimers before the show about the ideas being expressed not being those of the network.

Meanwhile in Lake Geneva, the Role Playing Capital of the World, Tony Zucco's getaway vacation is ruined by his stupid kid fighting with another kid. Unless the vacation is actually ruined by Zucco telling his kid he needs to take responsibility as an adult and then seeing Nightwing on television. Or maybe he had some bad shrimp cocktail earlier and he just needs to go take an urgent shit.

And in Chicago, while Nightwing tries to remain under the radar after his little meeting with The Mayor, The Prankster has other plans.

Can this really be considered a prank?

The Prankster blows up an elevated train and then tells the people of Chicago that they will suffer until Mayor Cole pays back the $52 million he's stolen from the city. Then The Prankster sets a bunch of hired goons loose to destroy the city. This prank seems really mean spirited.

Nightwing jumps into action beating up on a half dozen thugs in one small area of the city while who knows how many people die elsewhere. If only The Flash were here! Or Superman! Or Wonder Woman! Or a team composed of those people! But why would they care about Chicago? It's up to Nightwing to save the city from The Prankster!

But that'll have to wait until next month.

Nightwing #22 Rating: -1 Ranking. I'm tired of Nightwing being in Chicago chasing after Tony Zucco. This plot has committed the worst offense possible in comic books: it's boring me! Nightwing is chasing after the man that murdered his parents. He murdered his parents! I know Dick has dealt with the loss of his parents in a much more emotionally stable way than Batman, but I'd still expect him to be a little more passionate about it. Instead he's hanging upside down in the mayor's office like Spider Man sporting a big grin and cracking jokes. Batman would be so disappointed.