A (Negative) Analysis of Tom Taylor's Nightwing Run - Introduction
Introduction
Who is Dick Grayson?
What Went Wrong? Dick's Characterization
What Went Wrong? Barbara Gordon
What Went Wrong? Bludhaven (Part 1, Part 2)
What Went Wrong? Melinda Lin Grayson
What Went Wrong? Bea Bennett
What Went Wrong? Villains
Conclusion
Bibliography
I want to start this essay by admitting Iām actually embarrassed by its length. Why did I spend so much time on something I dislike? The truth is, I did not begin this with the intention of creating such an extensive, formal study of the Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondoās Nightwing run and how it reflects the wider problems with DCās handling of one of their most iconic characters. I was just trying to organize the thoughts that came up during discussions with other Dick Grayson fans. Before I knew it, I had enough material, enough desire to challenge myself, and enough frustrations to vent to properly create this monstrosity.
I did not begin this Nightwing run determined to hate it. In fact, I was ready to love it. As Taylor promoted the run before the first issue was officially released, I was so excited for it. As I read short interviews where he discussed Heartless, I could not wait to have a new, incredible villain. Foolishly, I believed Taylor when he said he loved Dick Grayson.Ā
Needless to say, I was disappointed. Then frustrated. Then angry. The beginning of any story is a period where writer and reader form an indirect bond, and as the story progresses, so do the highs and the lows of said relationship. As such, a readerās tolerance for negative factors will either increase or decrease depending on their experience up until that point.
In other words, if the writer fails to earn the readerās trust and instead takes their attention for granted, even seemingly insignificant details become irritating in a way they would not be if presented in a better story. In such scenarios, the reader can no longer overlook those minor moments because thereās little good to balance them out with. It is a death by a thousand cuts.Ā
In the case of Taylor and Redondoās run, along with those thousand cuts are also broken bones, internal bleeding, head trauma, and severed limbs. A weak plot, simplistic morality that undermines the storyās stated themes, and, most importantly, a careless disregard for Dick Grayson and everything he stands for utterly destroyed my enjoyment of this series.Ā
It is still too early to tell what sort of impact Taylorās (as of time of writing, still unfinished) run will have on Dick Graysonās future portrayals. But just because we cannot predict its long term significance, it does not mean we cannot critique it. Currently, we simply lack the benefit of hindsight.Ā
If this essay were to have a thesis, then it is this: Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondoās Nightwing not only fails to tell a compelling Nightwing story, but it also exemplifies a cynical, self-serving, and shallow approach to storytelling that prioritizes creating hollow viral moments to boost the creatorsā own online popularity over crafting a good story, honoring the character in their care, and respecting his fans ā fans who have, historically, often been women, queer folk, and other individuals who felt othered by a cisheteronormative patriarchal society. Taylor and Redondoās thoughtless and superficial narrative not only undermine the socially progressive ideals they supposedly care for by propagating a cisheteronormative patriarchal worldview, but they also demonstrate a lack of love and understanding for the character in their care. At best, Taylor and Redondo have no interest in getting to know Dick Grayson, nor any respect for their predecessor and their contributions to this character. At worst, they despise Dick so much that they wish to reinvent him into something completely different, tossing away everything that was special to his fans in order to appeal to a readership that never cared about Dick Grayson.Ā
I structured this essay so that, hopefully, each part will build on the ones that came prior. Naturally, because all aspects of a story are interlaced, there will be overlaps between each of the sections. As it may have become obvious from this introduction, Iāll be focusing primarily on the writing of this run. That is not to say that I will not address the art, but writing is the field I know most about, and so it feels only fair to focus my critique on that.Ā
I hope that by the end of this essay, I will have successfully proved that this runās mishandling of different narrative elements betray a cynical appropriation of progressive ideology and a disregard and disinterest in what makes Dick Grayson so special to so many people. This is an attitude that is present within DC Comicsā current ethos as a whole.
Now, who is this essay for? Honestly, itās probably not for Tom Taylor fans. I do not believe Iāll be persuading anyone with my writing, and, to be quite honest, neither would I say I wish to do so. Taylor and Redondoās run has won numerous awards and has many dedicated fans who adore it for what it is. If that is you, then Iām glad. I wish I could be among your numbers. I wish more than anything that I could love this story. But I do not, and I know many others agree with me, and it is to them, I think, that Iām speaking to. As Taylorās run is praised to heaven and back, I needed a safe space to voice my thoughts. This essay became this safe space. And to others who also feel unseen by the constant praise this run is getting, I think this could speak to you, as well. To be cliche and cringe, this will hopefully let you know that you are not alone.Ā
Finally, I want to acknowledge some people whose thoughts greatly contributed to the creation of this essay. For around three years now Iāve been having wonderful interactions with other Dick Graysonās fans, and those discussions were not only incredibly fun and cathartic, but also provided great insight into what needed to be included in this essay. My best friend especially gave me a space to vent when I got frustrated, and my original outline borrowed a lot from the messages I sent her, as well as notes I took for our discussions.Ā Ā
Iāll also be directly quoting four different Dick Grayson fans (identified as Dick Grayson Fans A, B, and C in order to allow them to keep their anonymity). Their analyses were so critical to the formation of my thesis and for a lot of what will be addressed in this essay that I actually feel like they deserve co-credit in this essay. Dick Grayson Fan B especially deserves a shoutout in helping me track down a couple of pages used as supporting evidence, as I knew what pages I was looking for but was having a hard time remembering in which issue they were located. Iām quoting them with permission, and crediting their ideas and contributions whenever relevant.Ā
Now, without any further ado, letās get started.Ā
random acts of fiction: The Secret Origins of Duke Thomas
this is a revision to my Duke + Constant theory.
ok now, gather 'round children, gather 'round! I have returned from the Source and i have taken a story (or a theory) to give to you.
See, I was looking into the DC cosmology and the story started to reveal itself. First we have The Constant, the head of the House of Knowledge. he's 1 of 5 ancient immortal metahumans from the dawn of man. he has a sun for a head. this got me thinking: what if Duke Thomas directly descends from the Constant?
First, some context. in the DC universe there are three important tribes from the dawn of humanity: the Wolf tribe, the Bear tribe, and the Bird tribe.
From the Bear tribe, there were five siblings who came into contact with a meteorite, the same meteorite Vandal Savage came into contact with which we later learn was a piece of The Totality. these five siblings became the Immortal Man, the Infinite Woman, the Forever Child, their unnamed sister, and The Constant.
coming into contacting with the meteorite gave them all immortality, making them the world's first metahumans. Considering these six are the earliest known metahumans on earth, it's very likely they are the ancestors of all naturally occurring metahumans on earth in modern day.
More pointedly, based the golden yellow solar visual motif he's got going on with his mask/helmet/headdress, The Constant appears to be related to another metahuman who is also Immortal and who shares a similar motif: Gnomon, the mysterious immortal father of Duke Thomas!
while we don't know much about Gnomon, what we do know is that Duke could sense that Gnomon was telling the truth when he revealed the little we know about his plans and history. this confirms Gnomon is a) indeed Immortal & b) Duke's father
Gnomon claims to be centuries old and has been working on his machinations over a thousand years, placing his origin somewhere in precolonial Africa; and who else was operating in ancient Africa? the The Constant! he's spotted overlooking the construction of the Library of Alexandria
See, after becoming Immortals the Bear Tribe separated and formed their own "houses" based around their individual philosophy on how to best guide humanity. Each Immortal House traveled to, influenced, and implemented their philosophy for mankind in a different region of the world. the House of Conquest was spotted in the Roman Empire, the House of Expression at the Vatican in Italy, House of Harmony in Bodh Gaya in India, House of Action in the Americas and the Constant (the House of Knowledge) was spotted in Egypt; pre-colonial Africa. this also provides a rough racial/ethnic breakdown of which metahumans descend from whom.
I posit Gnomon is or was part of the House of Knowledge, as The Constant's direct descendant or (even more wildly) is The Constant himself. Before it's cancellation, Duke was meant to cross paths with the Immortal Men down the line, I think this was how he was meant to connect.
why do I say that? In the back of the Immortal Men TPB, we learn the House of Knowledge are scholarly monks who study everything about the world and hoard the knowledge rather than sharing. a mission perfect for metas with photosensory powers like Gnomon, Duke and even Duke's mother; Elaine Thomas.
You see, before coming to Gotham, Duke's mother was involved with the Immortal Man and the secret war between Immortals. At some point she turned her back on all the Immortals to hide Duke away from Gnomon.
connecting the dots here, I think Gnomon was a member of the House of Knowledge who got ambitious and grew tired of only learning about things. for whatever reason, he specifically picks Elaine and breaks from the House of Knowledge; likely to build his own empire with his family
but why Elaine? she's a metahuman, sure, but what would make her special enough to warrant attention from Gnomon, the al Ghuls, and the Immortal Man? for the longest time I couldn't think of a particular reason why, until recently. now mind you, this probaably the biggest reach i'm gonna make but just go wit me here since it'll likely be disproved soon anyway š
Duke is the Last Monitor in the upcoming Tales from the Dark Multiverse: METAL story. a name that calls to mind Nix Uotan, the last member of the Monitor race descended from Mar Novu (The OG Monitor) and a being Duke has seen in a vision from an Nth metal isotope.
Duke's name (The Signal) is a reference to his mother, who had a habit of going to work at the first light of day; like a signal knight on the frontlines. what if The Last Monitor is the same? a name in deference to his mother. perhaps her lineage. What if Elaine Thomas (and thus Duke) is descended from Nix Uotan and by extension the Monitor race, Mar Novu all the way to the Over-void aka the Source! It would make sense that the House of Knowledge would know of and seek out anything related to the Monitors (cosmic chroniclers like themselves) and would be able to track any one related to them on earth.
That's the secret origin: Duke is the nexus point of humanity and DC cosmology, the descendant of both the first Metahumans and the Monitor race. a Human-Source entity.
this is the story that I have taken and given to you
So I'd been rereading Immortal Men in preparation for updating the Metahuman page on DC's wiki and the most obvious thing slapped me in the face:
this is The Constant of the House of Knowledge (self-evident), one of the 5 original Immortals of the Bear Clan; he has a sun for a face. this got me thinking, I think Duke directly descends from the Constant.
First of all, some context. in the DC universe there are three important tribes from the dawn of humanity: the Wolf tribe, the Bear tribe, and the Bird tribe. From the Bear tribe, there were five siblings (Immortal Man, Infinite Woman, The Constant, Forever Child, and a unnamed sister) came into contact with a meteorite, the same meteorite Vandal Savage came into contact with. coming into contacting with the meteorite gave them all immortality, making them the world's first metahumans. it was later discovered that this meteorite was actually part of the Totality, a piece of creation containing Nth metal and other esoteric forces from the DCU, which does have mutagenic effects on things in it's vicinity. Considering he's one of the first six known metahumans on earth, it's very likely they are the ancestors of all naturally occurring metahumans in earth already. However, more pointedly, there's a clear golden-yellow solar visual motif going on with his mask-headdress thing, which he shares with Gnomon, who also is an immortal.
while we don't know much about Gnomon, what we do know, due to their biological/familial connection, is that Duke could sense that Gnomon was telling the truth when he revealed his plans and history. Now, Duke, his mother, and Gnomon all seem to have a familial disposition for photosensory powers, abilities that would fit right into the House of Knowledge, who seek information and knowledge.
then there's also this panel where we see The Constant observing the construction of (presumably) the Great Library of Alexandria
You see, after becoming Immortals the Bear Tribe separated and formed their own "houses" based around their individual philosophy on how to best guide humanity. Each Immortal House traveled to, influenced, and implemented their philosophy for mankind in a different region of the world; Conquest to the Roman Empire, Expression to the Vatican in Italy, Harmony to Bodh Gaya in India (seen under the Bodhi Tree, implying an influence on Buddhism), and Action having an influence on North America. Now, as a Nigerian with a love of both comics and pre-colonial African history, nothing irks me more than when people lazily can only think to use Egypt as the only example of pre-colonial African civilization BUT, in this case, it's a handy indicator of which region of the world is the domain of the House of Knowledge - Africa. Which would mean members of his House would likely consist of Africans and the african diaspora, and he [The Constant] would likely be black himself. also keep in mind, in the original story pitch for the Immortal Men, The House of Knowledge [then: Wisdom] are scholarly monks who study everything about the world and hoard the knowledge rather than sharing.
here's my theory, I posit Gnomon is or was either a member or the House of Knowledge, The Constant's direct descendant, or (more wildly) is The Constant himself in disguise or under an alias. Jim Lee, who worked on Immortal Men early on, did say Duke was meant to cross paths with the Immortal Men down the line, I think this was how he was meant to connect. if I were to connect the dots here on how they were going to go about this, I think Gnomon was going to be a member of the House of Knowledge who got ambitious and grew tired of only learning about things. so, for whatever reason, he specifically picks Elaine (maybe she has some metahuman ability that is compatible with Gnomon and would result it a powerful child a la Endeavor) and breaks off from the House of Knowledge; likely to build his own empire. at some point The Immortal Man approaches Elaine to join him instead of siding with Gnomon but she chooses neither and escapes to Gotham, with the key to his plan - Duke. So Gnomon works on his machinations while he looks for Duke and Elaine, which led to the events of Batman and the Signal once Gnomon found Duke.
Dre being a mob kid, Dax being Joe Chills son (implied), Duke's step-dad helping to build Gotham... that slapped. I think all the WAR crew should have a special connection to Gotham's past.
God i hope they do something with the characters & themes of We Are Robin and Batman & The Signal. Like. Duke Thomas is such an interesting character & concept. Damian is probably Bruce's last Robin (not a complaint, the guy has enough of them) & i love the idea of Duke being something entirely different, and not just bc hes a meta. Like. WAR's whole thing was the kids of Gotham rising up & being their own Robins bc Batman wasnt around to look out for the little guy. It was about Duke learning to work with a team & see different sides of an issue. Duke says multiple times that he prefers to be on the streets, not above them. Duke isn't a Robin, isn't just "batman's sidekick"--he's his own thing, his own hero, with his own team, and that's amazing.
Cassandra Cain and Jason Todd parallels - "I'm ready"
I tried not to compare Jason and Cassandra paths, I really did. But they are my favourites out of all Bat-related characters and Batman talks to her about Jason, a little, and
and she goes to find her mother, to ask if she's her mother, to know, to see for herself, she needs it,
and ends up. dying. I. I can't.
He gets..
She gets...
He's forced to remember
She won't do anything but remember
(which is... not a good example, but can you blame me? Her whole Batgirl run is full of memories she keeps bringing up. She's consumed by her past, but.. she's, at the same time, so much more than this past.)
There is no end, there is no beginning. What do they see, looking in the mirror?
They die as heroes.
(she won)
(he lost)
...and it's their mothers who set deadly traps for them. Their mothers are the reason they die.
then..
Someone tells them they are alive, somehow, again.
And it's a mistake - to let them live.
Their mothers are dead.
Everything has changed.
Something in their very souls twists.
They are different, now, too.
Batgirl (2000) #65-73, Batman (1940) #427-428, Batman (1940) Annual #25, Red Hood: Lost Days #1-6.
Eventually I wanna read whatever willis todd appearances there are bc that one post from a while back is still so wild to me. Willis doesnt seem to ever come up as an antagonistic force in jasons life bc he just wasnt /around/. Not to say you cant be mad at a parent for being absentee, but with jason, specifically willis had very little influence in his story overall. He isnt there and i think that might be the point.
If you're willing to brave the... eccentricities of one Scott Lobdel he actually makes the victim of the prison system part you mentioned in tags very explicit. Like. The point of a major character arc explicit. Lobdel takes Jason and makes him sympathize with his long absent father as a driving force behind him becoming more merciful. It also leads to one of the most baddass fucking scenes I've read and one hell of a speech and UGH it's genuinely really fucking good but DC and (possibly Lobdel himself, it's Deeply Unclear if this decision was intentional or retroactive) had to go and soften it afterwards. Ah well, such is the way. It does work thematically both ways mind you?? I need to stop vague posting about this scene; this ain't gonna make a damn lick of sense to anyone lmao
In any case: Lobdel has Willis be a flawed but ultimately supportive and positive force in Jason's life, even while he's largely absent* from it.
I'd have to go digging but I do think at least one run has Willis having been abusive, and his first go around at being Robin he wasn't and isn't much of a factor. <- grains of salt from that being just off the top of my head
* So much fucking weirdness, for the full Lobdel Experience [TM] you really need to go in blind and be utterly baffled, completely confused by every fucking plot decision this man makes
ok one thing about me: i kind of make it a point to ignore who the author is until after ive read something and feel like the writing shows signs of being heavily influenced by the author's personal background (like, if a story is shitty about women i do a quick check for "sigh. yeah its written by a man" and things like that), the only exception being tom taylor whose stuff i actively avoid bc he um. just cant write. id rather have off the walls weird shitty writing than whatever hes doing. like literally do not think theres any comics out there i could possibly hate more than the stuff he clops together.
lost the thread there. what was i talking about. ok had to sew my brain back in but yeah. OK SO what i was getting at was that stuff like [writer]'s run means nothing to me lol. i assume you're talking about the outlaws series with kori and roy?
my stance has generally been that willis seems to have largely portrayed as absent and not explicitly abusive with like, one or two comics out there to the contrary but jason related stuff is absolutely Not my area of expertise (ive read maybe one story with him in it that didnt involve dick, bc my blorbo tunnel vision is Severe), and i dont like to assert something like that without at least a little source context, thus me wanting to read a bit about him.
You've activated my trap card: i.e. asked a question about Jason that I didn't quite know the answer to and given me an excuse to go research beloved blorbo and write up something way too fucking long and half way off topic while over caffeinated lmao I will TRY for some kinda organization we'll see how it goes...
Have a concise list of the most Willis relevant issues:
Batman (1940) #410, #411
Red Hood and the Outlaws (2011) #0
Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016) #23
Highly understandable on not keeping track of authors like that, I was talking about Red Hood and the Outlaws 2016 with Artemis and Bizarro which is overall a much better run it also includes a sort of complimentary or maybe mirror arc to the Batman (1940) debut as Robin which sees Jason
Jason says of his dad when we first meet him in Batman (1940) #408:
Bats puts him with an orphanage instead of taking him in immediately. Please accept this gift page of Ma Gunn's school orphanage child crime gang:
I love comics so much hehehehe I include this first of all because it's great, and second of all because it's reasonably relevant to the Red Hood and the Outlaws plot and Willis' arc. In RHO: Rebirth #23 Jason finally gets to read the letters Willis sent to Jason from prison. Ma Gunn had collected them and withheld them from Jason (all the easier to control him that way)
The letters take basically all of Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016) #23 to tell so I'll uh, try to pick the most relevant sections, with the caveat that all of #23 is the relevant sections:
Jason at this time does NOT remember Willis fondly, saying he was glad the day he heard Willis had died in prison and is frankly pretty pissed that these letters and finding proof they're true are making him care about the guy at all. So like, trainwreck of a man who did love his kid and wife on some level.
This is a far, far more sympathetic retelling of Red Hood and the Outlaws (2011) #0 in which Willis is generally seen as being a complete dirtbag
Okay back in the 1900s it's revealed that Willis was killed by Two-Face, after he double crossed him. The tone is generally sympathetic to Willis, if in a rather patronizing sort of way.
Jason is very shocked and appalled to learn that Two-Face killed his dad, but not that his dad worked for Two-Face, that part really doesn't seem to phase him at all, but he sure as heck has a mean on for Two-Face after finding out, strangling him quite a bit afterwards. He's also, ya'know, a lil pissed at Bruce for not telling him
So, we don't get much in the way of a look at what Willis was actually like, but Jason certainly seems to think he's worth avenging and shedding some tears over.
And in the end, an older Jason in Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016) #24 agrees, also going out to avenge his father, who in this timeline was hired to take the fall for the Penguin <- this being the Very Good Scene that I was vague posting about
Without spoiling too much I will say that Willis keeps being important for quite a while in this comic and is arguably a protagonistic force in Jason's life
These version are to my knowledge the ones considered most canon, and everything else is an alternate version. So yeah, I'd say absent, arguably negligent, bit of a dirtbag, but ultimately not malevolent or deliberately harmful to Jason.
Uhhhh hope this useful? Entertaining? Either way I wrote it and now you have it :D
Youāre telling me rn..that Duke wouldnāt want Kendrickās jacketā¦and wouldnāt use Bruceās money to get itā¦and wouldnāt wear it to galas to piss off the high class racists attendingā¦. Ok thenā¦.moving alongā¦(Guys this is coming from my own want of Kendrickās jacket btw)
You ever think about how in The Cursed Wheel Duke's mom breaks through the Joker gas for a brief moment to save Duke's life, crying, insisting that her baby boy is special:
And how it's this act of love and courage that unlocks Duke's powers, because his powers have always been a symbol of his mom's love for him? Elaine Thomas you will always be famous <3.
The whole colour wheel arc āDuke is very chill and understanding and pro redemptionā kinda clashes with WAR Dukeās āIf youāre mean to me I donāt care what I say when I talk backā
One came first and the other came second. I like both and I think both can be true but they didnāt exist at the same time for a reason. It could be character growth but you know the story never showed it like that, or at least i donāt think it did? WAR never keeps a consistent characterization with later comic characterizations anyhow
Robin (1993) #126 // Robin War // Robin (1993) #26 // Batman (2011) #45 // Robin (1993) #40 // We Are Robin #1 // Robin (1993) #126 // Batman & The Signal #1 // Robin (1993) #128 // Batman (2011) #47 // Robin (1993) #128 // Robin War // Batgirl (2009) #3 // Robin War
