Somebody Else's Nimrod

Nightwing: Ties That Bind

This trade, following up on Batman: Prodigal, collects the first few issues of Nightwing, plus a special, Alfred's Return. Despite my love for the character, it's eminently forgettable. The story arbitrarily couples a throw-away plot with what should be fairly important character progression--for once, a DC character is actually making serious, life-altering decisions that will determine his path for the next decade, instead of just being reset with the next creative team--but since the two don't actually have much of a connection, Dick's declaration of new-found purpose at the end of the story can draw only a "Huh?" As for the art, Dick is drawn with great hopes of providing fanservice but a complete unawareness of what his body actually ought to look like (he's a gymnast! He's not just a shorter version of Bruce!) and an absolutely hideous mullet that he also wears in an equally hideous rat-tail. It's old-fashioned art, which means basically inoffensive and workmanlike, but also essentially uninspiring.

Alfred's Return is a little more fun, but that's mostly because I have a soft spot for cranky old folk kicking ass and taking names, and the writer does succeed in creating a gently melancholy atmosphere as Alfred reflects on the paths his life might have taken.

Basically, this volume is something you ought to read once, to get a basic idea of what Dick is doing in Bludhaven, but there's no need to own it.