Texan Mosaic

by:RILEY GOLDEN/Editorial Assistant

Dick Grayson is one of Batman’s ex-Robins. Although he is still part of the Bat-Family, he works with Batman now, rather than under him.

And that is just when he is in Gotham. Dick, who now goes by Nightwing, presides over Bludhaven, his own city to look after just as Batman looks after Gotham.

In the comic book “Nightwing: False Starts,” Batman has left Gotham under Nightwing’s watch for the week. The comic starts with a prostitute being murdered in a hotel room rented to Frankie Black, an arms smuggler for the mafia. Although Black does have blood on his hands, Nightwing is determined to prove that Black didn’t commit the murder this time. He couldn’t have because Nightwing was watching Black on the pier at the time that the murder was committed.

Any time the mafia is involved, you can expect an appearance from Helena Bertinelli, who grew up in the mafia but later became the Huntress to fight mafia crime. This comic really makes for some great conversations between Nightwing and Huntress.

Huntress is dead set on pinning the murder of the hooker on Frankie Black, while Nightwing is set on finding the truth. Grayson is not naïve; he knows that Black has killed before. But not this time.

This is where some great banter between Nightwing and Huntress comes up. Nightwing calls himself on sounding exactly like Batman when trying to reason with Huntress, and she just assumes that the Bats told Nightwing not to get involved with her. That’s not the case, and much like Batman, Nightwing just wants rightful justice.

This comic makes for a great story for more than just good conversations. It feels like you’re watching a crime drama unfold. The mystery behind the story is great, and the leg work put forth by Nightwing and Huntress to determine the killer is fun to watch and read.

At one point, Nightwing is on the phone with Barbara Gordon, or Oracle. Barbara was Batgirl but became Oracle after the Joker left her paralyzed. While on the phone, Oracle realizes that Dick is in the Huntress’ apartment. He slept with her. Oracle is quick to point out that Batman would not agree with this, but Grayson tells her not to worry and that is not the reason he called.

After all, the Huntress still doesn’t know Nightwing’s or Batman’s real names, so there’s no need to worry. This part makes for good conversation between Dick and Barbara, especially with Oracle trying to convince Nightwing that Huntress is not like them. The conversation is then interrupted by Huntress, who heard all that Oracle was saying about her.

Trust seems to be hanging in the balance a lot in this comic. Oracle needs to trust Nightwing’s judgment, and Nightwing needs to trust Huntress like she trusts him. Huntress points out that she knows Nightwing would not let anything happen to her, because she trusts that he is a good guy. But he does not leave the same room for trust as she does, not until later on in the comic anyway.

“Nightwing: False Starts” is a great read, and anyone who loves Nightwing in his blue costume rather than his red costume will enjoy the art. I like to read the thoughts of our heroes, and I didn’t get much of that with this comic. But that’s really my only complaint. I give “Nightwing: False Starts” a 4 out of 5.