Review by Tim Sheridan
“Fix You”
Script: Devin K Grayson
Pencils: Brad Walker
Inks: Rodney Ramos
Colors: Gregory Wright
Letters: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Nachie Castro
Published by DC Comics
So here we are, the final issue of Devin Grayon’s run on “Nightwing”. There have been fans who have hated this run. Fans who wanted her off the book immediately. Now, I’m not saying this was perfect, but I really liked it. Perhaps it’s just my affinity for the character, but I thought this was solid superhero storytelling. I liked Chuck Dixon’s seventy-something run, but it was his time to go back then. And I couldn’t have thought of anyone better to take over for him. As I’ve mentioned before, Grayson has gone on record for a long while, saying just how much she loves Nightwing. And that love transferred to the page when she wrote.
But enough of that. How was the issue?
In a word: good. This was a very solid, if typical, season finale for Nightwing. Plot lines get wrapped up, characters finish their respective arcs, and redemption is found. Oh, not to mention the one heck of a cliffhanger we get.
For some time now, Nightwing has been haunted by the fact that he let someone die on his watch. He let fellow vigilante Tarantula shoot and kill the villain Blockbuster, and did nothing to prevent it. Nightwing hated himself for that. But even worse, he was scared of what Batman would think of this. Here, we finally see that is was not so much a matter of Batman forgiving Dick, but Dick forgiving himself.
With his city all but destroyed, Nightwing spends most of the rest of the issue making sure those he cared for are safe. But the focus is on Deathstroke and his daughter, who Dick worked with, undercover, for months. In true hero fashion, Dick exposes the truth about the villain, and the villain gets the comeuppance he deserves. He does this by exposing the fact that the kryptonite that is now in Deathstroke’s daughter’s eye (long story) is what poisoned Lex Luthor. Now, while this is true, I was utterly shocked to be reading this, because I didn’t think anyone in the DCU remember this, since it happened over 15 years ago! Since then there was Lex Luthor II (the red-haired “son”), then “Underworld Unleashed” undid that, and then there was President Lex. The fact that Dick remembered this, and the fact that DC editorial let him do so, was a delight to this particular fanboy.
As for the cliffhanger I mentioned, I don’t want to give it away here. But suffice to say, if you’re a longtime fan of this character, or any of the characters in “Birds of Prey”, you’ll be happy. It comes a little out of left field, but it makes sense in the grand scheme of where Nightwing has been for a long time. With “Crisis” and “One Year Later” about to take effect, I don’t know what is going to happen with this plot threat, but for the time being, I like it.
Brad Walker’s art was quite strong for a fill in. The highlight of course was the two page spread that opened the book. I hope we see more of his work in the future.
So we say goodbye to Devin Grayson, and hello to writer Bruce Jones and artists Joe Dodd and Bit. I look forward to a new take on the character, and a new direction for the book, but I’ll miss Grayson.
More than that though, I’ll miss Bludhaven. We’ve known it for 117 issues, and it’s all but gone.
