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Nightwing Vol. 2: Rough Justice

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NIGHTWING: ROUGH JUSTICE kicks off the second collection of DC Comics' NIGHTWING series with a bang, a wild, hallucinatory ride through Nightwing's mind as the Scarecrow tries to use his fear toxins to unhinge the super hero. It continues with the same, high-energy, Hong Kong action flick style that makes this comic so great.

But that's not all! What really makes the Nightwing series tick, and ROUGH JUSTICE is as good at it as any of the Nightwing collections, is the characterization. The relationship Nightwing has with Batman, Barbara Gordon and the others in his life is the glue that keeps the series together.

There are so many wonderful story elements in this volume that the best recommendation I can give you is to buy it and find out for yourself! If you love super hero comics and wild, over-the-top action, illustrated by the best in the comics biz, you'll love NIGHTWING: ROUGH JUSTICE. It's a great sequel to the first book in the series, NIGHTWING: A KNIGHT IN BLUDHAVEN, and reads like a complete collection of short stories. Don't miss it!

"In Gotham the corruption is from the street up. Here it's from the Mayor's office down."

That phrase sums up Dick Grayson's stint in Bludhaven perfectly. He's made a few friends since he arrived but he still has no allies in the crime fighting aspect of his life. The local law enforcement is still corrupt and most of the town is still under the finger of various mob bosses, most prominent being BlockBuster.

'Rough Justice' collects issues 9-18 of the regular Nightwing series and is broken down into three separate (yet, interconnected) stories.

The collection kicks off with a little Scarecrow induced delirium. Dick's married, has two kids, lives in the suburbs, and works in a cubical. If this seems a little odd, just wait...His boss is non-other then the Joker, Poison Ivy is shacking up with The Penguin, Bruce Wyane is killing off Dick's kids, and Jason Todd is a zombie paper boy on Dick's route. It takes Grayson a little doing but he's finally able to shake off the Scarecrow's influence and gives him the ol'one two. It is revealed that Soams was behind Scarecrow's sudden appearance in Bludhaven and Grayson decides to bump him up on his to do list, it's time to take him down. It becomes quiet apparent that he's not the only one after Soams either, the cops (having no other choice) are hunting him down and BlockBuster wants him dead because of what information he could hand over to the badges. In this chapter we really get to see why they call him "Deadly" Soams because he opens up a big can of whoop ass. In the end he has a really 'twisted' encounter with BlockBuster.

In the next story Batman comes to town (to check up on Grayson) and there is a lot of funny banter between the two former partners (Bats really presses 'wing about needing a lair). The dream team pair up to take on the 'haven underworld working their way through the under bosses to get some dirt on BlockBuster. Batman learns how things are done in Bludhaven and Nightwing picks up a few new tricks from his old mentor (and they both enjoy a romp with carnivorous pigs). It all boils down to Nightwing vs. BlockBuster 2 but this time Grayson's come prepared.

In the third and last story of this collection Man-Bat comes to town. Grayson tries to catch him so they can return him to his human form and take him back to his wife (whom has stuck by his side over all these years) but just when he has MB within his grasps, Deathstroke shows up. He delivers Man-Bat to a Cryptozoologist who plans to cash in on the Man-Bat myth and film his own series of straight to video documentaries on the 'living vampire' of course it's up to Grayson to foil this plan as well.

Throughout the entire collection two subplots exist. The first being Soams operation and the other being Tad Ryerstand the crazy vigilante.

After a turn of events (which you will have to read about for yourself) Soams lands himself in an experimental hospital. He ends up the oddity that he is later on in the series.

Tad Ryerstand (the guy who beat down the bum in the first collection 'Knight in Bludhaven') tries to become a vigilante. The `havens own personal guardian angel...but he's a little on the psychotic side. In his mind everyone is a criminal. He attacks innocents just as often as he does legit criminals. After reading up on the Tarantula (former vigilante) he decides that he needs to give himself a name and a proper costume.

This collection isn't as good as the first ('Knight in Bludhaven') but it's still worth picking up. It was slow at the beginning (Scarecrow's delirium panels are always a slow read for me) but it picks up after that and proves to be quiet the entertaining read. This is a must for anyone who wants to make heads or tails of how Soams came to be in his current 'condition' and for anyone interested in keeping with continuity. However, if you're new to the series this is a terrible place to start. It picks up exactly where 'Knight in Bludhaven' left off so without that collection you will be rather lost.

This trade collects issues #9-18 of the classic run by Dixon and McDaniel. I loved A Knight in Bludhaven, but Rough Justice is even better.

Nightwing teams up with Batman for a few issues, and Blockbuster continues to harass Bludhaven. There is also a wonderfully creepy turn of events with Detective Soames, and I can't wait to see how it plays out in future issues.

My brother used to tell me all the time about a series he was reading about the former Robin, called Nightwing, and that was more than a decade ago. A few months ago, he and I were talking, and he said the first few graphic novels of the Nightwing series were STILL on his monthly pull list, and he loved them each and every time he read them. That led me to break down and order the first few volumes, which were pricey, much to my chagrin, because the series sold so well that they are hard to find in great condition. LOL I started with Ties That Bind (Nightwing: Ties That Bind (Batman, Robin)), which tells some of the earlier departure from Bruce Wayne as Dick Grayson set out to make his own identity. But what REALLY just drew me in and made me a HUGE fan of the series was the first volume of the regular series. (Nightwing Vol. 1: A Knight in Bludhaven) That, and this, are just amazing first rate stories in every way. The writing is fantastic, and the art is too, even by today's standards of high detail. I especially love the way that multiple character positions are used in a frame to show the character in motion and doing all of his flips and leaps. That may sound strange, but you'll be thinking it's awesome too when you finally see it. The villain, a VERY terrifying Blockbuster, is REALLY stepped up a notch, and makes for a great arch-nemesis. And of course we periodically get other cameos from around the Bat family, but honestly, the series doesn't need it. It's strong all on it's own, and even more than ten years after it's first publication, it STILL feels fresh and exciting. If you're a fan of any of the Batman material, or of Dick Grayson himself, or even just a great, gritty crime drama mixed with action, then give this a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Thanks so much for your time.
Sincerely, R.A. McDowell

This is the second TPB for the Nightwing comic series. The first one is Nightwing: Knight in Bludhaven which I've reviewed before. First off, this book is better than the first in every way and from what I've heard, this series just keeps getting better with age. Nightwing is still in Bludhaven, trying to solve the mystery of who killed the 21 men that floated up to Gotham. At the end of Knight in Bludhaven, we found out that it was secretly Blockbuster who was pulling the strings. But Dick can't bust him because of lack of evidence.

Anyway, this book is much better than Knight in Bludhaven. The stories are cooler, the action is better, you can actually tell what's going on in every one of the panels, and the characters are hundreds of times better. In Knight in Bludhaven, Dick fought a lot of cheap thugs and not enough super villains. In this one, it's all Batman style super villain beat downs. We see characters likes Scarecrow, Batman, Oracle, an improved Lady Vic, Two Face (Though we never really see him), and Man-Bat. There's quite a few story arcs packed into the book, like Scarecrow coming to town as a free lance super villain (resulting in a one really bad ass issue in which the whole entire comic is Dick's fear gas induced nightmare), Batman coming to town to check on Dick, and the introduction of the Night-Mobile. All of these tie somehow into the over all story of Nightwing trying to bring down Blockbuster.

We also get to see something we've never really seen in the Nightwing comic: comedy. With the introduction of Blockbuster's mom, we get to see some humorous moments like her trying to make her "darling son" a nice cup of hot chocolate. We also get to see a "Mary-Jane and Peter Parker" type story-line of Nightwing's super Clancy trying to get a date with Dick, but Dick's alter ego leaves him with not enough time. Of course on the TPB side, we have a nice cover gallery and a character bio section at the beginning.

I can't really find any flaws with this at all. The only problem I can really find (and trust me I'm searching) is that I don't like the way that Batman's drawn at all, but that's more of a personal preference than a flaw. But anyway, buy it now. I can't wait for Love and Bullets or whatever the next Nightwing trade is.

The former boy wonder shows that he is no longer just a sidekick and proves it to his own mentor. Nightwing is becoming one of the greatest characters in modern comics, aided by the the compelling storylines of Chuck Dixon and Scott Mc Daniel's superb artwork.

This book continues the story of Nightwing's battle for Bludhaven. This book contains all the elements of a classic: Batman, Blockbuster, a man with his head twisted around. Great Stuff!! Picking up right where "A Knight in Bludhaven" left off, this story has Nightwing struggling to make a difference in a city that does not want to be saved. Nighwing's battle with th Scarecrow brings out his greatest fears, and Batman's visit leaves bring out hidden anger Nightwing has for the Dark Knight. The face-off with Blockbuster is intense, and literally brings down the house. There is also the rather gruesome fate of Dudly Soames. Overall a great read. The only complaint I have is that the art work is not as good as Nightwing: Ties that Bind.

After the extended storyline in "A Knight in Bludhaven", "Rough Justice" gives us more guest stars and expands the cast of characters as well as giving the reader a breather with some self-contained stories. Chuck Dixon's greatest strength is to tell one-two issue stories, so that new readers can jump in, as well as use these stories to expand on subplots and the ongoing trials and tribulations of Nightwing. I loved the additions to the supporting cast and the new car is pretty fun to watch in action. A worthy sequel to the "Knight of Bludhaven" but enjoyable for a new reader as well.

If you read my previous review of Nightwing: A Night in Bludhaven, you know how I stand. I've read every issue so far and haven't been disappointed yet. You won't be either. I say, buy any Nightwing trade paperback that comes out.