Reviewer: Tim Sheridan
Story Title: Back to the Life
Written by: Devin K Grayson
Pencils by: Zach Howard
Inks by: Andy Owens
Letters by: Rob Leigh
Colors by: Gregory Wright
Editor: Michael Wright
Publisher: DC Comics
This comic was a bit odd. Not bad. But odd. It was pretty much a prelude to next month, but that’s ok, I guess. Well, if next month is a good issue that is.
But I still enjoyed this month’s installment. I love Nightwing. Always have. As I’ve grown up, I’m now closer to Nightwing’s age than Robin’s. So I feel a sort of kinship towards the character.
Anyways, to the issue at hand. This month we catch up with Dick Grayson as he recovers from the gunshot wound. He’s recovering at Wayne Manor, and he is sort of loopy, as one would be after being shot. So Alfred has to tell him all about War Games, and how that all wrapped up. He also tells him that most of the Bat-family up and left after the crossover. So Dick has to deal with all that. He also has to deal with quite a bit on his conscience. Seems as though a few months ago he killed someone. And he feels pretty bad about that. Yeah, the dude he killed was a bad guy, but he still feels lousy about that. So he feels the need to tell Batman about that. I guess Batman doesn’t know about it yet. Even though Batman is the world’s greatest detective, and knows everything that happens in the DCU. Weird, I know.
Meanwhile, Batman is out fighting crime with and against Tarantula, the woman who helped Dick commit murder (long story). They have a little tiff and Tarantula asks Bats to train her (it’s like, the new trend in the DCU I guess). But Batman is all stone-like, and just leaves.
When he gets back to the cave, Dick is there, and they have a nice little father/son moment. It’s cute, and Bruce even lets Dick wear the cape for a minute. So while bruce is telling Dick how much he means to him and gives him a little lesson about what to do in difficult situations, and while he saying that it’s just the two of them now…Dick leaves. Without so much as a goodbye. And without saying thanks for letting him rest up. He just leaves. Oh, and he steals a motorcycle. To me, that’s just rude.
But it was a good issue.