Nightwing: Year One (Batman) [Paperback]

Chuck Dixon (Author), Scott Beatty (Author), Scott McDaniel (Illustrator), Andy Owens (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2005

Dick Grayson was the first Robin, the teen sidekick to the Dark Knight, Batman. Then he became Nightwing and stepped out of Batmans shadow. The story behind that transformation and how it affected Batman, the Teen Titans and Dick himself is explored in this graphic novel. When Batman fires Robin, an angry Dick Grayson is unsure of where to go. On his journey, he receives advice from Superman and aid from Deadman, and makes the decisions that lead him to become a brand new crimefighter.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Robin moves from boy to man wonder as he takes the guise of grown-up crime fighter Nightwing in this origin story. Nightwing's fans will enjoy the exploration of what made him who he is. The story starts with the break between Batman and his sidekick, a result of Robin's conflicting responsibilities: to college; his supergroup, the Teen Titans; and Batman himself. The rest of the story follows Dick Grayson's journey to becoming Nightwing. The narration laid on top of the story, coming from an older and wiser Grayson, adds emotional resonance to the events. The tensions between Batman and his young protégé are nicely portrayed, as are Grayson's feelings of regret and bitterness following the break. Finally, Nightwing confronts the new Robin, Jason Todd, revealing a good deal about the character and his changing self-image. The tale's episodic quality occasionally drains its energy as Grayson's encounters with a circus lion, the Joker and Batgirl aren't always intimately involved with his changing character, but the story pulls through, arriving at satisfying confrontations between Nightwing and the most important characters in his life. (Aug.)
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From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up–This graphic novel recounts the coming-of-age of Batmans sidekick Dick Grayson as he makes the transition from child to adult and from Robin to Nightwing. When he is fired for neglecting his duties, he first seeks guidance from Superman and then solace in his former life as a circus performer. Meanwhile, Batman is training a new Robin to take his place. Eventually an exercise gone wrong brings the two Robins together, and they must put aside their rivalry in order to rescue Alfred after he is mistakenly identified as Two Face. This story is mainly about the struggle of a young man trying to establish his own identity, and his attempt to define himself as his own superhero will appeal to teens. It is clearly set in todays world; Nightwing wears a hoodie, Batman must rescue a child kidnapped in a custody dispute, and a villain is caught because he decided to purchase an economy car rather than a gas-guzzling SUV. The artwork is clear and propels the story dynamically across the pages. The books engaging quality gives it appeal even to those who are not comic-book aficionados.–Heather M. Lisowski, Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140120435X
• ISBN-13: 978-1401204358
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #838,859 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beatty and Dixon strike gold again, September 2, 2005

By 

N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nightwing: Year One (Batman) (Paperback)

The writing team of Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon manage to strike the same kind of gold with Nightwing: Year One as they did with Batgirl: Year One and Robin: Year One before it. Showcasing the transition of Robin the Boy Wonder to the brooding Nightwing, Beatty and Dixon weave a tale that is surprisingly compelling and full of character development. Not to mention that there is plenty of action throughout this TPB as well, including a team up with the original Batgirl, and a confrontation with the Joker. The pencils by Scott McDaniel and inks by Joss Whedon's Fray inker Andy Owens are superb for the most part, even though they can look a bit cartoony from time to time. Virtually flawless and one of (if not the) best Nightwing stories ever, Nightwing: Year One is a welcome reminder of what a super hero comic should be. All in all, if you're a Bat-fan who enjoyed the previous Year One's, you'd do well to check this out.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Origin of Nightwing!, October 2, 2006

By 

Chowii (Irvine, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nightwing: Year One (Batman) (Paperback)

This a great tpb laying the foundation of Dick Grayson's transformation from Robin to Nightwing. After a falling out with Batman when confronting Killer Croc goes awry, Dick goes to Metropolis to talk to Clark Kent. Superman gives Dick the inspiration of Nightwing after telling him the story of crime fighter in Krypton who is called Nightwing!

After helping Superman disarm a terrorist attack, Dick travels back to old circus where he and his parent were once performers. The mysterious Deadmen inhabits various bodies to give Dick some advice as well.

Upon returning to Gotham, he explores his feeling with Batgirl, confronts Jason Todd, the new Robin, and must work with Robin as Nightwing in order to save Alfred, who is disguised as Two Face after Batman is shot and is incapacitated.

Well-done story weaving in the growth and maturity of Dick from Robin to Nightwing. Must own book for Batman and Nightwing fans! Fantastic art by McDaniels as always.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nightwing Takes Flight, February 26, 2006

By 

Benjamin D. Hartley "The_Librarian" (Gosford, NSW AUSTRALIA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nightwing: Year One (Batman) (Paperback)

I have always loved Batman as a superhero as he is a testament to human ingeninuty and will. His lack of 'super' abilities is what made him so appealing - Stephen King I think said it best when saying why Batman was better than Superman: Batman can't fly.

Robin never had appealed to me though. I always cringed when he featured, it seemed to me that even though he was designed to ground Batman and make him stronger, that the concept weakened him in some way.

In this graphic novel though, and through the Nightwing stories, Dick Grayson becomes in part the legend he worked with in Batman. As he journeys to become Nightwing, we see him come of age and take on for himself all the elements I loved about Batman. He is smart, tough and most of all NOT perfect. Learning by mistakes he truly grows as a character.

I highly recommend this as a beginning point for those wanting to look into Nightwing. The actual Nightwing series that starts with 'A Knight in Bludhaven' is definitely worth checking out after this one - it is where the action really begins. Check them all out!