Blockbuster, Blüdhaven's deadliest crime boss, is on a rampage. A mysterious hacker has made Blockbuster's life difficult for far too long. It's time for Nightwing - with the help of the Birds of Prey - to hunt this person down and terminate this hacker's actions once and for all, at whatever cost. And that hacker is Oracle!
The chase is on in this collection of NIGHTWING #41-46 and BIRDS OF PREY #20-21, written by Chuck Dixon (BATGIRL: YEAR ONE), with art by Greg Land (Sojourn, NIGHTWING), Patrick Zircher (NIGHTWING, Thunderbolts), Butch Guice (BIRDS OF PREY, Ruse), and Drew Geraci (NIGHTWING).
While Nightwing desperately tries to rein in the unstable vigilante Nite-Wing, his daytime counterpart Dick Grayson graduates to a street cop. Meanwhile, Blockbuster's thirst for vengeance against Oracle has him sending some of the deadliest assassins after the hacker. When the crime boss captures Nightwing, will our hero be tortured into revealing Oracle's location?
Collecting:Birds of Prey #20-21, Nightwing #41-46.
Charles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, perhaps best-known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
Nite-Wing and Nightwing finally meet where things quickly head south during their first team-up. Then Blockbuster goes on the hunt for Oracle in a crossover with Birds of Prey. The stories are nothing earth shattering but they sure are fun.
Reading the original Nightwing trades, this has been the best one so far. Blockbuster has had it with Oracle and is determined to bring it/her/him down. Nightwing catches up with his copy-cat, Nite-wing, and together they storm Blockbuster's bunker, with disastrous results. By the time everything is finished, Black Canary is taken prisoner by Blockbuster, and Barbara Gordon is badly injured.
Writer Dixon provides a lot of emotional impact in this story, from Dick Grayson's run-in with his landlord Clancy, to the struggle Oracle has to stay alive. Nightwing does his best to steer Nite-wing aright, while one of the dirtiest cops in town takes a powder after being shaken down by said Nite-wing. There's just a lot of good material here, and although the book ends on a cliffhanger, not to be resolved in the next Nightwing volume (this also includes issues from Birds of Prey, so I assume this story is continued there), it really is a fine example of how big of a hero Dick Grayson is as Nightwing. I'd rather read about him than Batman any day.
Nightwing: The Hunt for Oracle picks up where the previous trade paperback left off and collects six issues (Nightwing #41–46) of the 1996 on-going series with Birds of Prey #20–21.
"Hero of the City", "Tonight's the Nite", "Improper Angels", and "The Stalkers" are four interconnected one-issue storylines (Nightwing #41–44) has Dick Grayson as Nightwing going against his former and short-lived protégé: Thaddeus "Tad" Ryerstad as Nite-Wing among other villains such as Blockbuster and his gang.
"The Hunt for Oracle" is a four-issue inter-series storyline (Nightwing #45–46, Birds of Prey #20–21) that has Dick Grayson as Nightwing teaming up with the Birds of Prey to protect Barbara Gordon as Oracle. Blockbuster, Nightwing's main nemesis, is after Oracle and her information network.
Chuck Dixon penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it is written rather well, Dixon has expanded the role of Thaddeus "Tad" Ryerstad as Nite-Wing significantly and has written a wonderful Barbara Gordon as Oracle and the relationship between the two. Fortunately, this trade paperback included the Birds of Prey issues that made the titular story complete.
Greg Land (Nightwing #41–43, 45–46), Patrick Zircher (Nightwing #42 and 44), and Jackson Guice (Birds of Prey #20–21) penciled the entire trade paperback. For the most part, the penciling was well done, albeit a tad dated, and their styles complemented each other rather nicely.
All in all, Nightwing: The Hunt for Oracle is a wonderful continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series.
Trying to make some room in my vast collection of 10,000 plus comic books and graphic novel, I was determine to choose between the 1990-2000s run of Robin or the 1990-2000s run of Nightwing to cut. My Robin read by Bill Willingham (Fables) blew me away. So, I was more than willing to say farewell to Nightwing after I read some of my trades. Blast if The 'Nam's Chuck Dixon didn't do an insanely good job on the post-Batman adventures of Dick Grayson!
In this trade, reprinting issues 41-46 of Nightwing and a pair of issues of Birds of Prey (1999-2009), Dick Grayson is set to become a cop having graduated from the academy. But because the police force of Bludhaven is so corrupt, nobody is willing to take on such a boy scout as Dick in their precincts.
This gives Grayson plenty of time to be Nightwing. However, the hero is finding the city to be a little crowded as he meets a loose-canon vigilante going by the name 'Nite-Wing.' Seeing potential in the lad (and hopes that he'll change his name), Nightwing decides to train this up-and-comer.
Meanwhile, Oracle has run afoul of Bludhaven's major-domo, Blockbuster. Using her computer prowess to cull funds from the villain's coffers one too many times has resulted Blockbuster putting a bounty on Oracle's head. With her Birds of Prey indisposed, Oracle will have to rely on Nightwing to save her neck. But he's got his hands full with Blockbuster's new partner, a gorilla named Grodd!
While I am on the Nightwing wagon more than ever before, this book didn't really win me over to giving Birds of Prey a try. I like Barbara Gordon/Oracle and I'm okay with Huntress. But Black Canary has irked me for the longest time. For one, there's the extremely confusing origins that DC has given the character. First she's a golden age hero. Then Black Canary is a founding member of the Justice League of America. Then it's her mom who did all this. Then it's not. Plus, I can't figure out how to correctly pronounce her real name, Dinah. And I think that's the part that aggravates me the most about the character!
Anyways, this volumes ends on a cliffhanger. Normally, I would be upset at not having the issues to complete that run. But 'The Hunt for Oracle' is completed in Birds of Prey, Volume 3 and I don't really care to know how that transpires. Yes- that's how much I despise Dinah Lance!
Chuck Dixon hit a home run with this issue. Plus there's the great art by Bruce Guice, Patrick Zircher and Greg Land. There's so much action and adventure in this collection. But what convinced me that I had found a winner was how the writer and artists made me nervous and concerned for the squirrel pet of one of the villains. If it had died at the hands of Blockbuster, I was going to be so pissed!
If a team of talent can make me care so much about a fake forest rat, then imagine how much they've made me care for Nightwing and his allies?
Man, am I not used to comic archs like this. They just seem to go on forever! I kind of love the continuity (same baddies in Vol. 2 as in Vol. 5 with lots of good character development) but I'm also starting to get a little antsy. It's been three volumes already, and somehow all these villains are still in play: Torque (Seriously! Seriously?! How is this guy still alive?!), Blockbuster (but I kind of love him, don't know why), and Lady Vic (Blech. I just find her so lame.) BUT, Nite-Wing and Nightwing finally meet (again) and Dick finally sees what a psychopath Tad is. Finally! Now, Dick just has to get him.
I do love in this volume how hard Dick is trying to become a Blüdhaven police officer (trying is the keyword). And I love that he's being blocked out because he's a good guy. <3
The ending with Oracle was super high gear & I love how Robin (Tim) & Alfred came down from Gotham to try and help Barbra too.
Solid 4-star volume.
P.s. The was some art in this volume that was all over the place, especially at the end. During Tad & Dick's team-up, Dick specifically says that he's glad Nite-Wing took the lettering off his jersey (since they both can't be "Nightwing"/"Nite-Wing"), but in every other frame, the letters were drawn back on, like the artists & editors forgot it was supposed to be blank. Awk. :-/
Another very good Nightwing collection as Chuck Dixon shows his love of these characters. Greg Land takes over the art duties and its fantastic. This is when he was at his best before he became synonymous with tracing. Dick's desire to train Tad makes perfect sense but maybe not how he did it and the Birds Of Prey crossover was very good. The c-list villains were too corny at times but it didn't subtract too much from the overall product. Overall, a very fun read.
A comic focused on Barbara/Oracle, on her skills and intelligence, that shows how much of a threat she poses to villains, reason why she’s hunted by one of them here.
I found the whole plot so engaging and interesting, with lots of action, good plot twists and emotional moments too! Barbara was the star along with Dinah, I love them both so much.
(Finally the art style got changed, it looks so much better now too).
I’ll be honest, Blockbuster is a pretty boring villain. There’s nothing special about him. However- Tad accidentally killing a fed is unintentionally hilarious. Loved seeing Alfred pull up in a mini van with rubber bullets ONLY because Tim insisted he swap them out. I just, wow this family is so crazy I love it
Dick returns to Bludhaven. He graduates from the police academy, but finds himself unable to get a position on the force. Meanwhile, as Nightwing, he finds himself having to deal with a wannabe hero 'Nite-Wing' and Blockbuster's obsession with taking Oracle down. Black Canary is also in this volume and it is beautiful to see the evolution in her friendship with Oracle. Be warned though, the ending is very much a 'to be continued' sort of thing. I loved it. I am a huge fan of Chuck Dixon, and I generally just appreciate anybody who writes Dick Grayson well. Which is exactly what Chuck Dixon does.
Here is a random graphic novel/comic that came in the mail from my book queue. I've never read the other volumes, but it gives the back story. the ending is pretty to be continued. i wasn't a fan of nightwing the superhero himself, can't help but compare him to batman, and he's just not edgy. kinda boring. i liked the girls - black canary, lady vic and the oracle. very nice illustrations. quick read!
Some special guests in this TPB, although I'm not sure the first few Nightwing issues should have been included since they don't really serve the Oracle hunt plot but they lay out only some foundation from Nightwing's point of view.
Eh...I'm definitely more of a fan or Oracle and I just want to see more of her. I found this story only so-so. I haven't read tons of Nightwing stuff so I wasn't as connected to this as I wanted to be.
A tie in with Birds of Prey Oracle has been kidnapped and it is up to Nightwing and Black Canary to get her back. This story shows how far Nightwing and Black Canary are willing to go to save a friend. The story ends with Black Canary finally meeting Oracle in person.
I love cross-overs between Birds of Prey and Nightwing. They work so well. Blockbuster and Nite-Wing work as interesting plot points but my favourite aspect of this run is still Dick Grayson as a cop.
I've never read a Nightwing comic before (I only read this one because it has the Birds of Prey in it), but I liked it. I thought both storylines were interwoven very well and there were a lot of very interesting characters.
Nite-wing starts making his presense know and that's quite fun. They keep getting close to putting Blockbuster down but not quite. Interesting storyline. (And Birds of Prey is always good)
Good story but the framing from Nightwing's perspective is really rather irritating. Oracle and Black Canary's friendship and development is beautiful here though.