Jason Todd, black sheep of the Bat family, has been caught red handed (and hooded) on video murdering an FBI informant, but Nightwing is convinced there’s more to this than meets the eye. An exploration of the bond between Bat brothers, the Nightwing 2021 Annual #1 is written by Tom Taylor; penciled by Cian Tormey and Daniel HDR; inked by Cian Tormey, Raul Fernandez and Daniel HDR; colored by Rain Beredo and John Kalisz; and lettered by Wes Abbott.
There are certain questions that keep coming up for certain superheroes that serve as the basis of their stories. How does Superman accomplish the impossible? How does Spider-Man balance his many responsibilities? How does Wolverine balance his primal nature with his need to evolve? How can this one story make Batman look as cool as possible (I’m sorry, that’s really the only question any Batman story asks)?
Jason Todd’s question seems to be: Is this the screw-up that’s going to get him kicked out of the Bat family for good? I like the idea of Jason being the eternal screw-up, and it makes for more compelling stories than him being The Edgy One, but every once in a while, it feels like it would be nice to have a Jason Todd story where it doesn’t feel like he has to constantly prove himself.
But hey, that’s what brothers are for, right?
The plot of this book is about as simple and straightforward as you can get. A video emerges that makes it look like Jason Todd did a bunch of murder. A little investigative team-up between Nightwing and the Red Hood proves that, surprise, surprise, it was actually Clayface (one of them, anyway)! The bad guy is pursued, banter blends with action, criminals go to jail and they call it a day. Mixed in is a flashback story that shows Nightwing giving a younger Jason some advice about being Robin, and how they first bonded as brothers under a rather manipulative Bat dad. No new ground is tread here; it’s about as safe and familiar as a story involving these two characters can be — but there’s a lot to appreciate in the way it’s told.
First, the artwork. Cian Tormey does wonders here. I like this vision of Gotham — it’s a step away from its more common nightmarish collection of shadows. This Gotham is solid. There’s a grounded tiredness to this city. The colors feel washed out a little, especially in the rain, so when the oranges come in for the Red Hood’s explosive entrance, it feels that much more exciting.
There’s a real energy to the action here, aided by very dynamic lettering, both in the early and later parts of the book. The human expressiveness falls a little flat sometimes — subtler looks especially — but the superhero aspects of this book more than make up for it. I like the contrasts between the way Red Hood moves vs. Nightwing. While it’s not as stark as Bruno Redondo’s contrast between Tim Drake and Nightwing, there are interesting differences here. Both former Robins have their basic training — there’s acrobatics for both of them, but where Nightwing’s a showman, open body language on full display, there’s almost a casual dismissiveness to the way Red Hood swings through the air. His acrobatic training’s just a way for him to get to where he wants as fast as possible, and he’ll drop gracefulness for speed when he needs to. Drama, action, impact. The art’s a treat.
The flashback art doesn’t hold up quite as well in comparison — it’s a lot simpler on multiple levels. Thematically it works, but it’s a shame to have both art styles put together in the same comic when one’s clearly weaker. The coloring comes to the rescue here, though, adding some complexity to the art, and the backgrounds.
There are some good minor moments that I really enjoyed. I love Dick’s explanation for why Robin is necessary. As a distraction, yes, but also to reassure people in a way Batman can’t. I’m not certain how much any of the Robins have been really doing that while out with Batman, but it’s a heartwarming idea. It’s also lovely seeing Alfred manipulate his wards into kindness to counteract Batman’s more competitive manipulations.
In the present, I enjoy the sense that Nightwing and Red Hood are kind of going through the motions a little bit — Nightwing already has several theories as to how Red Hood could be being impersonated, Jason only needs to hear that there’s clay on a discarded bullet to know they’re going to be using Mister Freeze’s gun soon. This is a comic meant to appeal to fans who’ve read a lot of Batman stories — there’s action, yes, but there’s also a sense that Jason and Dick are colleagues well experienced in the ways of Gotham’s unique criminal quirks.
I like the relationship that’s on display here — there’s a level of trust, mutual respect and support between the two brothers. Dick needs very little to go on to trust Jason, and Jason clearly doesn’t have his defenses up the same way he does when Batman’s in the room. Jason’s grown on me, and this issue gives him an uncomplicated win. It kind of makes me happy.
Superheroes tend to make the world a safer place from the things that would threaten it. What I like about Nightwing, though, is that his comics seem to ask the question “How is Nightwing going to make the world a better place?” Sometimes it’s through questionable billionairing. Sometimes, though, it’s as simple as being there for his family, and that’s a story I like to see.
