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Nightwing (1996) (New Edition Trades)
Nightwing, Volume 2: Rough Justice
In the fallen city of Blüdhaven, crime and corruption have replaced civil society almost entirely. From the mayor on down to the lowliest dogcatcher, everyone on the public payroll has been bought and paid for by the gangsters who run the show. But this town’s brutal status quo is about to be disrupted by the last thing anyone expects: a hero.
Actually, make that two heroes. As Nightwing, Dick Grayson has already given the local thugs a first taste of his two-fisted brand of justice. When his old mentor Batman unexpectedly joins him on patrol, however, both the underworld and its formidable leader, Blockbuster, sit up and take notice.
The acclaimed creative team of Chuck Dixon, Scott McDaniel and Karl Story is joined by guest talents Devin Grayson, Greg Land and Bob McLeod for NIGHTWING VOL. 2: ROUGH JUSTICE, collects issues #9-18 of the original series together with NIGHTWING ANNUAL #1.
Actually, make that two heroes. As Nightwing, Dick Grayson has already given the local thugs a first taste of his two-fisted brand of justice. When his old mentor Batman unexpectedly joins him on patrol, however, both the underworld and its formidable leader, Blockbuster, sit up and take notice.
The acclaimed creative team of Chuck Dixon, Scott McDaniel and Karl Story is joined by guest talents Devin Grayson, Greg Land and Bob McLeod for NIGHTWING VOL. 2: ROUGH JUSTICE, collects issues #9-18 of the original series together with NIGHTWING ANNUAL #1.
296 pages, Paperback
Published June 16, 2015
23 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Dixon
3,426 books1,029 followersCharles "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."
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."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
August 19, 2019
One thing Chuck Dixon knows is how to make Nightwing fun. Lots of action, short, funny moments with the supporting cast, and simple but enjoyable plots. Blockbuster is a great foil, turning him into a Kingpin type after he went through Underworld Unleashed. The issues with Batman are great, Dixon gets their dysfunctional relationship. The only poor story in the mix is the annual by Devin Grayson where Dick marries someone who he thinks is a black widow type. The story is boring and either Greg Land hadn't found his style yet or Bob McLeod did an awful job inking Land's pencils because the art is crap. I still like Scott McDaniel's art on Nightwing but I did notice it was overly busy. Some pages are really difficult to make out because there's just too much crap on the page.
January 5, 2024
I had such a fun time reading it and this one really will make you fall in love with Dick as there are so many fun stories like the one focusing on Soames and his turn into villainy and the danger thats Blockbuster and I love how the writer makes him so brutal, a fun battle vs Scarecrow and you really get to see the fears that Dick has and then the stories in the middle of the issues focusing on Tad and him meeting Tarantula and sort of maybe become a vigilante and having read it, I love how you get clues about the whole thing from the start,
Then comes Deathstroke and I love their face off and the case involving Man-bat and how Nightwing rescues him, and though the costume for Slade here is kinda bad but oh well and then obviously the big one with the return of Batman and some stores focusing on how Dick is angry at him but then coming back around and showing Bruce's concern for his ward and then their team up vs Lady Vic, Stallion and final battle vs Blockbuster and it was freaking epic.. the whole build up and then the big battle and its so worth it, and I feel like in this run, the villain will make another return maybe.
But yeah good moments between Dick and Bruce and the final story about some marriage that Dick has to stage and rescuing the woman and the case of the dying husbands and who it is.. and its an okay story.. it was an annual and those days they were kinda like this one and done story but still a solid one issue story that highlights Dick's character really well though there were some romance scenes brilliantly written there.
So yeah a volume with a lot of stuff going on, some high and low points but mostly high with consistent art and I freaking love the covers and a great continuation of the run, pay off to a lot of plot points being there from the start and set up for some new stuff to come down the line and btw just mentioning, I just love how Amydala is the new tenant and the tension between Dick and his landlord Clancy and I can't wait to see the romance between them develop haha and also Nightwing getting his own cars and base?! Umm thats so cool.. its an awesome read!!
Then comes Deathstroke and I love their face off and the case involving Man-bat and how Nightwing rescues him, and though the costume for Slade here is kinda bad but oh well and then obviously the big one with the return of Batman and some stores focusing on how Dick is angry at him but then coming back around and showing Bruce's concern for his ward and then their team up vs Lady Vic, Stallion and final battle vs Blockbuster and it was freaking epic.. the whole build up and then the big battle and its so worth it, and I feel like in this run, the villain will make another return maybe.
But yeah good moments between Dick and Bruce and the final story about some marriage that Dick has to stage and rescuing the woman and the case of the dying husbands and who it is.. and its an okay story.. it was an annual and those days they were kinda like this one and done story but still a solid one issue story that highlights Dick's character really well though there were some romance scenes brilliantly written there.
So yeah a volume with a lot of stuff going on, some high and low points but mostly high with consistent art and I freaking love the covers and a great continuation of the run, pay off to a lot of plot points being there from the start and set up for some new stuff to come down the line and btw just mentioning, I just love how Amydala is the new tenant and the tension between Dick and his landlord Clancy and I can't wait to see the romance between them develop haha and also Nightwing getting his own cars and base?! Umm thats so cool.. its an awesome read!!
June 20, 2017
I'm having a good time going back to the 90's and 2000's for Batfamily. This was way better than I expected. Volume 1 was a bit uneven but this is a lot more focused. This has a few arcs, mostly revolving around Blockbuster (Dick's main enemy) and a little Batman and Bat-man (The guy who turns into a bat). We also get a little two issue arc story about the time Dick married someone and they were bad.
What I liked: Really dug everything with Blockbuster. He's a fun, over the top, Kingpin like villain. Nightwing and Batman teaming up to take him down was both fun and exciting and we see Dick grow as a person. I also enjoyed the arc after with the Bat creature. It reminded me of the LIzard. Enjoyed the difference of how Batman would approach it verse how Nightwing does. The art was a little easier to follow in this volume too.
What I didn't like: The last two issues contained a wonky story and a old school look that felt out of place compared to the rest. I felt this was the weakest part.
Overall I enjoyed reading this a lot. Enough to buy the next few volumes. I really hope Nightwing keeps up being this good.
What I liked: Really dug everything with Blockbuster. He's a fun, over the top, Kingpin like villain. Nightwing and Batman teaming up to take him down was both fun and exciting and we see Dick grow as a person. I also enjoyed the arc after with the Bat creature. It reminded me of the LIzard. Enjoyed the difference of how Batman would approach it verse how Nightwing does. The art was a little easier to follow in this volume too.
What I didn't like: The last two issues contained a wonky story and a old school look that felt out of place compared to the rest. I felt this was the weakest part.
Overall I enjoyed reading this a lot. Enough to buy the next few volumes. I really hope Nightwing keeps up being this good.
July 7, 2015
Chuck Dixon continues what could be the best Nightwing comics run ever with this second collection, Rough Justice. For me, this is Richard Grayson. Only Batman the Animated Series came as close to defining the character with Nightwing’s handful of appearances in The New Batman Adventures. Dixon continues to bring a youthful exuberance to Dick (heh…had to get that out of the way) that reminded me of a young Spider-Man at times. That type of upbeat attitude is a nice change of pace from the grim and uncompromising characters that I’m typically drawn to. That’s not to say there isn’t some darkness to city of Bludhaven in this book, just a little less in the way that Nightwing views himself and his mission there.
Chuck picks up right where he left off in Vol.1 with this collection. I don’t necessarily think that this book has the best writing going (it doesn’t), but it could be Dixon’s best. In addition to continuing to flesh-out his new cast of characters, he has a few familiar faces from Gotham drop by to kick-it with Nightwing. I’m not gonna name drop the first guy to stop in because it might spoil some of the fun of the first couple of issues. Next up, Batman. Yep, the caped crusader finally makes the trek south to check up on how Dick is making out down in Bludhaven and he sticks around for a significant portion of the book. Much like the back and forth between Nightwing and Robin in the last collection, I think Dixon did a good job with the banter between these guys. Felt right. Nightwing’s still out to prove himself to his mentor and sees Bludhaven as the place to do it. This book is set not long after Knightfall and prior to Dick’s own turn at being Batman in Morrison’s run. This seems to be where Bruce began to really recognize his former ward’s self-sufficiency and is starting to see him as his own man. At least from Dick’s point of view.
Deathstroke and Man-bat also swing by while in town. While this story seemed sorta filler-ish, I thought it was fun and liked having Slade make an appearance. He’s a favorite of mine. Dixon also squeezes in a couple of tender moments with Oracle. I’m the kind of hopeless romantic that always wanted to see Barbara end up with Dick…Grayson, I mean. Plus, we get to catch up with Blockbuster, Clancy (the super), and Inspector Soames from the first trade. The Nightwing Annual #1 is also included in this one. Not much to say about this one other than “ehh”. Devin Grayson wrote the story and it didn’t really do anything for me and it probably should have been just left out altogether. Didn’t fit with the rest of the trade.
Scott McDaniel and Karl Story continued to “WOW” me with their tremendous artwork. In addition to his version of Nightwing, I especially loved McDaniel’s take on Deathstroke. Scott caught alotta shit for changing up his costume at the time this was originally published. I actually liked it sans the orange. Both his Man-bat and Batman impressed as well. His cartoony style combined with Story’s thick inks is not gonna be everybody’s cuppa, but I love it. Probably could be described as being somewhat similar to Humberto Ramos’ stuff, in the way you’re either gonna like it or you won’t. And much to my dismay, Greg Land’s artwork manages to worm its way into this trade as well right at the very end. Sorta left a bad taste in my mouth. His stuff just doesn’t do it for me at all.
This Nightwing collection is an easy recommend to anyone that liked volume 1, digs the character, or enjoys Batman overall. Great series that is finally back in print for everyone that missed Dixon and McDaniel’s terrific run the first time around.
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January 2, 2019
The streets of Bludhaven continue to run red as Nightwing battles Blockbuster at every turn. The return of Lady Vic, the Scarecrow, and an appearance from Batman all converge to ensure that Dick constantly has something going wrong, while a hidden threat percolates in the shadows. Plus, Nightwing gets a car, and gets married?!
This is a 3.5, rather than a 3, but GoodReads, so y’know. But it’s a marked improvement on the first volume, not just because it’s got a lot more superhero stuff as opposed to just normal gang violence for Dick to deal with but because he’s got his feet under the table in Bludhaven and the story can now really begin.
The standout issues are the Scarecrow two-parter, as well as the few issues featuring Batman, since these feel the most “Nightwing” and not like stories you could swap any other Bat-heroes into and they’d be exactly the same. They examine his relationship with Bruce as well as with himself on a deep level, and they’re all the better for it. (Also worth mentioning is the Man-Bat two-parter, mostly just because I like Man-Bat, to be honest.)
I like that Chuck Dixon has the ongoing Blockbuster story to tell, but there are a lot of little subplots going on as well, like Dick’s attempts at romance with his superintendent, as well as the growing threat of Tad, who is creepy as all hell. It shows a real commitment to long-term storytelling that really isn’t as present in modern comics (since they all get cancelled after 12 issues so there’s no time for it, usually).
The annual is probably the worst part of the volume, since it’s far too long, far too obvious, and far too bland. Dick pretends to get married to draw out what appears to be a black widow murderer, but it’s painfully clear that that isn’t the case and is instead Throwaway Background Character #8. I really just wanted it to end by about halfway through.
The art remains Scott McDaniel for the main issues, which is par for the course, while Greg Land returns for the annual, so everything’s visually consistent with the first volume and there’s no much else to say on that front.
Bar the over-stuffed annual, this volume is a definite step-up from volume 1. The characters are more established, and Dixon’s story really gets rolling assisted by some well done exploration of Nightwing through the sparing use of Batman as a foil. Hopefully it’s a sign, and that means volume 3 will be the best yet.
This is a 3.5, rather than a 3, but GoodReads, so y’know. But it’s a marked improvement on the first volume, not just because it’s got a lot more superhero stuff as opposed to just normal gang violence for Dick to deal with but because he’s got his feet under the table in Bludhaven and the story can now really begin.
The standout issues are the Scarecrow two-parter, as well as the few issues featuring Batman, since these feel the most “Nightwing” and not like stories you could swap any other Bat-heroes into and they’d be exactly the same. They examine his relationship with Bruce as well as with himself on a deep level, and they’re all the better for it. (Also worth mentioning is the Man-Bat two-parter, mostly just because I like Man-Bat, to be honest.)
I like that Chuck Dixon has the ongoing Blockbuster story to tell, but there are a lot of little subplots going on as well, like Dick’s attempts at romance with his superintendent, as well as the growing threat of Tad, who is creepy as all hell. It shows a real commitment to long-term storytelling that really isn’t as present in modern comics (since they all get cancelled after 12 issues so there’s no time for it, usually).
The annual is probably the worst part of the volume, since it’s far too long, far too obvious, and far too bland. Dick pretends to get married to draw out what appears to be a black widow murderer, but it’s painfully clear that that isn’t the case and is instead Throwaway Background Character #8. I really just wanted it to end by about halfway through.
The art remains Scott McDaniel for the main issues, which is par for the course, while Greg Land returns for the annual, so everything’s visually consistent with the first volume and there’s no much else to say on that front.
Bar the over-stuffed annual, this volume is a definite step-up from volume 1. The characters are more established, and Dixon’s story really gets rolling assisted by some well done exploration of Nightwing through the sparing use of Batman as a foil. Hopefully it’s a sign, and that means volume 3 will be the best yet.
December 17, 2025
Several of the issues highlighted how Dick really want to step out of Batman's shadow, but he still wants validation from Bruce
July 12, 2020
3.5 ⭐️making my way through the Chuck Dixon run of Nightwing in order. My favourite DC character
November 27, 2016
3.5 stars.
I love Dick Grayson but I kind of got bored several times while reading this.
Dick's adorable as usual. This book starts with the conclusion of the 21 dead bodies from the last volume. It's an interesting conclusion with Blockbuster and Soames. The fights actually ha some tension because Blockbuster is a pretty scary dude.
Bruce shows up and Dick's concerned that he's just trying to check in to see if Dick's up to the job. It's rather adorable how Bruce worries about his bat kids.
There's a minor subplot of Babs and Dick getting closer again and the super,, Clancy, trying and failing to spend time with Dick.
I wanted a conclusion to the "vigilante" hurting innocent people because I hated watching that. It was awful and there wasn't even a hint that Dick was on to it.
The black widow case was pretty interesting. I felt really sorry for Emily and Dennis. Interesting seeing Dick in a family role for a bit. He loves children and I really hoped he'll have a family someday.
Anyway, I'll most likely pick up the next volume but I wasn't super impressed with this one.
I love Dick Grayson but I kind of got bored several times while reading this.
Dick's adorable as usual. This book starts with the conclusion of the 21 dead bodies from the last volume. It's an interesting conclusion with Blockbuster and Soames. The fights actually ha some tension because Blockbuster is a pretty scary dude.
Bruce shows up and Dick's concerned that he's just trying to check in to see if Dick's up to the job. It's rather adorable how Bruce worries about his bat kids.
There's a minor subplot of Babs and Dick getting closer again and the super,, Clancy, trying and failing to spend time with Dick.
I wanted a conclusion to the "vigilante" hurting innocent people because I hated watching that. It was awful and there wasn't even a hint that Dick was on to it.
The black widow case was pretty interesting. I felt really sorry for Emily and Dennis. Interesting seeing Dick in a family role for a bit. He loves children and I really hoped he'll have a family someday.
Anyway, I'll most likely pick up the next volume but I wasn't super impressed with this one.
May 25, 2017
I hate to keep harping on about this, but the 90's were not kind to comics. I'm remembering very clearly why I stopped reading them in this decade. I'm also shallow enough that the art has to be pretty for me to truly enjoy a series.
Young(er?) Dick is kind of hard to love at times. I'm having a hard time understanding why he's so grumpy about Bruce (maybe because I didn't read the Batman comics that came before this? or is it a dude thing?), though the need to prove himself is a good(ish) tool for character development.
Another disadvantage of not having a good grounding in Batman and Boy Wonder history is that I wasn't sure who the other characters showing up were. There was some background given, but for the most part, I just floated along with the "truse me, this is a Bad Guy" feeling.
Also Soames: Ew.
Young(er?) Dick is kind of hard to love at times. I'm having a hard time understanding why he's so grumpy about Bruce (maybe because I didn't read the Batman comics that came before this? or is it a dude thing?), though the need to prove himself is a good(ish) tool for character development.
Another disadvantage of not having a good grounding in Batman and Boy Wonder history is that I wasn't sure who the other characters showing up were. There was some background given, but for the most part, I just floated along with the "truse me, this is a Bad Guy" feeling.
Also Soames: Ew.
May 15, 2025
I really like how this series is evolving. The supporting cast is fleshed out, the antagonists are shifting, adapting and changing, Nightwing's relationship to the existing Batman family is explored further and the book has a really good flow in general.
Nightwing has multiple romantic options that could be explored, he clearly has issues with his family or rather, the lack of a family, which shows in his very sensitive relationship to Batman. The villains in here are fun and there's just the right amount of open plot threads that are running in the background, that makes me want to keep reading.
While Nightwing's supporting cast is fleshed out nicely and his relationship are explored further, the character himself still feels a little bland. He feels like a mix between a rookie Batman & rookie Spider-Man, jumping over the rooftops, but having an arsenal of money to throw at his problems. I hope this will improve as the series goes on.
There's a really odd annual in here, where Nightwing marries a random stranger to solve a series of murders. It doesn't get in the way of the ongoing series, but it feels a bit off.
All in all I'm quite impressed of how Chuck Dixon manages to create so much out of so little, that allows a (still) bland character, such as Nightwing to have his own series and make it compelling at the same time.
Nightwing has multiple romantic options that could be explored, he clearly has issues with his family or rather, the lack of a family, which shows in his very sensitive relationship to Batman. The villains in here are fun and there's just the right amount of open plot threads that are running in the background, that makes me want to keep reading.
While Nightwing's supporting cast is fleshed out nicely and his relationship are explored further, the character himself still feels a little bland. He feels like a mix between a rookie Batman & rookie Spider-Man, jumping over the rooftops, but having an arsenal of money to throw at his problems. I hope this will improve as the series goes on.
There's a really odd annual in here, where Nightwing marries a random stranger to solve a series of murders. It doesn't get in the way of the ongoing series, but it feels a bit off.
All in all I'm quite impressed of how Chuck Dixon manages to create so much out of so little, that allows a (still) bland character, such as Nightwing to have his own series and make it compelling at the same time.
April 17, 2022
5 stars
Nice to see Dick in Bludhaven again. Also liked seeing Batman show up and all the other stuff that happened.
Nice to see Dick in Bludhaven again. Also liked seeing Batman show up and all the other stuff that happened.
September 19, 2025
Here it comes. I've been expecting this.
"You've got a handle on things down here. I'm proud of you."
"Uh. Oh. Yeah?"
:')
"You've got a handle on things down here. I'm proud of you."
"Uh. Oh. Yeah?"
:')
August 3, 2025
4.5
More of Chuck Dixon's consistently strong storytelling and Scott McDaniel's complex art.
More of Chuck Dixon's consistently strong storytelling and Scott McDaniel's complex art.
May 15, 2017
Nightwing: Rough Justice (Vol. 2) picks up where the previous volume left off. Dick Grayson is living in Bludhaven, working in a bar by day, and as Nightwing by night. The initial story starts right in the middle, and quickly turns to horror for Dick - but it turns out he was dosed with the Scarecrow's fear gas - thus what he's experiencing (especially being unable to save a child, or even himself) is a hallucination. Dick does realize, that he's essentially been poisoned and goes after Scarecrow - as well as dealing with the after-effects for most of the book.
Bruce Wayne, Batman, arrives in Bludhaven to check up on Dick. The whole section with Bruce is beautifully written - because Dick assumes that Bruce is there to check-up on him, and by extension - that means he doesn't think Dick can handle things in Bludhaven by himself. It doesn't occur to Dick that Bruce is actually worried about him. Bruce also lets Dick know about his trust fund, which he says is from Dick's parents. (Uh huh - I'm pretty sure the money came from Bruce, but oh well.)
Blockbuster and his henchmen are major villains in the story.
The last story in the book is completely separate - three chapter story in which Dick marries a "Black Widow" - a young woman who's previous three husbands died in mysterious circumstances - two during the honeymoon. Dick, of course, thinks she's a murderer. However, his investigation, with Oracle's help, finds something else is going on. I quite enjoyed the final story - it was so different from the normal superhero story, and gave Dick a chance to really shine outside of his costume.
Bruce Wayne, Batman, arrives in Bludhaven to check up on Dick. The whole section with Bruce is beautifully written - because Dick assumes that Bruce is there to check-up on him, and by extension - that means he doesn't think Dick can handle things in Bludhaven by himself. It doesn't occur to Dick that Bruce is actually worried about him. Bruce also lets Dick know about his trust fund, which he says is from Dick's parents. (Uh huh - I'm pretty sure the money came from Bruce, but oh well.)
Blockbuster and his henchmen are major villains in the story.
The last story in the book is completely separate - three chapter story in which Dick marries a "Black Widow" - a young woman who's previous three husbands died in mysterious circumstances - two during the honeymoon. Dick, of course, thinks she's a murderer. However, his investigation, with Oracle's help, finds something else is going on. I quite enjoyed the final story - it was so different from the normal superhero story, and gave Dick a chance to really shine outside of his costume.
September 6, 2018
Oh my goodness, this series has been a painful read... This series has NOT aged well. I love Nightwing, really! But now, looking back, I am terribly grateful that I never spent money on this series when it was on the shelves!
March 20, 2021
I really liked this volume. Dick Grayson has moved out of Wayne Manor and is trying to make it on his own in Blüdhaven. He lives in a shitty apartment and initially plans to pay his own way with a job at a local cop bar. He doesn't entirely know what he's doing and may have bit off more than he can chew, but he's still willing to try anyway. He's pretty much at the same point of his life as myself, and I really enjoyed the fictional company. He also has a pretty big chip on his shoulder about Bruce not valuing him enough to ask him to take over the mantle while he was gone (I'm not sure where to be honest), and even though they love each other Bruce and Dick are too stupid, stubborn and resentful to communicate properly and repair their damaged relationship. Also a parallel to my life, hehe.
Unlike the last volume Dick is honestly a good person in Rough Justice. He recognizes his faults in his conflict with Bruce, and reaches out to apologize, he treats attacking guard dogs with kindness instead of violence, and even shields them from bullets, forgives and looks out for a kid who breaks into his apartment and he plays the role of supportive step dad to a kid who's mother he becomes involved with. This is the Dick Grayson I love and hopefully the one that will continue to be written in Tom Taylor's series.
The supporting cast of this volume was also fantastic. We get to learn a little more about Tad, the other vigilante in Blüdhaven with a much looser definition of justice who also shines a light on why we don't have vigilantes in the real world. In addition, there are appearances by Alfred, Barbara, Bruce and Kirk Langstorm and, in a fear-toxin induced nightmare, Donna Troy, Roy Harper and Jason Todd. If you've been following my reviews, you kow I'm a sucker for any post-death, pre-red hood Jason Todd references where his family actually shows love for him, and this one definitely hit the mark. Dixon actually writes diverse characters, including a South Asian American doctor and Chinese Irish superintendent. The ethnicities of these characters barely impact the story, but it makes a big difference for minority readers. On top of that he continued Devin Grayson's concept of Dick being half Romani, which I absolutely love. It makes complete sense with his nomadic circus heritage and puts a character with South Asian roots in the spotlight! Not just South Asian, but Romani a group so rarely represented that I actually had to look it up the first time I came across the word. I am a huge believer in the positive impact representation can have in media and this was a fantastic way to incorporate it.
There were some odd decisions in this volume though that I was a bit confused by. Firstly, in Dick's nightmare he is married to Donna Troy. Donna and Dick have always had an extremely loving, platonic relationship despite both being straight and hot. It's an extremely under appreciated concept in media and I didn't like the implication that they would ever want something romantic with each other. Furthermore, all of the issues start right in hte middle of the action. While this is great for drawing people in, it can also be very confusing. The very first issue starts with Dick being attacked in a mall and I honestly still can't say I fully understand why. Then, the nightmare issue starts in the middle of the nightmare which is very disorienting, especially given the fact that scarecrow wasn't mentioned previously. This could have been effective in putting us in Dick's mind but the impact was reduced by the fact that almost every single issue starts in an equally disorienting situation. The annual was also confusing because it had no introduction and clearly took place before the events of the first volume (evidenced by Dick's polarizing ponytail) but didn't quite line up with the chronology we're familiar with. Dick is working a case with Batman after becoming Nightwing without any sort of animosity between the two. It's a decent story, otherwise and has appearances from Donna and Wally which are always wonderful.
On the opposite side of the confusion train, Dick mentions that the corruption in Gotham starts on the streets, whereas in Blüdhaven it starts at the mayor's office and trickles its way down a lot. I understand the point, but definitely did not need it repeated that many times.
Overall, this was a pretty great book! I'm genuinely excited to see where Dixon takes the story next!
Unlike the last volume Dick is honestly a good person in Rough Justice. He recognizes his faults in his conflict with Bruce, and reaches out to apologize, he treats attacking guard dogs with kindness instead of violence, and even shields them from bullets, forgives and looks out for a kid who breaks into his apartment and he plays the role of supportive step dad to a kid who's mother he becomes involved with. This is the Dick Grayson I love and hopefully the one that will continue to be written in Tom Taylor's series.
The supporting cast of this volume was also fantastic. We get to learn a little more about Tad, the other vigilante in Blüdhaven with a much looser definition of justice who also shines a light on why we don't have vigilantes in the real world. In addition, there are appearances by Alfred, Barbara, Bruce and Kirk Langstorm and, in a fear-toxin induced nightmare, Donna Troy, Roy Harper and Jason Todd. If you've been following my reviews, you kow I'm a sucker for any post-death, pre-red hood Jason Todd references where his family actually shows love for him, and this one definitely hit the mark. Dixon actually writes diverse characters, including a South Asian American doctor and Chinese Irish superintendent. The ethnicities of these characters barely impact the story, but it makes a big difference for minority readers. On top of that he continued Devin Grayson's concept of Dick being half Romani, which I absolutely love. It makes complete sense with his nomadic circus heritage and puts a character with South Asian roots in the spotlight! Not just South Asian, but Romani a group so rarely represented that I actually had to look it up the first time I came across the word. I am a huge believer in the positive impact representation can have in media and this was a fantastic way to incorporate it.
There were some odd decisions in this volume though that I was a bit confused by. Firstly, in Dick's nightmare he is married to Donna Troy. Donna and Dick have always had an extremely loving, platonic relationship despite both being straight and hot. It's an extremely under appreciated concept in media and I didn't like the implication that they would ever want something romantic with each other. Furthermore, all of the issues start right in hte middle of the action. While this is great for drawing people in, it can also be very confusing. The very first issue starts with Dick being attacked in a mall and I honestly still can't say I fully understand why. Then, the nightmare issue starts in the middle of the nightmare which is very disorienting, especially given the fact that scarecrow wasn't mentioned previously. This could have been effective in putting us in Dick's mind but the impact was reduced by the fact that almost every single issue starts in an equally disorienting situation. The annual was also confusing because it had no introduction and clearly took place before the events of the first volume (evidenced by Dick's polarizing ponytail) but didn't quite line up with the chronology we're familiar with. Dick is working a case with Batman after becoming Nightwing without any sort of animosity between the two. It's a decent story, otherwise and has appearances from Donna and Wally which are always wonderful.
On the opposite side of the confusion train, Dick mentions that the corruption in Gotham starts on the streets, whereas in Blüdhaven it starts at the mayor's office and trickles its way down a lot. I understand the point, but definitely did not need it repeated that many times.
Overall, this was a pretty great book! I'm genuinely excited to see where Dixon takes the story next!
January 31, 2021
I'm reading these all out of order, whoops! ¯\_(´-｀)_/¯
But because I've already read vol. 3 Nightwing: Love and Bullets & vol. 4 Nightwing: A Darker Shade of Justice (both of the First Editions Series) I know this series is only getting better and better.
What I liked about this volume:
I liked the first two issues of the volume (#9 & #10) with Dick hallucinating under Scarecrow's fear toxin. The art was a little wild at parts (matching the story), but Dick comparing and failing against his "neighbor" Bruce Wayne was very trippy & good storytelling.
From having read on I know Soames and Tad are creepy fixtures in the next volumes. I like the slow build and continuity here of Chick Dixon building this story and putting in these recurring characters. Blockbuster is also a great character (as everyone else has named him here, he's "a good Kingpin" like villain). Without their continuity I think this volume would have read like a bunch of one off stories put together in a volume, which reads a bit weak for me.
I LOVED the middle issues (#13-#15) with Batman and Nightwing. They were so emotionally charged with Nightwing resentful and awkward and nervous that Batman had come to Bludhaven to check up on him (and afraid he'll be found wanting!). I think that all came out so well here! And despite all the *feelings*, they work so well together! They are great partners no matter that Nightwing left Gotham to get out from underneath Batman's wing.
And in addition to Batman's friendly face, I liked issues #17 & #18 with Nightwing trying to save Man-Bat from Deathstroke. Having a handful of old Gotham fixtures in this volume is a fun way to ease Nightwing into his new city with its new baddies.
Unlike a lot of other readers, I actually liked Nightwing Annual #1.
The art was old school (not my favorite), but I actually liked the story well enough! It would be like Nightwing to fake marry someone to try and solve a string of crimes. And the classic Nightwing heartbreak is how he ends up (emotionally) hurting the woman he was trying to help...Classic, Dick.
(Fun cameos by all of Dick's Teen Titan friends who don't know who the rando woman is that he's marrying lol. + Fun/awkward interactions with Barbra, Batman & Tim who are all in on it.)
3.5/4 stars
But because I've already read vol. 3 Nightwing: Love and Bullets & vol. 4 Nightwing: A Darker Shade of Justice (both of the First Editions Series) I know this series is only getting better and better.
What I liked about this volume:
I liked the first two issues of the volume (#9 & #10) with Dick hallucinating under Scarecrow's fear toxin. The art was a little wild at parts (matching the story), but Dick comparing and failing against his "neighbor" Bruce Wayne was very trippy & good storytelling.
From having read on I know Soames and Tad are creepy fixtures in the next volumes. I like the slow build and continuity here of Chick Dixon building this story and putting in these recurring characters. Blockbuster is also a great character (as everyone else has named him here, he's "a good Kingpin" like villain). Without their continuity I think this volume would have read like a bunch of one off stories put together in a volume, which reads a bit weak for me.
I LOVED the middle issues (#13-#15) with Batman and Nightwing. They were so emotionally charged with Nightwing resentful and awkward and nervous that Batman had come to Bludhaven to check up on him (and afraid he'll be found wanting!). I think that all came out so well here! And despite all the *feelings*, they work so well together! They are great partners no matter that Nightwing left Gotham to get out from underneath Batman's wing.
And in addition to Batman's friendly face, I liked issues #17 & #18 with Nightwing trying to save Man-Bat from Deathstroke. Having a handful of old Gotham fixtures in this volume is a fun way to ease Nightwing into his new city with its new baddies.
Unlike a lot of other readers, I actually liked Nightwing Annual #1.
The art was old school (not my favorite), but I actually liked the story well enough! It would be like Nightwing to fake marry someone to try and solve a string of crimes. And the classic Nightwing heartbreak is how he ends up (emotionally) hurting the woman he was trying to help...Classic, Dick.
(Fun cameos by all of Dick's Teen Titan friends who don't know who the rando woman is that he's marrying lol. + Fun/awkward interactions with Barbra, Batman & Tim who are all in on it.)
3.5/4 stars
December 22, 2025
Nightwing, Vol. 2: Rough Justice is written by Chuck Dixon and illustrated by Scott McDaniel.
While this book features Batman villains like Scarecrow, Man-Bat and Two-Face, Dixon is clearly committed to giving Nightwing his own villains, carefully laying the groundwork for characters who will become more important later on. At the same time, Dixon develops not only Nightwing and his rogues’ gallery, but Dick Grayson’s supporting cast as well. Bridget Clancy is an adorable potential love interest for Dick, and Amygdala, a former Arkham inmate, is set up as one of Dick’s new neighbors. Using Amygdala here is a great choice. He’s just misunderstood.
One of my favorite parts of this book is when Batman drops by Blüdhaven. Nightwing still has issues with Batman thinking he couldn’t cut it after Bruce Wayne chose Azrael to take over the mantle of the Bat during Knightfall, so it’s nice to see the two of them spend a night together and iron things out. It’s also a nice gesture on Bruce’s part to let Dick know that he has funds available to help him set up his own headquarters.
Nightwing also encounters Deathstroke in this book. This is the first time I’ve seen Deathstroke in an all-blue costume. I still prefer his traditional character design. This book also collects Nightwing’s first Annual, which is written by Devin Grayson and illustrated by Greg Land. While the story itself is just okay, Land’s art is a nice change of pace from McDaniel’s very dynamic and cartoony style.
Out of all my Nightwing trades, this was the hardest one to find because, at the time I bought it, it was selling for much more than the other volumes on the secondary market. Looking back, I still have no idea why that was the case. Nevertheless, this book is a big improvement over the first volume, as Dixon really starts to catch his stride here. I don’t get why this book is titled Rough Justice, given that the issue actually titled Rough Justice is Nightwing 7, which is collected in the first volume.
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
While this book features Batman villains like Scarecrow, Man-Bat and Two-Face, Dixon is clearly committed to giving Nightwing his own villains, carefully laying the groundwork for characters who will become more important later on. At the same time, Dixon develops not only Nightwing and his rogues’ gallery, but Dick Grayson’s supporting cast as well. Bridget Clancy is an adorable potential love interest for Dick, and Amygdala, a former Arkham inmate, is set up as one of Dick’s new neighbors. Using Amygdala here is a great choice. He’s just misunderstood.
One of my favorite parts of this book is when Batman drops by Blüdhaven. Nightwing still has issues with Batman thinking he couldn’t cut it after Bruce Wayne chose Azrael to take over the mantle of the Bat during Knightfall, so it’s nice to see the two of them spend a night together and iron things out. It’s also a nice gesture on Bruce’s part to let Dick know that he has funds available to help him set up his own headquarters.
Nightwing also encounters Deathstroke in this book. This is the first time I’ve seen Deathstroke in an all-blue costume. I still prefer his traditional character design. This book also collects Nightwing’s first Annual, which is written by Devin Grayson and illustrated by Greg Land. While the story itself is just okay, Land’s art is a nice change of pace from McDaniel’s very dynamic and cartoony style.
Out of all my Nightwing trades, this was the hardest one to find because, at the time I bought it, it was selling for much more than the other volumes on the secondary market. Looking back, I still have no idea why that was the case. Nevertheless, this book is a big improvement over the first volume, as Dixon really starts to catch his stride here. I don’t get why this book is titled Rough Justice, given that the issue actually titled Rough Justice is Nightwing 7, which is collected in the first volume.
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
February 10, 2018
This trade paperback picks up where the previous volume left off, collecting the next ten issues (9-18) and the first Annual in the 1996 on-going series.
Having decided making Blūdhaven his home, Dick Grayson gets a job at a local cop bar in the guise of being a mystery writer, while doing his vigilantism and fighting criminals at night. In this volume, Grayson faces off with the Scarecrow and Blockbuster and his henchmen.
Bruce Wayne as Batman also makes a cameo. At first Grayson thought that his surrogate father was checking up on him or evaluating his capabilities as a vigilante in Blūdhaven, but realized later that Wayne was just worried about him.
I somewhat enjoyed the annual at the end, albeit it stuck out from the rest of the volume very noticeably. Grayson goes undercover as himself, surrogate son to Bruce Wayne and heir to his fortune, to marry a woman who he suspects in killing her previous three rich husbands. I really liked the fact that it was a Dick Grayson story, not a Nightwing story, but I had issues with the plot and the writing.
However, the rest of the volume was written rather well. I really enjoyed how Dixon portrayed Grayson with his humor and easy going attitude. The art was also rather good with some weak spots here and there. All in all, I'm enjoying myself and looking forward to the next volume.
Having decided making Blūdhaven his home, Dick Grayson gets a job at a local cop bar in the guise of being a mystery writer, while doing his vigilantism and fighting criminals at night. In this volume, Grayson faces off with the Scarecrow and Blockbuster and his henchmen.
Bruce Wayne as Batman also makes a cameo. At first Grayson thought that his surrogate father was checking up on him or evaluating his capabilities as a vigilante in Blūdhaven, but realized later that Wayne was just worried about him.
I somewhat enjoyed the annual at the end, albeit it stuck out from the rest of the volume very noticeably. Grayson goes undercover as himself, surrogate son to Bruce Wayne and heir to his fortune, to marry a woman who he suspects in killing her previous three rich husbands. I really liked the fact that it was a Dick Grayson story, not a Nightwing story, but I had issues with the plot and the writing.
However, the rest of the volume was written rather well. I really enjoyed how Dixon portrayed Grayson with his humor and easy going attitude. The art was also rather good with some weak spots here and there. All in all, I'm enjoying myself and looking forward to the next volume.
June 7, 2020
What a start, eh? I won't spoil much by saying that the volume starts with a Scarecrow story. Scarecrow's fear-induced dreams are a highlight for any artist but Scott McDaniel is just perfect for this. The already deformed proportions of characters he draws and high dynamics give that frenzied feverish quality to the depicted events, ideally suited for Scarecrow.
But let's speak about the volume itself. The previous one revealed his nemesis - Blockbuster and had his first encounter with Nightwing. This one proceeds to a full-blown war with the villain and in the meantime develops the dirty cop "Deadly" Soames storyline in a totally zany way. Thankfully, Dixon feels comfortable in his position so all the filler story arcs tie in nicely to the overall events. The main story is moving forward all the time and enough pages are left to develop side stories.
For example, for two volumes now the author slowly tells a story of a side character, this misguided sadist fella named Tad, that will probably come into his own in the third or fourth volume. Nice to see what Dixon can do when given a long run and freed from the distractions like crossover events. Oh, wait, the first issue in the third volume is Cataclysm crossover...
Read
February 7, 2020Chuck Dixon’s Nightwing continues to be a decently fun read. This volume is better than the first, because the stories have a little more superhero heft to them, as opposed to the simple gang violence of the latter. We see Scarecrow, Blockbuster, Man-Bat, Two-Face, and even Batman show up here (the scenes with Batman are the best part of the book). While I don’t see these stories being all that memorable in the long run, they’re fun enough. There’s lots of action in every issue. I still don’t like McDaniel’s art, but he has a singular way of making action scenes pop, so that’s something. Dixon’s internal monologue for Dick is enjoyable; he really makes him feel so different from Batman). Bludhaven and its inhabitants are also more fleshed out. There is a glaring dud in this collection, though, and it’s the annual. The story is obvious, tone-deaf, and simply doesn’t work.
Also, maybe Batman, Volume 10: Knightmares is still fresh in my mind, but I thought the two Scarecrow dream sequence issues that open the book were actually pretty good. Way better than the aforementioned misfire, at least.
Also, maybe Batman, Volume 10: Knightmares is still fresh in my mind, but I thought the two Scarecrow dream sequence issues that open the book were actually pretty good. Way better than the aforementioned misfire, at least.
July 12, 2022
I'm not enjoying Dixon's run on Nightwing as much as I enjoy his run on Robin, but the Nightwing stuff is good - it's not great, though. Rough Justice is more of Dick settling into Bludhaven, and setting up Nightwing's Rogues Gallery. The interesting storylines, to me, were Bruce / Batman showing up in Bludhaven and Bruce and Dick navigating their relationship and Dick continuing to come into his own. This character building stuff was really strong, and I really liked it. The actual superhero plot was mostly bland, generic, and somewhat disappointing. It is well worth noting that
Scott McDaniel's art is so bad it is distracting from the story. Characters are drawn almost cartoony, and the pages are so busy there's no negative space - it's chaotic to the point of being nearly impossible, at times, to determine what is actually happening. This would be closer to 3.5 or 4 stars if it actually had art that wasn't awful.
Scott McDaniel's art is so bad it is distracting from the story. Characters are drawn almost cartoony, and the pages are so busy there's no negative space - it's chaotic to the point of being nearly impossible, at times, to determine what is actually happening. This would be closer to 3.5 or 4 stars if it actually had art that wasn't awful.
April 11, 2019
This series is fantastic already on the second volume and I am loving the struggle that Nightwing has in bring some trying to end the corruption in Bludhaven, and how he's doing on his own trying to do things his own way without the help from Batman who does appear in this volume as does some of his villains and there is a awesome cameo from one of his deadliest ones which was a pleasant among the appearance of others from the Batman's rogues gallery. But another great thing is the fact that Nightwing himself is developing his own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2021
Love this character, love this book and love this creative team.
A very noir mood, where Nightwing is trying to put some manners in the 'Haven, fighting agains dirty cops, Blockbuster and another bad guys. Batman is here, with his trust on Dick being on check, about if he will take care of this city. Great art, love Scott McDaniel, great lines by Chuck Dixon and Nightwing is awesome.
A very noir mood, where Nightwing is trying to put some manners in the 'Haven, fighting agains dirty cops, Blockbuster and another bad guys. Batman is here, with his trust on Dick being on check, about if he will take care of this city. Great art, love Scott McDaniel, great lines by Chuck Dixon and Nightwing is awesome.
August 18, 2022
Whew. Who knew 90's comics could be so rough? I mean sure, the plot's fun and Dick Grayson is a joy to read about, but that artwork gave me a physical headache. This volume ends with a Devin Grayson story I straight-up skipped because holy drama, Batman. (Am I talking about the story or the author? It really doesn't matter.)
August 22, 2023
This was just fun. Watch our hero develop on his own (with batman showing up a few times). The ManBat story was great, always liked the character and appreciated how it was handled. The annual was good but somewhat out of step with the rest (diff writer/artist explains that adequately). Watching Soames, Tad, and a few others to see what happens there...
April 15, 2024
The second Nightwing book I've read for this ongoing project, I really feel like it's some of the best writing I've ever seen from Chuck Dixon. Scott McDaniel's art is also a lot of fun, reminds me of how fluid comics became in the late 1990s, which makes sense as that's when these books were first published
March 1, 2024
kinda controversial but I actually do like the emily issue in nw annual #1 like she’s so sweet to him and he wants a family so bad but he just can’t be in love with her fr and she doesn’t want to force him to stay in a loveless fake marriage
January 3, 2025
I'm still not a big fan of the art style, but the writing is much better than the previous volume. Deathstroke shows up at one point and he's... blue? I guess they loved turning unsuspecting characters blue in the 90s.
July 22, 2019
Good, partial history of Dick in Bludhaven, though still connected with Bruce and Barbara.
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