Nightwing: The Lost Year

Nightwing (1996) (Original Trades) #13

by Marv Wolfman (Writer), Marc Andreyko (Writer), Jamal Igle (Illustrator)

Growing up as Robin the Boy Wonder, Dick Grayson lived a lifetime in the shadow of Batman. As an adult, the former sidekick took the identity of Nightwing and now forges his own identity as a crimefighter.

Collecting NIGHTWING #133-137 and NIGHTWING ANNUAL #2, this latest volume in the series written by Legendary author of THE NEW TEEN TITANS, Marv Wolfman, explores the lost year of Dick Grayson's life, after he quit being the Dark Knight's partner and before he joined the New Teen Titans. It's the year a friend, a foe, and a love from the past returned from the darkness to haunt him and changed his life forever.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Batman, Adventure

160 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2008

About the author

Marvin 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.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(B+) 76% | Good
Notes: It's like its two stories had a TV-style food duel and the theme ingredients were young love, heartache and flashback.

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book series really tanked with this filler addition about the character's transition from Robin to Nightwing in detail that really wasn't needed or wanted.

[machado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too flashback-heavy and repetitive for my taste, and what happened towards the end of the annual definitely didn't help.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because I am just about to start reading The New Teen Titans, Vol. 1
Even though it is written in 2007, the book is so flashback heavy that it fits more with the abovementioned book.

This is the story of Robin, after he left Batman and before the new Teen Titans was started. And it explores how that one year (321 days to be exact) has affected his life and is still affecting him in some ways.

There are two stories which are somewhat connected but in more ways than one, totally unconnected to each other. Had some good moments in them. And absolutely loved the art and how the movements was portrayed.

[Nico D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This just wasn't it for me.

The first story focuses on Dick recovering from a physically traumatic injury with Barbara at his side. As Babs facilitates his recovery, she also ensures he doesn't punish himself for his perceived failures. The flashbacks to moments of their relationship, from working a case as Robin and Batgirl, to Babs' first meeting with Starfire, are interesting and are (mostly) fun snapshots that show a lot of love between the two. It's a good showing for them as both friends and a romantic pair (again... mostly) and it was nice seeing these snapshot moments from a time I primarily associate Dick with the Titans. Not so much their relationship, but I especially liked the panel of Babs meeting Kory for the first time-- Kory is open and friendly as ever, while Babs is completely mortified. It's an interesting moment. I'd love to see a full story where the two of them have to team-up and deal with the ensuing awkwardness.

There are two major elephants in the room for Dick's fans in this book, and the first one is in this story. While recounting the first time Dick saw Barbara after her life changing injury, we learn they slept together... right before giving her an invitation to his wedding. This is... all sorts of problematic and is pretty infamous for being an event most fans tend to ignore to the point that I think even other creators made it fan discontinuity. I... can see why.

Really, my favorite element in the first story is Dick and Babs' dynamic, and the scenes where they were teamed up on the streets of Gotham. I'm a sucker for Batgirl/Robin team-ups in general.

The second story is only really thematically similar in that it also deals with a previous romance in Dick's life and is interspersed with flashbacks to past events. Unfortunately, though I've loved Marv Wolfman's writing for Dick in so many other stories, here I'm just not feeling it. First is the second big elephant in the room moment that the story doesn't really tackle appropriately: sixteen, going on seventeen, year old Dick is literally targeted by an adult woman (presumably in her early twenties at the youngest) who seduces him with the intent to use him to commit a crime. Dick gets straight up statutory'd and the narrative doesn't treat that as particularly egregious. The issue isn't her age or intentions, it's that she broke Dick's heart and trust.

This is used as a flimsy explination as to why he's had trouble committing to previous women in his life. Every time he thinks about it we see the ghostly images of Babs and Kory in the background, haunting him like specters. It's not a terrible concept, but the execution feels off. I don't care about this woman Dick still has complicate feelings for, and the story doesn't do anything to make me care. I'm here for people doing appaling things, but the woman has a boring motivation that didn't feel super developed. I get that she and her past boyfriend were doing criminal things because H.I.V.E , or whatever, but honestly the main plot feels like an afterthought to the melodrama-- and it's not even particularly engaging melodrama.

I don't mind how Dick's written-- I particularly liked his repeated thoughts of "don't trust her, don't trust her" while he's totally letting himself trust her. I think there's a good idea here, but the overall story is just too bland, and the other characters too uninteresting, to really make me care much. I only care because I care about Dick already, not because the story did anything noteworthy.

Oh, and there's a new Vigilante and we don't learn really anything about them and I just didn't care.

The art is also pretty mixed. I like the way Dick's acrobatics are depicted, but I didn't care for the faces. There mouths look overly detailed and something about it was off-putting to me.

I can't say this book is "bad", but I can't say it's "good" either. It's a year that could've stayed lost and we wouldn't be any the worse off.

[Ben Truong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nightwing: The Lost Year continues where the previous trade paperback left off collecting the next five issues (Nightwing #133–137) of the 1996 on-going series with Nightwing Annual #2 and collects two stories: "321 Days" and "Hero's Journey".

"321 Days" is a five-issue storyline (Nightwing #133–137) that has Dick Grayson as Nightwing must discover whether Liu and Metal Eddie, members of a ninja gang Dick Grayson joined while estranged from Bruce Wayne, have returned to crime after being released from jail, or whether they're being targeted by a new Vigilante with ties to the old Teen Titans foe.

"Hero's Journey" is a one-issue storyline (Nightwing Annual #2) explores Dick Grayson's journey from Robin to Nightwing and his romantic relationships with Barbara Gordon and Starfire. After Dick Grayson as Nightwing was injured, he is convalescing at Barbara Gordon’s place as they reminisce about their shared past and current relationship.

With the exception of one issue (Nightwing Annual #2) which was written by Marc Andreyko, Marv Wolfman penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it is written moderately well, Wolfman follows is two parallel stories, one of Nightwing solving the mystery in the present, and the other of a conflicted Dick Grayson falling in love with Liu and sorting out his conflicted relationship with Batman. Andreyko's story is a nice reminiscent story about the relationship between Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon, albeit there are a couple scenes that are objectionable and out of character.

Jon Bosco (Nightwing #135–137), Jamal Igle (Nightwing #133–134), and Marc Andreyko (Nightwing Annual #2) penciled the trade paperback. For the most parts these pencilers while with different styles, complements each other rather well, which made the artistic flow rather seamless, despite having a change of penciler mid-story, which is rather undesirable.

All in all, Nightwing: The Lost Year is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marv Wolfman's odd Nightwing run ends and he plays with his Vigilante playground which was decent but there was too much goofy stuff to truly enjoy. Dick runs into a new character who's an old flame (the timing makes little sense) and is positive she's no good. She's connected to a shadier character. Vigilante is hunting them both. Chaos ensues. There are some solid fight scenes and some really good dialogue between Nightwing and Vigilante about how they are where they are in life. The art was iffy at times. The book does collect the wonderful annual that explains how Dick and Barbara's relationship changed during One Year Later. Overall, an uneven book that does more to set up Wolfman's Vigilante series than anything else.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for Annual #2 “Hero’s Journey” by Marc Andreyko which focuses on Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon’s relationship history and why they are so good for one another. Unfortunately, the rest of this book (“321 Days”...terrible title with an even worse explanation) is written by Marv Wolfman and focuses on Nightwing dealing with an old flame and her criminal connections. The plot is lame with no depth or excitement, and I did not care about anyone including Nightwing for these five issues of melodramatic flashbacks and hackneyed schemes. Just read the annual and ignore the rest.

[Brad McKenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the first issue in this collection. It explores Dick and Babs' relationship, complete with flashbacks to their first date. It was well written and deepened the bond between them. The next 4/5ths of the collection was less good. It was good to see a little bit of what happened to Dick after he was fired from being Robin but before he became Nightwing but the Vigilante and Eddie and Liu characters fell flat for me.

[Alli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the first story, "Hero's Journey" by Marc Andreyko, but the second story, "321 Days" by Marv Wolfman was not my favorite. I did enjoy the deep dive into Dick Grayson's emotional trauma, but I had a lot of trouble following the plot which was... let's say convoluted.

But "Hero's Journey" was great, and was a lovely wistful romance for Dick and Babs.

[Valerie R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nightwing's romances encapsulated. Come on, Dick! You can do better!!

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old acquaintances come back.

[mayleh · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️2.5

[cc · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review can also be found on my blog.

Nightwing is injured and left in a coma after the Crisis. When he wakes up, a year has gone by. Barbara Gordon is there when Dick wakes up and is tasked with being his physical therapist. But their time together proves ultimately too painful for both of them, and Dick leaves after his recovery. Back on the streets of Gotham, Nightwing stops a kidnapping attempt on someone he used to know. Liu visits Dick at his work, wanting to see him after being released from prison. Dick already knows he can’t trust her, but especially after she tells him she’s working for “Metal” Eddie Hwang, the leader of a gang Dick used to run with. Liu swears he’s clean now, but Dick isn’t so sure. For one, it can’t be a coincidence that Liu comes to see Dick Grayson the night after Nightwing rescues her. And Vigilante has shown up, swearing revenge on the seemingly reformed Eddie. What’s the connection? What does Liu want? Why does Dick want to trust her even though he knows he can’t?

This one is smack in the middle of the arc, so it was hard to get my bearings at first. I adored how elements of Barbara and Dick’s relationship were recounted in the beginning. They’re just so cute! Their first date was incredibly funny. Get ready for the feels though after that.

This is a good example of the inner struggle a hero faces. Dick wants to see the good in Liu, even though she’s hurt him before. He knows he can’t trust her, but wants to give her the benefit of the doubt anyway, even if it means he has to get hurt again. I suppose much of a superhero’s fights are internal more than external. This was definitely an internal book. I enjoyed it, but probably wouldn’t pick it up again. The rest of the book after Dick and Babs just wasn’t interesting to me??? Idk if that speaks to how much I love those two or how the book actually was.

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the way a lot of the characters are drawn in this collection, and there are nice moments between characters (especially Dick and Babs), but there's also a lot of weird out of character stuff.

Liu exist purely to explain why Dick Grayson/Nightwing has trouble committing to relationships, but I don't really see that as Dick's problem in relationships (and he does have problems). Most of the backstory involving Liu and Metal Eddie feels shoehorned into what we already know about Dick.

And the plot structure is strange. And are several smaller plot bumps, but my main issue is whatever the heck the character arc was supposed to be. It starts off like the conflict for Dick one of trust vs. fear, optimism vs. cynicism, which is a natural exploration for Dick's character. But then the story concludes with the decision that, because of Batman, Nightwing doesn't kill (or let other people kill). Which was never really an issue for Dick in the story, or in general, so why is this the big conclusion?

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit it, I'm a fan of Nightwing. I like that he's a character that has evolved within the DC Universe from a sidekick to a leader to a hero in his own right.

This is a neat collection from the series that fills in the periods where Dick was Robin but not really in the same sidekick way. It follows him growing up. The first story with Barbara Gorden was sweet and funny and nostalgic to the old "Dynamite Duo" days. The second arc was more like the New Teen Titans days that were all about teen angst. I liked them both.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite four stars, that's why I'm only giving this one three, but it's a definite improvement on the previous volume. Dick's a lot more Dick here, finally, although to be honest I could care less about the girl stuff (well, I do like Dick/Babs, and the annual really was great, but the rest of it was.. there just was too much of it). And as for the last couple of panels - uh, Dick, honey, it didn't REALLY take you ten years or so to get the message that Batman - and you - don't kill, did it?

Still, this was fun and just a lot better than the previous ones, so yay.

[sixthreezy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nightwing is becoming an increasingly interesting character to me. Obviously I'm learning more about Dick Grayson as I wade my way through the plethora of Batman comics I've been reading recently. This one sticks out to me as the most tragic, but the most enlightening to the character of Grayson's heart and mind. I especially loved this in the beginning due to the flashbacks of when he was Robin, showing the differences of character between times. Would have liked to have seen an ending with more power packed into the punch, but this was pretty good regardless.

[John Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling read. Wolfman's still got it after all these years. The only critique was the ending, which jumped straight to a denouement without conventional resolution. Am I to trust that the mystery of this new Vigilante gets picked up in a subsequent arc? Does Nightwing 'save' his antagonists from him? Wolfman also hit hard on Grayson's pathological weakness for the femme fatale, but that's hardly unique treatment for the character.

[Christen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a must for Dick/Babs fans looking for more behind the scenes information on this pairing. However, the other stories didn't capture my interest much.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. Some great art, but I want to know what happens! Guess I will have to track down the next volume.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dick/Babs! My favorite Nightwing TPB yet.

[c wylie misselhorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh okay. I like Nightwing but this one didn't really grab me.

[Kacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 stars for the single issues. 4 stars for the annual. Averages out to 3 stars.