Reviewer: Mathan “Been Here Since #1” Erhardt
Story Title: The Ride’s Over
Written by: Devin Grayson
Penciled by: Mike Lilly
Inked by: Andy Owens
Colored by: Gregory Wright
Lettered by: Rob Leigh
Editor: Michael Wright
Publisher: DC Comics
Way back in Nightwing #93 the new Tarantula killed Blockbuster, while Nightwing did nothing to stop it. In all fairness Blockbuster probably deserved to die. However members of the Bat-family don’t kill, and do everything they can to prevent death. Thus Dick Grayson has been struggling with his inaction ever since.
This issue begins with Dick recounting how he was a statistic waiting to happen. He happens to be thinking these thoughts from the wrong side of jail bars. As a couple of police officers escort him from his cell, he recalls his last encounter with Tarantula.
He confronts her, and tells he’s turning her into Bludhaven’s cops for the murder of Blockbuster. She tries to run, they tussle. He wins, and he cuffs her. Then he brings her in.
Back in the present Dick sits in an interrogation room, he manages to use some technology to have a private “good-bye” with Oracle, or at least her answering machine. Then he thinks back on his two role models; his father and Batman.
Finally some cops come into the interrogation room. The commend Dick on his “undercover” operation, and imply that he’ll be cleared of his charges. Dick furiously storms off to see his former partner Captain Rohrbach. He explodes at her for denying his attempt at atonement for his part in the role of the murder. And she explodes back saying that there are better ways of atoning than sitting in a cell.
As Dick storms out of the police station, we “hear” the message that Oracle leaves on his answering machine. A fellow prisoner hands Dick a card referring him to an anger management specialist. The issue ends with Alfred discovering Nightwing’s costume next to the display of Jason Todd’s Robin costume. The End?
Grayson has taken a lot of flack for this storyline. I’ve stuck by her. The storyline doesn’t wrap up like I would have liked. This issue doesn’t really seem “special” like most 100th issues do. It just falls kind of flat. The use of flashbacks is very well done, but the idea that The Tarantula wouldn’t reveal Nightwing’s “secret” is beyond absurd. Hopefully this will be covered after “Year One” is finished.
Lilly and Owens do a good job on the art. It’s dark and moody, like Dick and Bludhaven. It’s not meant to be a bright issue, thus it isn’t. Again the parallels of the flashbacks is done very well.
