Latest news with #DickGrayson
Geek Dad
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Review – Batman and Robin: Year One #9 – War at Castle Grimaldi
Batman and Robin: Year One #9 cover, via DC Comics. Ray: I was surprised when this series turned into an ongoing – after all, how much mileage can Waid and Samnee get out of the early days of Dick Grayson's time as Robin? It turns out the answer is – a lot. A big part of this is that they have some really good villains – starting with the sadistic crime boss Captain Grimaldi, who has employed Matt Hagen to infiltrate Gotham and get close to its most powerful people. We recently saw him impersonate Bruce Wayne and nearly capture Dick. And as the other crime bosses of Gotham seek to eliminate this threat and mass a strike team to take down Grimaldi, they're met with an army of Monster Men – hulking, genetically modified goons with supernatural strength bred from a combo of human DNA and clayface DNA. As for how he gets these test subjects – well, we get a very intense demonstration of just how easy it is to wind up on his bad side. The plot. Via DC Comics. Batman and Robin get away mostly unscathed after entering the fray, but it's clear to everyone that something is off with Dick. This turns out to be one of the best segments of the series, as Alfred digs a little into Dick's past and discovers the pain the boy is hiding. I love stories that emphasize that Alfred really is the emotional heart of the Bat-family and that this whole thing wouldn't work without him. But he's not the only one digging – as Grimaldi gets closer and closer to the truth about Batman and Robin. And then…some twists shouldn't be spoiled, but suffice it to say the main threat in this comic has changed quite a bit. This noir-style storytelling is something that both Waid and Samnee have dabbled in before, primarily at the competition, but it works surprisingly well here. It captures the vibe of the early Batman comics this would take place in, while adding a new level of emotional truth. To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week. GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
Geek Dad
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Review – Nightwing #128: House of Horrors
Nightwing #128 cover, via DC Comics. Ray: Dan Watters has given us a slightly more grounded Nightwing run for the most part, as Dick Grayson faced off against an army of local gangs and a corrupt private police force – until now. Now he finds himself in a strange world of cosmic horror – one put together by his friend and admirer, Night-Mite. The fifth-dimensional imp might not want to trap Nightwing in a nightmare world, but it seems to be out of his control at this point – he's turned Titans Tower into a bizarre tower of flesh, trapped Barbara Gordon at the top, and made it only penetrable by Nightwing. As Dick Grayson heads inside to solve the crisis and rescue his girlfriend, he quickly finds himself visited by one strange specter after another – starting with demonic versions of his old enemy Deathwing, childhood drawings of his – and ultimately, the Kryptonian Nightwing who may have inspired him in the first place. Standoff. Via DC Comics. Nightwing's history, of course, is pretty convoluted. He learned about this heroic legacy from Superman and was inspired by him – but someone else also took on the mantle, the heroic Kandorian Van-Zee. This character hasn't appeared for a long time, but he's seemingly been pulled into this same strange reality as Dick, and the two quickly form an alliance as they make their way deeper. This illusion, created by a Nite-Mite who seems desperate to escape himself, seems like it was designed to test Nightwing and make him doubt himself – something that his sister is also going through in Bludhaven as she starts to realize that everything she's aligned herself with might be a betrayal of what she believes. This issue seems like an interesting character study – until a shocking betrayal in the last act throws everything for a loop. Weird arc, but a very interesting one. To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week. GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
Geek Dad
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Review – Nightwing #127: Closing Time in Bludhaven
Nightwing #127 cover, via DC Comics. Ray: After the last arc, which was a down-to-earth murder mystery involving the Bludhaven PD, things go from gritty to completely insane. Nightwing is dealing with a lot in Bludhaven as the issue opens, as he's picked up an unwanted new sidekick – in the form of a former Teddy gang member who now wants to follow in his footsteps. Meanwhile, as he cleans up his effects in Titans Tower after resigning from the team, he finds himself estranged from his sister after she chose to align with Spheric and unleash armored private cops on the city. But that hasn't stopped him from keeping tabs on her Mayoral campaign as she prepares to go up against a bought-and-paid-for fascist. But it doesn't go well – her big debate never gets off the ground as she starts rambling confessions and then passes out, slipping into a mysterious coma. And what's up with that weird, sarcastic narrator who seems to have meta-awareness? The protege. Via DC Comics. This is a very strange issue with a lot going on – the biggest threat being a massive pink fungi-like creature that takes over Titans Tower. It's a surreal and creepy visual – and one that alters the very reality of the city within it. This also forces Dick into an uneasy alliance with Spheric, as its shady head has created technology that might be able to subvert the energy that created this monster. It almost seems like she knows way too much about what's going on here, but Dick doesn't have time to think too closely about that – not with Barbara's life at stake within the tower. The reveal about who is the source of the power – and what's happened to them – is something very unexpected that nicely calls back to the Tom Taylor run. This book has been taking a lot of chances, shifting tones and genres pretty regularly, but it's turning into a very compelling larger narrative. To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week. GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
Geek Dad
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Review – Batman and Robin: Year One #7
Batman and Robin: Year One #7 cover, via DC Comics. Ray: Waid and Samnee continue to take us into a chapter of Gotham we really haven't seen before. While the core of this series is based around the new partnership between Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson in the field, it's as much about the way the villain ecosystem has changed. Batman has a partner now, and it's getting harder and harder for the villains to pull off their scheme. Into this dynamic straight from Miami comes the Grimaldi clan, a more ruthless crime family that has wasted no time putting most of the city's other families under their thumb. While the mob dominates this story, several other supervillains come in and out – including Two-Face, and the first Clayface, Matt Hagan. More a cunning master of disguise than Basil Karlo, he's been assassinating prominent citizens around Gotham and replacing them to embezzle their holdings – as happened to an old friend of Bruce Wayne's last month. Judgement Day. Via DC Comics. This cloak-and-dagger storytelling is nicely contrasted with the ongoing story of how Bruce and Dick continue to grow as partners, and as father and son. They're syncing up better in the field, and Bruce is learning to trust Dick more each issue. In the everyday world is a different story. Dick's activities as Robin are raising some red flags when he shows up to school with injuries, and his circus background makes him a target for a middle-school bully. Those two subplots come together in hilarious fashion when we see just how far Dick will go to protect his secret identity. This issue feels more like a breather story between the bigger-scale stories going on, like last issue's murder and the coming gang war, but between Samnee's excellent art and the great character work, it's a fantastic read. Between this and Lemire/Nguyen's upcoming Jason Todd story, Batman's early days are getting some great coverage. To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week. GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
