Guide to Nightwing, Dick Grayson (Early Access for Pledgeonauts and up) (Patreon)

Today's new guide fills in one of the major gaps in my DC coverage and brings my collection of Bat-Family guides a little bit closer to being complete:

Nightwing, Dick Grayson - The Definitive Reading Order and Collecting Guide 

Log in to CK to access this guide. Leave a comment if you do not have access to your CK login and I'm happy to help.

Dick Grayson occupies a distinct spot in both DC and Marvel history as a rare hero who had a long-standing, in-continuity early identity to which he will likely never be reverted.

That's because Grayson was the original Robin to Bruce Wayne's Batman in the Golden and Silver Ages - but, he's spent the entire Post-Crisis modern age of comics as Nightwing (except for those few years he was Batman).

As a reader of primarily Marvel Comics, the first time I encountered Dick Grayson was during his time as Batman in Grant Morrison's epic run with the caped crusader. I really didn't know a thing about him other than that he was the first Robin, which made him seem pretty boring to me - like a character DC kept publishing just out of habit. It seemed like a dull gimmick to turn him into Batman.

I couldn't have been more wrong. Grayson was new to wearing the cowl, but not to being a hero. He wasn't as foolproof as Bruce as Batman, but he was more emotionally complex and pragmatic.

After Bruce retook the mantle, I was eager to read Dick Grayson as himself in DC's New 52. It was there I fell in love with him as his own hero. He was like a cross between Batman and Daredevil - detective and acrobatic, experienced but imperfect, and also a hopeless flirt. All of those traits were emphasized when his series transformed into the brilliant Grayson, which made him a triple-crossing super-spy in the mold of TV's Alias.

Nightwing's guide should have been an easy one to create - he has only one pre-Flashpoint ongoing series, plus three tidily-collected series in New 52 and Rebirth.

Of course, I don't know how do make an easy comic book guide. 

The lack-of-ease began with realizing that I ought to make the Teen Titans and Outsiders guides before completing this one, since Nightwing's guide would reference them both heavily.

Then, I hunted down every Dick Grayson appearance as Nightwing. There were way too many for me to summarize each one, but I did break them into chunks of Bat-Title Appearances, Team Appearances, and general Guest Appearances and then intersperse them through the years of his solo title. Plus, I listed all of Grayson's appearances as Batman and where to find them in other Crushing Comics guides.

The result? A complete, issue-by-issue guide to Nightwing's complete history in DC comics!

##

What's up next for comic guides? Next up is a Marvel guide for a relatively minor character who suddenly finds himself visible (and popular) outside of the realm of comic books. 

Then, it's time to buckle down (and slow down) to fill in a few big Marvel solo hero guides for characters I'm missing - though, I might sneak one more Bat-Family guide in the middle! Finally, at the end of the month I'll have updates on more Marvel Era Guides.

As always, I value your feedback - both on this new guide and in general. Don't hesitate to comment to let me know your thoughts.

Current Exclusives: 22 Guides!

DC Guides: Animal Man, Batman - Index Ongoing Titles, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Flash, Justice League, Nighwing, Outsiders, Teen Titans & Young Justice 

Marvel Guides: Alpha Flight, Champions, Darkhawk, Dazzler, Gwenpool, Marvel Era: Marvel Legacy, Moon Boy / Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur, Ms. Marvel: Kamala Khan, Scarlet Witch, Sentry, Silk, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Venom