Customer Reviews

Nightwing: Mobbed Up (Nightwing (Graphic Novels))

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Character driven stories are normally not my cup of tea. Without much plot or action to galvanize the reader, they have a tendency to degenerate into a boring soap opera lacking direction or even a reason for existence. This trade is an enjoyable and rare exception. Devin Grayson's writing acumen at creating real people to invest emotions in has fortunately prevented it from sinking to that level. Dick Grayson's personality and that of his close cast of characters has always been more emphasized than stories involving his mentor Batman, and thus that prominence here should come as no surprise. This is primarily about the people currently in Dick's life and not necessarily about any specific villain or adventure, although there are undercurrents of a major event on the horizon. Some criticize it for its' pedestrian focus on street level gangsters, but that aspect of crime has always been a part of the Bludhaven landscape since Nightwing arrived on the scene. This may be a departure from traditional superhero fare but it does fit him well, and at the very least is a pleasant change from the constant and redundant presence of Blockbuster, who comprised basically the only threat throughout most of the previous run. While this approach may be a bit bland for some, as it usually is for me, thanks to Ms. Grayson it works here, plus it also plants seeds for the upcoming storyline.

Yup, Grayson becomes a mob enforcer known as "Crutches" cause he fights mob guys using his crutches as a deadly weapon...bwhaha! Apparently wounded in Batman War Games, despondent and alone, he somehow befriends the mob that takes him in as one of their own. The only rules Crutches has is, no guns, no use of deadly forces and no kids! He is the PG-13 version of Christopher form the Sopranos. The mob is tantalized by Grayson's fighting ability and disregard that he is an ex-cop and the former ward of Bruce Wayne. Hmm, couldn't they put 2+2 together and figure out he is the former Nightwing? Guess these are the not witty Sopranos mobsters. Along the way, he encounters the Black Mask, Robin and Deathstroke. The daughter of the mobster also has crush on Grayson, and hey since they are family, the mobster offers up his daughter to Grayson even though she is only 15 years old! Oh vey! This is only part 1 of the 2 part tpb to be concluded in Nightwing: Renegade. When that comes out, I'll review it too. Thank goodness that Wolfman is coming back to write the stories for Nightwing. Call this Nightcrap for now.

This isn't the best story out there, but it gets the job done in my opinion. As the cover, title, and summary explain, Dick has suffered through loss, and appears to be drifting away from what he once was. If you're looking for a typical good over evil, blah blah blah type of story, this isn't it. If you do get Mobbed Up though, you definately want to get Renegade with it, which picks up right where this story leaves off.

So Dick Grayson starts working for the mob! Okay, I'll admit it is interesting but I was really starting to get tired of his whinning and about how he failed to protect a bad guy right about now. This story is just interesting enough to keep me picking up the book from time but I wouldn't buy. You are not missing out on anything special if you pass this one up. You know DC almost killed Mr. Grayson but decided to keep him alive for some strange reason. Instead they kill Kon-el?!! He (Dick) would have been better to kill because he has been in the DC universe since the beginning and his death would have meant on then SuperBoy's death (that's right, I called him Kon-el, his real name). DC you guys obviously have forgotten how to make a good nightwing story so what the hell was the reason you guys kept him alive.

The quality of the Nightwing ongoing title has been in steady decline with the only bright spot being the Year One issues. Infinite Crisis has come in time, hopefully, to save the book from continued decline.