Batman: The Black Mirror

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As his journey with Batman and Robin began, Nightwing found himself with Robin trying to capture criminals associated with Intergang and they travelled across Europe, taking them down. [67] After a while, Nightwing returned to Gotham, following Intergang's trail. He worked with the new Batwoman and Renee Montoya to stop Intergang from destroying Gotham, shutting off dozens of fire spewing devices spread across the city. That first story, man. If it weren't for that first 3 part story, I'd be giving this 5 stars. It lagged so much for me that I considered quitting this book. I'm so, so, so glad I didn't though.

The Joker. I love the Joker and all his villany antics. He didn't play a big role, but I liked that he was here. Love Interests • Origins • Other Media • Publication History • Recommended Reading • Storylines • Video Games • Batman Family

Then, in a second story called Hungry City, the corpse of a killer whale shows up on the floor of one of Gotham City's foremost banks. The event begins a strange and deadly mystery that will bring Batman face-to-face with the new, terrifying faces of organized crime in Gotham. Acrobatics: Grayson is a prodigious natural athlete and master acrobat, possessing a peak human level of agility/acrobatic skills. He is regarded as the greatest human acrobat in the world. [133] He is one of three people in the world who can pull off a quadruple flip. [134] And maybe due this “contamination” in the main story, having so many sub-plots is what causes that Batman and Jim Gordon look like to be “too slow” to react to the real menace that it’s standing in front of them at plain sight. Original 2016 Review: Up until the last 3 issues I was in the 3.5-4 area. It was solid stuff, but then those last 3 issues happened and BOOM it shot up to a 5/5. This is now my favorite Batman story next to Hush and Court of Owls. Robin's origin had a typological connection to Batman's in that both witnessed the crime-related deaths of their parents, creating an urge to battle the criminal underworld. This provided a bond and understanding between the two.

Nightwing was summoned at the Louis E. Memorial High School, where a shootout between several gangs was taking place. Nightwing infiltrated the building along with Batman and Batgirl and they eliminated all the thugs who were holding students hostage. Nightwing was exposed to the public eye when Batman carried out of the school the seemingly dead body of Darla Aquista. [57]

They later realize that the virus was never cured, only mutated into a dormant state. Nightwing accompanies Batman and Robin to look for a cure in Sudan during Legacy. [42] Ra's al Ghul is revealed to be responsible, and they fight through an army of assassins to reach him. Nightwing holds his own in a sword-fight against Ra's, but he loses and Ra's escapes. [43] Nightwing and Robin travel to Paris, where they team up with Henri Ducard to stop Ra's from releasing his plague into the Louvre. [44] While Batman destroys the plague in Gotham, Nightwing pursues Ra's with Robin and Huntress. [45] They catch up to his boat The Shrike, and Ra's prepares to execute Grayson. Robin finds the cure, then rescues them as the boat explodes. [46] A Knight in Bludhaven What I've been thinking about Batman lately (assuming, as you should, that I am always thinking about Batman in some way or another) is that Batman might be over. Eventually, Nightwing learned that Bruce was taken down by Bane and that he had chosen a total unknown called Jean-Paul Valley in his place as Batman. While Nightwing didn't agree with the decision, he trusted Bruce's judgement. [22] So maybe I'm just getting soft, but this sort of thing just seems purposelessly awful, even if it is just a comic book. It's where I think a lot of modern Batman writers have gotten it wrong, as they attempt to dream up newer and more horrible scenarios to toss the reader into, just for the sake of what they believe noir is.

The Dealer consumes the Man-Bat serum in a desperate attempt to fight off Batman. This causes him to mutate into a hideously deformed bat-like creature. John Porterfield (2009) A Review of The Dark Knight, A Rorschach of the American Psyche, Psychological Perspectives, 52:2, 271-275, DOI: 10.1080/0033292090288128 Peak Human Reflexes: He possesses enough skill to detect a Sniper [202] and dodge several rapid gunfire bullets [203] at mid or point blank range. [204] You have to judge the situation early, clearly... ...judge it from the diving board, high above, before you’re falling… before you’re in danger.

In addition to that, Snyder also works in nice references to past Batman stories like The Killing Joke, Year One, and A Death in the Family while still making this feel like a whole new era. Some of the best and creepiest stuff revolves around Gordon’s messed up son who may not wear a crazy outfit but definitely belongs in the ranks of Gotham’s criminally insane. The only disappointing thing was that the Joker story seemed kind of weak and short, but that’s a small complaint. Though, down in the streets below, a mother walks with her newborn in a baby carriage. The baby's eyes are wide with a eerie look, indicating that James Jr may have succeeded with his plan, but only time will tell. Collected Editions Batman calls in Nightwing when the Apocalypse Virus breaks out in Gotham. [36] He teams up with Huntress and Robin to stop rioters from burning down Babylon Towers. [37] [38] When Robin is revealed to have been infected, Nightwing carries him to the Batcave's medical facilities. [39] They resign themselves to Gotham dying when nothing works, but Azrael figures out a cure and saves everyone. [40] Batman and Nightwing leave Robin to deal with the remaining looters once he's finally cured. [41]

What's really quite fantastic about Snyder's writing (especially his dialogue) is not what's there but what's not - so much pointless exposition, all the extra details that any intelligent reader can fill in (or enjoy wondering about). It's such a pleasure to not be insulted by the writer - to get the feeling like the wr Azrael • Batgirl • Batman • Batman and Robin • Batman Beyond • Batman Confidential • Batman Incorporated • Batman: Dark Knight • Batman: Streets of Gotham • Birds of Prey • Justice League of America • Outsiders • Red Robin • Superman/Batman Gotham City is a character on its own in Batman’s stories. Its look, its ambiance, it has a “soul” that “infects” its citizens. Batman while works in the darkness, his legacy may be the only “light” on that grim city. Social Darwinist: James Jr believes that empathy is weakness and looks to eradicate it in the next generation of Gothamites by mixing his psychopathy-enhancing formula to baby formula in the city. Wingcycle: Nightwing also has his own personalized model of the Batcycle, which he refers to as the " Wingcycle". The Wingcycle is equipped with a passenger sidecar.

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Snyder writes the James Gordon Jnr storyline brilliantly, where the suspense between whether or not he's telling the truth is kept up tightly until the right time, and the way the character is written is both chilling and captivating, like Kevin Spacey's performance as John Doe in "Se7en". His normality is what's so disarming, and the artwork by Francesco Francavilla who draws/paints this storyline adds to the creepiness. He draws James as this normal looking kid but the expression on his face is as scary as anyone you'd find in Arkham Asylum. Commissioner Gordon doesn't trust his son, so he has Barbara Gordon run tests on James Jr.'s anti-psychotic medication. It turns out that he's inverted the formula to increase psychotic tendencies. They believe he's going to use his connections with Leslie Thompkins to infect an infant nutrition center, turning hundreds of babies into young sociopaths. The Commissioner runs to James Jr.'s home to try and catch him, but instead he finds a box containing the keys of everyone he's ever killed... this includes Bess Keller's keychain on top of the pile. Elsewhere the Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum and begins his next murder spree. [9] My Dark Architect Genius Level Intellect: He has vast knowledge of different fields. He often shows this when in use with his Detective skills. He was intelligent enough to build his own "Nightcar", [137] build and program a Tech Glider, [141] and also mentioned he can fool a polygraph. [142] As the conflict comes closer to its resolution, they find that the truth behind this murderous crime spree isn’t just careening toward their doorstep—it has in fact emerged from it. Can two of Gotham’s proudest protectors bring justice to this malevolent threat in Commissioner Gordon’s most personal battle to date?