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Nightwing: Old Friends, New Enemies
Nightwing is busting a group of criminals when he discovers that his old friend and ally Speedy has come into town looking for him. He needs Dick's help to track down Cheshire... the mother of Roy's child! Then, in a second adventure teaming together the two Teen Titans, Nightwing and Speedy get caught up in a war between two rival gangs.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
About the author
Marv Wolfman
2,290 books310 followersMarvin A. "Marv" Wolfman is an award-winning American comic book writer. He is best known for lengthy runs on The Tomb of Dracula, creating Blade for Marvel Comics, and The New Teen Titans for DC Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
partially-read-comics
March 27, 2024Only read Secret Origins #13 and Action Comics #613-618.
A slightly unsatisfactory ending for me.
Sure, Cheshire is captured and Roy is reunited with Lian but it just felt a little hollow.
Which I guess is the problem with these mini entries.
And I’m sure you can tell but this was a lot more about Roy than it was about Nightwing.
Side note: I totally forgot to read Action Comics Weekly issues #627-634!
It's no real big loss, there are quite a few future Nightwing stories I'm more excited about.
A slightly unsatisfactory ending for me.
Sure, Cheshire is captured and Roy is reunited with Lian but it just felt a little hollow.
Which I guess is the problem with these mini entries.
And I’m sure you can tell but this was a lot more about Roy than it was about Nightwing.
Side note: I totally forgot to read Action Comics Weekly issues #627-634!
It's no real big loss, there are quite a few future Nightwing stories I'm more excited about.
July 18, 2018
3.5 stars
The second half of this collection did absolutely nothing for me. I couldn't connect to the plot, the characters, or Roy's interest in it (outside of him just being a hero). I found the whole thing to be a little hard to follow but, more than that, a lot of it didn't make sense? The costume changes were ridiculous. Sure, I've always questioned how practical it is for them to always be able to sneak off to an alley to change but in this story, there's a moment when Dick and Roy are in plain clothes in a car that gets run into and they come out of the car in costume 2 seconds later? On top of that, I found this arc to be boring. It's such a shame because the first story was truly wonderful.
I love Roy and Dick's chemistry. I love that Roy is a lot more secretive than Dick and more prone to think the ends justify the means. Here, he lied to Dick to get his assistance in getting Lian back from Cheshire. I'm still not 100% sure why he did because I feel certain he should have figured Dick would help him if he just asked? But anyway, he lied and it tore him apart to do so. I liked this story of him trying to be with his daughter again. I liked that Cheshire was an interesting antagonist. I liked Roy's partnership with Dick.
I really loved the intro that went over Dick's history once more. We got some truly great narration where Dick talks about how he's different from Bruce.
The beginning with Nightwing's narration is really great. But, as I mentioned above, the story following this one was just a bummer. The art also changed and I wasn't super fond of what we got later on. The first arc drew Dick and Roy a lot more expressively. Particularly, their eyes.
So, it's a tentative recommend. Definitely read the first arc but skip the second.
The second half of this collection did absolutely nothing for me. I couldn't connect to the plot, the characters, or Roy's interest in it (outside of him just being a hero). I found the whole thing to be a little hard to follow but, more than that, a lot of it didn't make sense? The costume changes were ridiculous. Sure, I've always questioned how practical it is for them to always be able to sneak off to an alley to change but in this story, there's a moment when Dick and Roy are in plain clothes in a car that gets run into and they come out of the car in costume 2 seconds later? On top of that, I found this arc to be boring. It's such a shame because the first story was truly wonderful.
I love Roy and Dick's chemistry. I love that Roy is a lot more secretive than Dick and more prone to think the ends justify the means. Here, he lied to Dick to get his assistance in getting Lian back from Cheshire. I'm still not 100% sure why he did because I feel certain he should have figured Dick would help him if he just asked? But anyway, he lied and it tore him apart to do so. I liked this story of him trying to be with his daughter again. I liked that Cheshire was an interesting antagonist. I liked Roy's partnership with Dick.
I really loved the intro that went over Dick's history once more. We got some truly great narration where Dick talks about how he's different from Bruce.
"His parents' murder went unavenged for years! And his hatred for criminals just kept growing... until he finally turned some of that hatred on himself. He couldn't save his parents as a boy -- although he'd saved so many others since -- and he couldn't find their killer. I sometimes think he feels responsible for their deaths -- as if he were the one who killed them. So you see, for all the similarities between us -- I didn't turn out a thing like him. He kept me from turning out like him... he freed me from his obsession."
The beginning with Nightwing's narration is really great. But, as I mentioned above, the story following this one was just a bummer. The art also changed and I wasn't super fond of what we got later on. The first arc drew Dick and Roy a lot more expressively. Particularly, their eyes.
So, it's a tentative recommend. Definitely read the first arc but skip the second.
June 21, 2021
- Nightwing correctly predicting the future of DC films
I really appreciate these older stories as building blocks for what the characters eventually became when I started reading them, but I just don't like them very much.
And I get it, this was written in another time for a completely different type of audience. They're certainly not without their charm in a kitschy retro way.
I think it's a testament to Marv Wolfman as a writer that the Nightwing he essentially created still exists today.
I also like that he openly tackled political issues that I can't imagine would be featured in DC comics today, such as The Troubles in Ireland. So it's a weird combination of cartoony superhero antics combined with real world issues.
Ultimately I don't consider this bad, it's just a product of its time and doesn't really appeal to me as a reader.
November 25, 2020
Well, Nightwing is my favorite character, so i'm trying to read everything he got.
This one was a fun to read. Marv Wolfman is a legend and his run on the Titans is probably my favorite thing of all time, so he got some with me.
Over here, we see Nightwing team up with Speedy to shut down some drug operation in Ireland and get Speedy's daughter.
It's fun, but just that. If you're not a fan of one of this characters, you can just pass it and read other things.
This one was a fun to read. Marv Wolfman is a legend and his run on the Titans is probably my favorite thing of all time, so he got some with me.
Over here, we see Nightwing team up with Speedy to shut down some drug operation in Ireland and get Speedy's daughter.
It's fun, but just that. If you're not a fan of one of this characters, you can just pass it and read other things.
May 4, 2017
The bits with Cheshire were moderately interesting, though the writing can get pretty overwrought. The secret origins issue was downright silly though, and the plot in Northern Ireland felt like an after school special and was also incomprehensible.
But hey, I got to see this goofy panel of Dick justifying the Discowing outfit, so maybe it was worth it:
But hey, I got to see this goofy panel of Dick justifying the Discowing outfit, so maybe it was worth it:
June 7, 2015
Back when John Byrne rebooted Superman in the mid-80s, DC decided to shake up its longest running comic, Action Comics, by making it a double sized weekly. Poor ol' Superman was relegated to just the two page centerfold, with the idea of mimicking the old Sunday newspaper format.
To fill out the rest of the book, several other DC heroes were given eight or ten page stories: Green Lantern, Black Canary, Phantom Stranger, Wilddog, the Phantom Lady, and more. Nightwing was one of those features.
As Robin, Dick Grayson had had, of course, many solo stories, as backups in Detective Comics maybe, or in Batman Family. So it was nice to see Grayson back in the solo limelight. Except he wasn't solo for very long. His fellow Titan, Speedy, was as much the focus of these stories as Nightwing, and perhaps even more so as the series progressed.
Most of the book is written by Marv Wolfman, who was the writer of New Teen Titans, and therefore he gets Nightwing's voice consistent with how he was portrayed over in NTT. The story basically involves Nightwing and Speedy getting caught up in some international espionage and arms dealing, all tied to an Irish nationalist group (read IRA) in Northern Ireland. The last few stories are written by someone named Cherie Wilkerson.
Although the book starts off interesting enough, by the end, the story is flat and rather boring. By then, Wilkerson, who I don't think has written any other comics, was clearly out of her league as her tales are disjointed and inconsistent, and just downright insulting to Irishmen anywhere. It's an attempt to be relevant with the struggles in Northern Ireland at the time, but instead is cliched and maudlin.
The art is by a group of mid-80s DC stalwarts, and most of them are forgettable. Chuck Patton draws a number of them, and although his art is not terrible, it's uninspired and bland. Tom Mandrake drew the last few stories and although I love his work on the Spectre, Night Force, and other creepy tales which work well with his moody style, here it just looks distorted and the bright colors are garish when next to his heavy use of blacks.
The highlight of this books is the introduction of Lian, the child of Speedy and villain Cheshire. Although it's great seeing Speedy as a single dad, his fight scenes with Cheshire are tired and so full of Wolfman's melodrama it was almost laughable.
I really can't recommend this book to anyone but diehard Nightwing and Speedy fans. I feel it's misrepresented as a Nightwing book, as the focus ultimately is on Speedy. Even by mid-80s standards, it's rather poorly written and drawn. Get it and/or read it if you're a completist, but otherwise, I'd let this one slide by.
To fill out the rest of the book, several other DC heroes were given eight or ten page stories: Green Lantern, Black Canary, Phantom Stranger, Wilddog, the Phantom Lady, and more. Nightwing was one of those features.
As Robin, Dick Grayson had had, of course, many solo stories, as backups in Detective Comics maybe, or in Batman Family. So it was nice to see Grayson back in the solo limelight. Except he wasn't solo for very long. His fellow Titan, Speedy, was as much the focus of these stories as Nightwing, and perhaps even more so as the series progressed.
Most of the book is written by Marv Wolfman, who was the writer of New Teen Titans, and therefore he gets Nightwing's voice consistent with how he was portrayed over in NTT. The story basically involves Nightwing and Speedy getting caught up in some international espionage and arms dealing, all tied to an Irish nationalist group (read IRA) in Northern Ireland. The last few stories are written by someone named Cherie Wilkerson.
Although the book starts off interesting enough, by the end, the story is flat and rather boring. By then, Wilkerson, who I don't think has written any other comics, was clearly out of her league as her tales are disjointed and inconsistent, and just downright insulting to Irishmen anywhere. It's an attempt to be relevant with the struggles in Northern Ireland at the time, but instead is cliched and maudlin.
The art is by a group of mid-80s DC stalwarts, and most of them are forgettable. Chuck Patton draws a number of them, and although his art is not terrible, it's uninspired and bland. Tom Mandrake drew the last few stories and although I love his work on the Spectre, Night Force, and other creepy tales which work well with his moody style, here it just looks distorted and the bright colors are garish when next to his heavy use of blacks.
The highlight of this books is the introduction of Lian, the child of Speedy and villain Cheshire. Although it's great seeing Speedy as a single dad, his fight scenes with Cheshire are tired and so full of Wolfman's melodrama it was almost laughable.
I really can't recommend this book to anyone but diehard Nightwing and Speedy fans. I feel it's misrepresented as a Nightwing book, as the focus ultimately is on Speedy. Even by mid-80s standards, it's rather poorly written and drawn. Get it and/or read it if you're a completist, but otherwise, I'd let this one slide by.
August 24, 2013
Enjoyable story but a little choppy. Reminds you of the old movies that showed a chapter each week. Still nice to have the story finally collected in one book instead of needing 10 issues of Action Comics weekly.
August 1, 2013
I never thought that I'd see these old Action Comics Nightwing stories in a graphic novel, but I enjoyed them in the eighties and I enjoyed them now.
May 24, 2022
Nightwing: Old Friends, New Enemies contained three stories originally published in the 1980s. The intro story ‘The Secret Origin of Nightwing’ was excellent. It was basically just going over Dick’s history from his time in the circus to his breaking away from Batman to become Nightwing, but it also had Dick’s own take on his relationship with Bruce and how different they truly are, even if they do care about one another as father and son.
The second storyline ‘The Cheshire Contract’ sees Nightwing and Speedy working together. This was a great story, and seeing Dick and Roy interact, both in costume and not, was perfect. Roy is clearly hiding the true intent of his mission from Dick but Dick helps him nonetheless because the two are good friends, and this comes across clearly in the story. I really enjoyed them comparing and contrasting themselves to the other. And the ending was so sweet!
The third and last story ‘Rocks and Hard Places’ was, I suppose, on some level supposed to be a sequel of sorts to ‘The Cheshire Contract’. Roy now has his daughter, Lian, and is planning on a better life for them both, but wow did this story quickly fly off the rails! All sorts of groups with weird names were thrown in, attacking Roy and each other, and I just could not follow what was going on as the story did little in true explanation.
Overall, I’d recommend reading the first two stories and skipping the third to get full enjoyment from this collection.
The second storyline ‘The Cheshire Contract’ sees Nightwing and Speedy working together. This was a great story, and seeing Dick and Roy interact, both in costume and not, was perfect. Roy is clearly hiding the true intent of his mission from Dick but Dick helps him nonetheless because the two are good friends, and this comes across clearly in the story. I really enjoyed them comparing and contrasting themselves to the other. And the ending was so sweet!
The third and last story ‘Rocks and Hard Places’ was, I suppose, on some level supposed to be a sequel of sorts to ‘The Cheshire Contract’. Roy now has his daughter, Lian, and is planning on a better life for them both, but wow did this story quickly fly off the rails! All sorts of groups with weird names were thrown in, attacking Roy and each other, and I just could not follow what was going on as the story did little in true explanation.
Overall, I’d recommend reading the first two stories and skipping the third to get full enjoyment from this collection.
September 12, 2023
6/10:
There are three stories showcased in this collection; a one-shot called The Secret Origin of Nightwing, 6-issues for The Cheshire Contract, and 9-issues for Rocks and Hard Places. Three very distinct stories, with two being awesome and the third being absolutely miserable.
The Secret Origin of Nightwing: pretty standard superhero stuff, but a well-written character developing story that focused on Nightwing’s time with the Teen Titans and his growing relationship with Jericho.
The Cheshire Contract: a seriously awesome story that requires very little prior knowledge of the main three characters (Nightwing, Speedy, Cheshire). We get an awesome and intimate look into the long heroic history of both Dick Grayson (Nightwing) and Roy Harper (Speedy), the trials and tribulations they’ve faced as longtime child heroes, and the intense relationships they’ve formed along the way. One of the coolest stories for both Dick and Roy that I’ve ever read.
Rocks and Hard Places: *yawn*. This story sucks. There are confusing and unexplored political conflicts that lead to brutal violence in Northern Ireland, but somehow Speedy and Nightwing are forced to get involved? Then the British and American governments are randomly shoved into the story? Why??
There are three stories showcased in this collection; a one-shot called The Secret Origin of Nightwing, 6-issues for The Cheshire Contract, and 9-issues for Rocks and Hard Places. Three very distinct stories, with two being awesome and the third being absolutely miserable.
The Secret Origin of Nightwing: pretty standard superhero stuff, but a well-written character developing story that focused on Nightwing’s time with the Teen Titans and his growing relationship with Jericho.
The Cheshire Contract: a seriously awesome story that requires very little prior knowledge of the main three characters (Nightwing, Speedy, Cheshire). We get an awesome and intimate look into the long heroic history of both Dick Grayson (Nightwing) and Roy Harper (Speedy), the trials and tribulations they’ve faced as longtime child heroes, and the intense relationships they’ve formed along the way. One of the coolest stories for both Dick and Roy that I’ve ever read.
Rocks and Hard Places: *yawn*. This story sucks. There are confusing and unexplored political conflicts that lead to brutal violence in Northern Ireland, but somehow Speedy and Nightwing are forced to get involved? Then the British and American governments are randomly shoved into the story? Why??
August 20, 2023
Nightwing: Old Friends, New Enemies is a book that not many people talk about. It collects Secret Origins (1986) 13 and Action Comics (1938) 613-618 and 627-634. The book begins with Secret Origins 13, the only non-Action Comics issue. It takes place on the planet Okaara during the events of New Teen Titans 16-19. In this issue, Nightwing talks about his circus days, and how he initially wanted to be like Bruce, but eventually realized how different they are. He also talks about being the leader of the New Teen Titans, his love for Starfire, and the increasing rift between him and Bruce. I really enjoyed this story. It's like listening to Dick talk to his psychiatrist.
The next story is a six-issue story arc written by Marv Wolfman entitled The Cheshire Contract. I wish I had read this before reading Birds of Prey because I had no idea who Cheshire was when she first appeared in Birds of Prey. Speedy (Roy Harper) approaches Nightwing to ask for his help in taking down Cheshire, the mother of his child. Speedy seems very emotional and unhinged. He's also not giving Nightwing the complete story, holding back crucial details. This is also a good story.
Despite the fact that this book is being marketed as a Nightwing book, the last story arc is really a Roy Harper story. Nightwing had a minimal role in this, but I didn't mind it at all because it's the first book I've read where Speedy takes center stage. Speedy is striving to be a good dad. He needs a break and decides to bring his child back to his roots in Dublin, Ireland, where they become embroiled in a war between two factions. The story was okay. However, it isn't as compelling as the first two stories. Overall, I think this book is a good read for Nightwing fans and an even better read for Roy Harper fans.
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
The next story is a six-issue story arc written by Marv Wolfman entitled The Cheshire Contract. I wish I had read this before reading Birds of Prey because I had no idea who Cheshire was when she first appeared in Birds of Prey. Speedy (Roy Harper) approaches Nightwing to ask for his help in taking down Cheshire, the mother of his child. Speedy seems very emotional and unhinged. He's also not giving Nightwing the complete story, holding back crucial details. This is also a good story.
Despite the fact that this book is being marketed as a Nightwing book, the last story arc is really a Roy Harper story. Nightwing had a minimal role in this, but I didn't mind it at all because it's the first book I've read where Speedy takes center stage. Speedy is striving to be a good dad. He needs a break and decides to bring his child back to his roots in Dublin, Ireland, where they become embroiled in a war between two factions. The story was okay. However, it isn't as compelling as the first two stories. Overall, I think this book is a good read for Nightwing fans and an even better read for Roy Harper fans.
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
December 12, 2013
The story of Roy Harper and his daughter pop up in all kinds of comics I've read from the 90s onward, so it was cool to finally read where it all came from! While this volume is always a bit cheesy to say the least, it's at least solid and enjoyable enough until halfway through the second storyline, when Cherie Wilkerson takes over from Marv Wolfman, and then... yikes. Plot totally goes off the rails, and while I can imagine the ending might have been rushed due if the serial was, say, unexpectedly terminated, she still could've done better than that. Interesting as a historical curiosity, and I'm glad DC is reprinting this older, more obscure material, but I can't say it would be worth your hard-earned dollars (once again, thank you public library!).
July 15, 2014
These tales were decent, not great. The title is very misleading. These are really Speedy stories in which Nightwing plays a supporting role.
For more (much, much more) on Dick Grayson, tune in to a special spotlight over on the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...
For more (much, much more) on Dick Grayson, tune in to a special spotlight over on the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...
November 30, 2020
Nightwing: Old Friends, New Enemies is a collection of fifteen issues which stars Dick Grayson as Nightwing – stories outside of his core series. Nightwing: Old Friends, New Enemies collects Secret Origins #13, Action Comics #613–618, 627–634 and three stories: "The Secret Origins of Nightwing", "The Cheshire Contract!", and "Rocks and Hard Places".
"The Secret Origin of Nightwing" is a half-issue story (Secret Origins #13), which covers Dick Grayson's origins, as well as his transition from Robin to Nightwing. The story takes place following the Teen Titans' time on Tamaran, while they're on the planet of Okaara and has Dick Grayson as Nightwing shares his story to Joey Wilson as Jericho.
"The Cheshire Contract!" is a six part-issue story (Action Comics #613–618) has Roy Harper as Speedy approaching Dick Grayson as Nightwing to help him out – just him and not the Teen Titans. Dick joins Roy in his mission, but as things start to unfold, it is quickly revealed that there's much more going on and Speedy isn’t exactly honest when he recruits Nightwing to support him either, something that not only puts them in danger, but Lian – Roy's daughter as well.
"Rocks and Hard Places" is a another six part-issue story (Action Comics #627–632) is anther Dick Grayson and Roy Harper team-up. It mainly focuses on Roy Harper and his daughter Lian Harper in Ireland. However, another mystery appears that has Roy Harper and his daughter in the middle and unfortunately, Dick Grayson is away for most of the story to investigate the mystery off-screen.
Marv Wolfman (Action Comics #613–618, 627–628), Cherie Wilkerson (Action Comics #627–634), and Dan Mishkin (Secret Origins #13) penned the trade paperback. Nightwing: Old Friends, New Enemies is written and constructed moderately well. The origin story of Nightwing, while repetitive and rehashing a very old story was done rather well – it was surprisingly heartwarming.
The two multi-issue stories center on the team-up between Dick Grayson, Roy Harper, and his daughter Lian Harper and her mother Jade Nguyen as Cheshire. The second story focuses mainly on the growth of Roy Harper, as an adult and as a father with Dick Grayson serving mostly as a secondary character. It is a nostalgic eighties story, which shows as the story is a tad safe, which made sense, because comics was still under the Comics Code Authority.
Chuck Patton (Action Comics #613–618), Tom Mandrake (Action Comics #627–630, 633–634), Vince Giarrano (Action Comics #631–632), and Erik Larsen (Secret Origins #13) penciled the trade paperback. For the most part, the pencilers didn't complement each other well, which made the artistic flow rather jarring – it doesn’t help that the style is rather dated as well.
On a side note: DC Comics should have entitled this trade paperback as Nightwing and Speedy: Old Friends, New Enemies and add the secret origin story of Roy Harper (Secret Origins #38) to the trade paperback, because it would have been more apropos, because it felt more like a team-up story than a Nightwing-centric story.
All in all, Nightwing: Old Friends, New Enemies is a mediocre collection of stories that features Dick Grayson as Nightwing and Roy Harper as Speedy as they team up together to protect Roy's daughter, Lian and to protect her from her mother – the assassin Cheshire.
"The Secret Origin of Nightwing" is a half-issue story (Secret Origins #13), which covers Dick Grayson's origins, as well as his transition from Robin to Nightwing. The story takes place following the Teen Titans' time on Tamaran, while they're on the planet of Okaara and has Dick Grayson as Nightwing shares his story to Joey Wilson as Jericho.
"The Cheshire Contract!" is a six part-issue story (Action Comics #613–618) has Roy Harper as Speedy approaching Dick Grayson as Nightwing to help him out – just him and not the Teen Titans. Dick joins Roy in his mission, but as things start to unfold, it is quickly revealed that there's much more going on and Speedy isn’t exactly honest when he recruits Nightwing to support him either, something that not only puts them in danger, but Lian – Roy's daughter as well.
"Rocks and Hard Places" is a another six part-issue story (Action Comics #627–632) is anther Dick Grayson and Roy Harper team-up. It mainly focuses on Roy Harper and his daughter Lian Harper in Ireland. However, another mystery appears that has Roy Harper and his daughter in the middle and unfortunately, Dick Grayson is away for most of the story to investigate the mystery off-screen.
Marv Wolfman (Action Comics #613–618, 627–628), Cherie Wilkerson (Action Comics #627–634), and Dan Mishkin (Secret Origins #13) penned the trade paperback. Nightwing: Old Friends, New Enemies is written and constructed moderately well. The origin story of Nightwing, while repetitive and rehashing a very old story was done rather well – it was surprisingly heartwarming.
The two multi-issue stories center on the team-up between Dick Grayson, Roy Harper, and his daughter Lian Harper and her mother Jade Nguyen as Cheshire. The second story focuses mainly on the growth of Roy Harper, as an adult and as a father with Dick Grayson serving mostly as a secondary character. It is a nostalgic eighties story, which shows as the story is a tad safe, which made sense, because comics was still under the Comics Code Authority.
Chuck Patton (Action Comics #613–618), Tom Mandrake (Action Comics #627–630, 633–634), Vince Giarrano (Action Comics #631–632), and Erik Larsen (Secret Origins #13) penciled the trade paperback. For the most part, the pencilers didn't complement each other well, which made the artistic flow rather jarring – it doesn’t help that the style is rather dated as well.
On a side note: DC Comics should have entitled this trade paperback as Nightwing and Speedy: Old Friends, New Enemies and add the secret origin story of Roy Harper (Secret Origins #38) to the trade paperback, because it would have been more apropos, because it felt more like a team-up story than a Nightwing-centric story.
All in all, Nightwing: Old Friends, New Enemies is a mediocre collection of stories that features Dick Grayson as Nightwing and Roy Harper as Speedy as they team up together to protect Roy's daughter, Lian and to protect her from her mother – the assassin Cheshire.
September 22, 2026
1.5 stars. Aside from the first issue, the two ongoing stories collected here revolve around Speedy’s life and his internal struggle, where Dick is more or less a side character. And, to be fair, if you’re a Roy Harper fan, this is a great book! But I bought this thinking it was Nightwing’s first stories as a solo hero, and I felt a little mislead. Not bad, just not what I wanted. Also, it’s very hard to find on paper, so that’s a negative for me.
The first issue was really good, though! Dick recounts his origin story to Jericho (one of my favorite characters from The Judas Contract). Dan Mishkin’s writing style is so fun to me because he does what many silver-age comics do and puts an emphasis on every sentence! Everything is important! But he also clearly cares for this character and the weight that his story has. The theme of this issues is that friendship overcomes loneliness, and it’s just so nice. This is one of those early issues that proves that Nightwing has always been a lighthearted, kind hero. Is it groundbreaking? Far from it, but it is very sweet. The art by Erik Larsen and colors by Carl Gafford also make Nightwing shine. Call me crazy, but I love his first suit and the art in this issue just makes it pop.
Sadly, most of this volume just isn’t worth it. I’m glad I bought it because it’s a great collection item, but it wasn’t worth it as a Nightwing story in my opinion.
The first issue was really good, though! Dick recounts his origin story to Jericho (one of my favorite characters from The Judas Contract). Dan Mishkin’s writing style is so fun to me because he does what many silver-age comics do and puts an emphasis on every sentence! Everything is important! But he also clearly cares for this character and the weight that his story has. The theme of this issues is that friendship overcomes loneliness, and it’s just so nice. This is one of those early issues that proves that Nightwing has always been a lighthearted, kind hero. Is it groundbreaking? Far from it, but it is very sweet. The art by Erik Larsen and colors by Carl Gafford also make Nightwing shine. Call me crazy, but I love his first suit and the art in this issue just makes it pop.
Sadly, most of this volume just isn’t worth it. I’m glad I bought it because it’s a great collection item, but it wasn’t worth it as a Nightwing story in my opinion.
May 28, 2023
(3.5 stars)
I really enjoyed the middle story and I thought the begining of the final story was set up well and I was enjoying it, but as it came to its conclusion there was just too many enemies and too much going on I couldn't tell what was happening nor did I care much when the bad guys got arrested.
The final story felt like it was happening around the protagonists (Speedy and to some degree Nightwing) rather than them having an active part in it.
I really enjoyed reading Roy's relationship with his daughter and his ex. Him and Cheshire had an interesting dynamic and his relationship with his kid was very sweet.
However, aside from the secret origin chapter at the beginning, these stories did feel more like they should be in a Speedy collection then a Nightwing one (Nightwing was completly absent for at least 2-4 of the issues) and having the troubles be a backdrop of this fight, especially when whatever message they were trying to send at the time about their thought on it all wasn't really coming through; felt a little insensitive?
I wasn't that fussed on secret origins but I don't really care much for comics that retread heroes origins (especially when they don't really add anything?) But my thoughts on the comic are a little biased as I already went into reading it with those feelings.
I really enjoyed the middle story and I thought the begining of the final story was set up well and I was enjoying it, but as it came to its conclusion there was just too many enemies and too much going on I couldn't tell what was happening nor did I care much when the bad guys got arrested.
The final story felt like it was happening around the protagonists (Speedy and to some degree Nightwing) rather than them having an active part in it.
I really enjoyed reading Roy's relationship with his daughter and his ex. Him and Cheshire had an interesting dynamic and his relationship with his kid was very sweet.
However, aside from the secret origin chapter at the beginning, these stories did feel more like they should be in a Speedy collection then a Nightwing one (Nightwing was completly absent for at least 2-4 of the issues) and having the troubles be a backdrop of this fight, especially when whatever message they were trying to send at the time about their thought on it all wasn't really coming through; felt a little insensitive?
I wasn't that fussed on secret origins but I don't really care much for comics that retread heroes origins (especially when they don't really add anything?) But my thoughts on the comic are a little biased as I already went into reading it with those feelings.
October 19, 2024
Collects SECRET ORIGINS #13 and ACTION COMICS WEEKLY #613-618 and 627-634 (Just the Dick & Roy stories).
I wish I had known about this book earlier its a lot easier to read than scrolling though Action Comics trying find the right story. (Better picture quality too)
The first issue mostly focuses on Dick but also features Joey. Dick and Joey had such a wonderful friendship before everything went awry... 😭
The Action Comic issues honestly seem more about Roy than Dick which doesn't bother me but it seems like "Speedy" should have been in the title of this collection.
Seeing Dick in his Discowing suit is an instant serotonin boost.
Lian 💖💚❤️💕💜🤍🌞☀️🌻🌈🌈🌻🌞🤍💜💕❤️💚💖💖🌻☀️☀️💖💖
Roy and Dick is probably my favorite friendship in DC Comics so I really enjoyed this collection.
I wish I had known about this book earlier its a lot easier to read than scrolling though Action Comics trying find the right story. (Better picture quality too)
The first issue mostly focuses on Dick but also features Joey. Dick and Joey had such a wonderful friendship before everything went awry... 😭
The Action Comic issues honestly seem more about Roy than Dick which doesn't bother me but it seems like "Speedy" should have been in the title of this collection.
Seeing Dick in his Discowing suit is an instant serotonin boost.
Lian 💖💚❤️💕💜🤍🌞☀️🌻🌈🌈🌻🌞🤍💜💕❤️💚💖💖🌻☀️☀️💖💖
Roy and Dick is probably my favorite friendship in DC Comics so I really enjoyed this collection.
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June 10, 2025the Cheshire Contract story was a great show of Dick and Roy’s relationship, though Cheshire’s arc kind of made no sense to me? she makes a clear separation between her life as a killer in costume and her life as a mother out of costume but then later declares “there is no Jade. I am … always Cheshire” and I don’t know where that change came from
the second story Rocks and Hard Places takes place in Ireland and I think I might just not know enough about the Troubles to really make sense of it. Roy helping the two little orphaned girls was sweet but everything else was just fine
the second story Rocks and Hard Places takes place in Ireland and I think I might just not know enough about the Troubles to really make sense of it. Roy helping the two little orphaned girls was sweet but everything else was just fine
April 12, 2020
Picked this up to see some early Erik Larsen. His lone issue was clearly done before he was allowed to let his freak flag fly. So that was a disappointment. The first of the longer arcs was pretty good. The second was genuinely terrible. Honestly, I couldn't even follow what was happening from panel to panel.
January 11, 2026
Secret comics #18 was ok, it told us Nightwings origins which at this point I know it all lmao, but still interesting.
Action comics #613-618 was really good, perfect Nightwing and Speedy team up. Also liked the plot a lot and it had a very emotional baggage that made me like Roy a lot (I haven't read much about him, but he's growing on me).
Action comics #624-629, I liked it at first but, as the plot went on, it became confusing and I found it boring ngl. Some things didn't make sense at all.
At least it had a good ending!
Action comics #613-618 was really good, perfect Nightwing and Speedy team up. Also liked the plot a lot and it had a very emotional baggage that made me like Roy a lot (I haven't read much about him, but he's growing on me).
Action comics #624-629, I liked it at first but, as the plot went on, it became confusing and I found it boring ngl. Some things didn't make sense at all.
At least it had a good ending!
August 25, 2025
me ha dado la sensación de que más que un comic de nightwing era de speedy 😔 no me quejo tampoco
July 11, 2026
the art is amazing I love the story it was captivating
September 4, 2026
First half really great almost five star worthy, second half really poor almost one star worthy, so three it is.
December 14, 2016
As a rule of thumb, if Marv Wolfman wrote it- I love it! This graphic novel was two complete and different stories. The first one was great. It involved Speedy asking Nightwing's help to stop an assassin that used to be his girlfriend, and is the mother of his baby. Several panels involve them discussing the case while changing clothes or showering! The second story takes place in Ireland and was too political and boring for my taste.
September 17, 2013
Reprints the Nightwing series in Adventure Comics. Starts off excellent, with great story and art, but by the last few chapters it's rushed and it's horribly cobbled. It feels like they just wanted to end it quickly. It also became less Nightwing's story and more about Speedy. Still, it's a good read.
November 13, 2013
A little dated, but you really can't pass up Marv Wolfman era Titans ... plus, Roy Harper is really the everyman's hero, isn't he?
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