#Nightwing (Volume 4)

[freddyloyd]

i'm kinda conflicted on the current Nightwing story, my issue isn't really with Dan Watters' writing, its more the foundation hes building on. Dick being a millionaire philanthropist is still really weird to me, it feels like that should be a Batman plot instead.

[rosys-thorn]

Is this not Tucker Foley?

1) taking initiative to help a local hero

2) wearing a red helmet (like the barret)

3) likes both his parents

What's he doing in Blüdhaven? What happened with his parents? Or was that a lie he told instead of saying, "My best friend is a hero, and I know first hand how much help you sorry suckers actually need"? How old is he here? Where is Danny? And more importantly, does he get his bike back?

I desperately want to read more of this (hint hint). But I might write a oneshot or something eventually maybe

[miggywebster]

Miggy Webster in Nightwing (1995) #4

[barbaras-grayson]

Nightwing 2021 Annual (Volume 4) #1 (Nightwing: Blood Brothers)

[capesandspandex]

Jason Todd & Revival & Reasons & Resentment & Reminiscence & Respite

Credits under the cut!!

Any questions please contact me!! this is a bit confusing, i know, i tried my best

The quote:

"It seems to me that the dead only return for love or revenge. Who did you come back for?" - Helen Oyeyemi, White Is for Witching

Page 1:

top row: Red Hood and the Outlaws New 52 #3, Red Hood And The Outlaws – Rebirth #1

top middle row: Under The Red Hood: Movie, Batman #368

random jason right underneath: "it seems to me": Batman Urban Legends

final row: Rebirth Red Hood and the Outlaws, issue 9, UNKNOWN, Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 2 #3

Page 2:

Batman: A Death in The Family

Page 3:

Batman Annual #25

Page 4:

first row: Red Hood And The Outlaws – Rebirth #1

second row: Nightwing #106, Batman #368, Gotham Knights #43

third row: Batman: A Death in The Family, The New Titans #55

fourth row: Batman: Pennyworth R.I.P

Page 5:

top row: Batman: A Death in the Family, Teen Titans Vol 3 #29,  Teen Titans #29 (2005), Three Jokers #1 

middle row: Three Jokers (top left) Batman: A Death in the Family (bottom left) Batman: Arkham Knight Genesis (right)

bottom row: Batman: White Knight #7

Page 6:

Batman: Under The Red Hood (Top and Left) Batman #637 (Right)

Page 7:

column 1: Rebirth Red Hood and the Outlaws issue 9, The Joker: The Man who Stopped Laughing, Red Hood and the Outlaws #3

column 2: Catwoman Vol. 5 #57, Red Hood and the Outlaws

column 3: Red Hood and the Outlaws, Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #1

Page 8:

Above "Come back for":

Top row: Red Hood and the Outlaws: Rebirth (top left & bottom left) Red Hood and the Outlaws #3, Batman Volume 1 #408

"You are a character. I've never seen you hit the joker that hard. And you hate him." : Red Hood and the Outlaws #25

Bottom three panels: Batman Vol 1 #408 (cover), Gotham War, Red Hood and the Outlaws #25

Below "Come back for":

First row: Red Hood and the Outlaws #25, Red Hood and the Outlaws: Rebirth

Second row: Red Hood and the Outlaws: Rebirth (Top left) Red Hood and the Outlaws #25 (Bottom left) Batman Volume 1 #408 (Right)

[soleminisanction]

Once again got a bee in my bonnet to spend a night doing obscure fandom research to make a point, so. For all those people who keep making the annoying, "Tim keeps '''stealing'' other peoples' names" comments -- have a table.

EDIT: Updated version with some mistakes corrected.

Everyone with a check mark has used that codename at some point in DC's 80+ year continuity -- Elseworlds and alternate dimensions/timelines count, adaptations (movies, video games, cartoons, etc.) don't unless they've got comic book tie-ins, and neither do in-universe dream sequences/illusions/fantasies/other narrative elements that are objectively "not real" within the boundaries of the fiction.

A purple marker indicates an element that only applies in Elseworlds or alternate timelines. Yellow is for the originator of the legacy title. Star symbol is for borderline cases/extenuating circumstances/it's open to interpretation (with some further elaboration below).

The "other" column is just there to account for people who've held lesser or non-legacy titles, like Renegade, Wingman, Arkham Knight, Drake, Redbird, Talon, Deadman, Black Bat, Orphan and Catwoman.

Point being: the people who have actually gone through the most legacy titles in this family are Dick, Babs and Jason, tied with 5 each (again, not counting "other;" if we counted those separately Dick would've had by far the most). Tim is tied with Steph AND Helena Wayne, so unless you're whining about them "stealing other peoples' names" you're just wrong, and they're all only one higher than Damian, Carrie and Bruce.

This is a legacy family that passes their codenames up and down the inheritance line. It's what they do. It's not a legitimate criticism to level at one character and not the others. Please get over it.

---

Further elaboration on some of the lesser known/niche cases:

- Bruce uses the Robin ID in Superman & Batman: Generations, as well as the pre-Crisis Detective Comics #226 story.

- In the second half of Thrillkiller ‘62, Babs cuts her hair and dons the Robin costume worn by her deceased partner Dick to get revenge on his killer; however the only name ever used for her in the series is Batgirl

- Cassandra was a member of the Robins orphan gang from Dark Knights of Steel.

- Duke was a member of the We Are Robins gang, as well as the aforementioned DKS orphan gang, and has appeared as Robin in a couple of Elseworlds, including I believe a White Knight spin-off.

- Cass was Batwoman in one of the versions of the Titans Tomorrow, as was Bette Kane, depending on changes to the timeline.

- Babs is Batwoman in the Batman ‘66 comics and in the 1980 story “The Secret Origin of Bruce (Superman) Wayne”

- Earth-3 Steph is Batwoman in Young Justice 2019.

- Helena Wayne is Batwoman in the possible future story Last Rites

- Tim is a member of the Batgirls vigilante/little league baseball team in the DC Bombshells universe, as is Cullen Row. Some call them the “Batboys” instead. I call those people cowards.

- Helena Bertinelli wore the costume that would later become Cass’s signature Batgirl look during No Man’s Land. However, she was more often referred to as “The Bat” and her Batgirl status is up to individual interpretation.

- Dick didn’t originate the Nightwing name, it started with Clark in the Silver Age.

- Steph has never been Nightwing. The panel where she appears in the costume is a Black Mercy illusion that happens only in her own mind. It’s a dream sequence.

- Barbara was Nightwing in the Smallville Season 11 comics.

- Terry was briefly Nightwing in volume 4 of Batman Beyond.

- Damian briefly became Nightwing after accidentally killing Dick in the Injustice series.

- Dick is Oracle in the “Eight Wonders of the World” version of Earth 2 (aka the Black Superman dimension)

[jaydick-week]

do you guys have any recs for jaydick comics in canon? or any comics that have them interacting a lot really haha ;-;

Heck yes!

Some good ones with lots of J/D interaction are:

Brothers in Blood (Nightwing vol. 2 #118-#124)

Batman: Battle for the Cowl (2009)

RHATO Annual #1 (2016)

Nightwing: Year One (Nightwing #101-106, ft. Robin Jason)

Nightwing Annual 2021

Batman Vol. 1 #416 (First Meeting)

Batman and Robin Eternal #1

Grayson Vol. 1 #12

Robins (Volume 1)

Batman and Robin Vol. 1 (#4-6)

There is some interaction in Under the Hood but not too much.

Not comics, but some other forms of media are:

Wayne Family Adventures (webcomic)

Batman Ninja (animated film)

Gotham Knights (videogame)

Batman: Gotham By Gaslight (animated film)

Lego Batman: Family Matters (animated film)

Dynamic Duo (upcoming animated film)

[fandom-lover2]

Hope To Stay A While, Just Till The Rain Stops

Chapter Four - Pajama Parties Are More Fun When You're Invited

Word Count - 1865

-image not mine-

Chapter Three - This Is Why We Don't Have Knives At The Table

Chapter Five - Is It Too Late To Go To Moms For The Week

My eyes snapped open, my body jolting as something let off a loud bang.

What the hell was happening?

Then, it sounded like thunder, or something some form of stomping at least. And voices, angry voices. Loud, angry voices.

I rolled over, squinting at my digital clock on my desk.

2.05 am glared back at me in red.

I rolled over again, trying to get comfortable on my preferred side of sleeping.

Thunder again, and the voices were louder this time. Why was I cursed to live in a house of only men?

Screw this shit. I had an exam tomorrow.

Yanking my sheet off myself, I slipped out of bed and stormed to my bedroom door, yanking it open and marching towards the voices.

After Bruce had, without my consent, enrolled me into Gotham Academy, the pressure was on. Even under the guise of a visiting relative of Alfred’s, because I refused to be involved in the Gotham elite society, the expectation to achieve perfect grades and be involved in rich people sports was one I had to shoulder.

Etiquette Monday and Thursday, tennis on Tuesday, horse riding on Wednesday and Friday, archery Saturday. And I still needed to study, do homework and assignments, and attend parties to keep up appearances.

I was running on fumes and about 5 seconds away from running back to Central City. Now, I had to deal with this?!

Oh no. No no no no. I was getting another 4 hours of sleep, if I had to kill whoever the hell was screaming to get it.

The voices were getting louder and louder as I headed to the main floor, the kitchen specifically.

An odd place for a domestic screaming match but hey, this family was fucking weird.

I’m 80% sure Tim died last week, his combination of Red Bull and black coffee that he chugged in 30 seconds flat no doubt doing some damage.

Not to mention Damian, who was literally a little psychopath. I walked in on him waving around a sword last week. And not a fencing sword, a real ass Japanese sword.

Jason was never around, other than to sneak into the library or have screaming matches with Bruce when he was caught. He always looked like he was in deep physical pain, and avoided me like I had some disease. He would literally walk out of a room if I entered it.

And Dick, dude was just a mess. He was crying about an elephant the other day, and last month did a whole circus trapeze routine in the living room, using the chandelier.

And Bruce doesn’t even blink at any of it! He and Alfred act like this is normal!

Well, I was over this family thinking they were a functional system. It ended today, with a good night’s sleep.

If I wasn’t so fueled by the rage, the volume at which Bruce and Jason were yelling would have probably stopped me from entering the kitchen, but I was seeing red and nearing sleep deprivation.

“Can you all shut the fuck up!” I rounded the corner into the kitchen and froze.

Alfred, my father, Jason and Dick stood in the kitchen, Alfred and my oldest brother looking like they were trying to break something up before it turned physical.

Now, either I was too tired, or something was very wrong with my vision, because my father was dressed as Batman.

I looked at them, they looked at me. Tim and Damian stuck their heads around the other doorway at the opposite end of the kitchen, both dressed up in vigilant attire I’d seen Red Robin and Robin wore. Dick and Jason were also dressed, Nightwing and Red Hood respectfully.

Suddenly, everything made so much more sense. Bruce’s constant state of looking exhausted despite only ever working and then going to bed before me. Damian’s limp from two weeks ago, Tim falling out of bed and spraining his wrist, the gash Dick got on his forehead despite having two days off from work.

They were running around at night playing heroes.

I stared at them, and they stared back at me, each looking like I’d caught them with their hands in the cookie jar. Even Alfred seemed slightly alarmed, and the dude didn’t flinch at anything.

“I’m too tired for this shit. Go argue outside.” Spinning on my heels, I sped back to my bedroom and shut the door.

That whatever-the-hell-just-happened was tomorrow morning’s problem. Tonight, I was sleeping. Deeply, peacefully. Ignorantly.

Climbing back into bed, I pulled the cover over myself and closed my eyes. For someone who’s entire perception of their family just got flipped upside down, I managed to fall asleep pretty quickly.

When I awoke, it was to my alarm set on my phone.

For a while, I forgot what happened the previous night. I stumbled out of bed with a groan, stood somewhat straight in the shower, and managed to get my scratchy uniform on. And then, I opened my bedroom door and Damian was on the other side.

He eyed me up and down, arms crossed over his chest. “Father requests your presence at breakfast.”

“Well I’m not gonna miss it.” I mumbled back, shouldering past it.

It was as I tried to shove passed him and was met with an impressive amount of resistance for someone so small that I remembered what I’d seen last night. Who I had seen.

Oh my god, Bruce was Batman!

Mr Billionaire, life handed to him on a golden spoon, was the madman who dressed up in all black at night and ran around the city terrorizing Gotham’s criminals.

Why? What the hell even made him go down this path?

I turned around to look at my little brother.

The latest Robin, if the whispering around school was to be taken truthfully. So far considered the most violent of the masked crusader’s group.

Well, they got the violent part down.

But he was freaking 13 years old. Why the hell would Bruce let a 13 year old face armed murderers?

Shit, why the hell was Bruce letting a 13 year old stay up all night?

I thought he was just a distant parent, but this was straight up child endangerment.

Would I be arrested if it turned out I knew he was allowing Damian to do this? Would I be arrested for knowing he’d Batman and not handing him over?

Was what I saw even real?

Sleep deprivation could cause hallucinations.

Yeah, that’s all it was. A hallucination. This was all just some big misunderstanding. I was over tired, Bruce had dark pajamas, everyone had rainbow pajamas, Alfred was still just Alfred. All was good.

My summons for breakfast was just to wish me luck for my exam, or to tell me about an event that was coming up.

Nothing was wrong, my life was still normal-ish. Everything would be fine.

I made my way to the breakfast room, because yes this house was so big we had a room for eating breakfast and a room for dinner, and found Bruce seated at the head of the table.

He was reading a newspaper, Alfred seated beside him. To his left, Dick and Tim.

I was surprised to see that Jason was actually here. Had he stayed the night? Judging by the fact that he was not seated at the table but rather leaning against the wall and had his arms crossed, I guessed it wasn’t voluntary.

“Men.” I greeted, walking to take a seat next to Alfred, Damian following behind me and sitting next to Dick.

On my plate, a wonderful stack of vegan pancakes.

One of the few things Damian and I had in common, we were both vegan. Or, I tried to be as vegan as possible. At times, ice-cream and pizza were too strong to resist. You’d think it’d bring us closer together but nope, still got glared at for simply being alive.

My only sanctuary away from it was weeks at my mom’s, since they’d decided to have a one week, one week custody deal.

I hated weeks at Bruce’s for two reasons. One, Damian. Two, I had to wake up earlier cause it took forever to drive into the city from here. The apartment with Mom was so close to school I walked. At Bruce’s, I had to endure a 40 minute drive with Damian.

Bruce never took us, always having to leave either before or after. Sometimes Tim took us, or Dick. It was mostly Alfred, in the Rolls Royce.

Picking up my knife and fork, I prepared to dig in.

“Y/n,” Bruce tried to start, but I cut him off by pointing my knife at him. In hindsight, not the best idea considering who he was. My father or not, I didn’t doubt he’d kick my ass.

“Breakfast first.”

And I left no room for discussion as I cut into my pancakes and took a huge bite, and then another and another.

Everyone else followed my lead, silently beginning to eat their breakfast. Jason left his spot of brooding eventually and joined me, actually sitting beside me. This was the closest we’d ever been to one another.

I tried to not make too big a deal of that fact, keeping my eyes forward when they so desperately wanted to take in all his scars.

I guess now it made sense where they came from, but it didn’t make it right.

How young had he been when Bruce had let him loose on the streets? Had he even wanted to do it, or was he forced into this life?

Were any of them in it by choice?

I glanced over and Bruce and found him staring at me.

Yesterday, he’d look at me with a smile, and his eyes seemed warm. Now, there was no familiarity. There wasn’t even care.

Had these last 3 months all been fake? Did he love me at all? Was I here because he wanted me or because he wanted another sidekick?

“I won’t tell anyone.” I spoke, barely louder than a whisper.

Bruce didn’t say anything, didn’t blink. Just watched me, analyzed me. I almost jumped when he finally spoke.

“You have an exam to get to. We’ll discuss this tonight.”

And that seemed to be the magic words. Everyone stood up, all done with their breakfasts and ready to start the day.

I still had half my plate left and rushed to shovel it all in, charging to the garage when Alfred called that it was time to go.

I hopped in the back, beside Damian, and intended to get my textbook out for some last-minute studying before school, but the little shit spoke up.

“You tell anyone about us, make one tiny slip up or remark, and I will sever your voice box.”

For once, I actually understood the gravity behind the threat. It wasn’t just siblings bickering, it was a promise.

And given how Bruce had looked at me this morning, I doubted he’d do anything to stop it.

Nobody knew Batman’s identity. Nobody had ever figured it out.

Maybe there was a reason for that.

[skylee-spider-lillis]

A list of all of Damian Wayne's pets but they are just getting bigger:

1. Alfred Pennyworth the cat (named after Alfred the man of course)

Alfred found him and brought him to Damian! He said he reminded him of Damian.

Edit: it happened in batman incorporated volume 2 if you want to read it! He appeared in issue 6.

2. Murder King (Wayne Family Adventures universe)

His birthday present from Bruce.

It's free on the website Webtoon! Wayne Family Adventures chapter 13.

3. Jerry the Turkey (li'l Gotham universe exclusive)

I don't remember the details but Damian encountered a pack of turkeys while on a mission and he just kept him after that.

4. Titus

I unfortunately haven't had the chance to read Titus's comics yet, I think Bruce got him to Damian?

Edit: I recommend reading the super sons annual, it's a one shot of Titus and the other super-pets as the league of super pets.

Anyway he's a very good dog.

5. Batcow

Rescued from a mission on a slaughterhouse! When Damian saw what the place did to animals he declared he adopts batcow and as of now he's vegetarian.

Edit: again, I recommend supersons annual if you want to read about her! She's a member of the league of super-pets as well. The origin comic is batman incorporated volume 2 issue 1.

6. Goliath the Dragon Bat

If you're Damian Wayne's fans I really recommend reading Robin Son of Batman! It's where Goliath was introduced, in general I consider it the best Damian Wayne comic ever.

To short things up, Damian found him at his time with the League of Assassins while on a mission, and brought him back with him. Later on Robin Son of Batman he also brought him to Gotham to be with the other pets.

Bonus pics

Isn't he the cutest? He's my favourite (shhh don't tell Alfred).

And 7, the newest member- Wiggles!

Appeared in nightwing volume 4 issue 42. He just appeared and Damian adopted him and took him to the cave with the other pets.

Comparison of Wiggles near Goliath-

That's my presentation for today. Goodbye.

[waywardducks]

Incorrect bat family quotes but as things me and my sibling have done/said.

Jason: *just trying to read* *feels an eery presence just watching him.*

Damien and Tim: *both just starting at him*

Jason: Yes? Can I help you?

Tim: Slushies

Jason: okay?

Damien: Take us to them.

-✨✨✨✨✨✨

Dick: *Chilling in his bed*

Cass: *very slowly opening the door to his room*

Both: *just stare at each other for an uncomfortable amount of time*

Dick: Please, child. What is it? I can't handle this suspense.

Cass: *quietly* I have a pool party today…

Dick: okay? I'm glad for you.

Cass: …

Cass: Can you go buy me tampons?

Dick:

Dick: Of fucking course I can go buy you tampons! *already jumping out of bed* What size?

-✨✨✨✨✨✨

Damien: *angry, slamming doors, punching walls, screaming at everyone*

Tim: Autism is one hell of a bitch

Dick: Tim, no

Jason: No, no, he's got a point. We really should get him checked out.

Damien: I CAN HEAR YOU

*he was diagnosed with autism the following month*

-✨✨✨✨✨✨

Stephaine: *putting makeup on Cass* almost done!

Tim: we need to hurry, the movie is starting soon

Stephanie: It's fine, we have plenty of time, now let me do your makeup.

Dick: What are y'all doing? Why is everything… pink?

Cass: We are going to watch Barbie

Dick: Can I come?

Steph: Nah it's girls night?

Dick: Then why is Tim going?

Steph: He's one of the girls, obviously.

Tim: Yeah, obviously.

Dick: *crying* I wanna be one of the girls too

-✨✨✨✨✨✨

Bruce: Hey, Tim

Tim: Yeah? What's up?

Bruce: Remember how you're therapist mention she thought you might have ASD?

Tim: Yeah, she said she wasn't %100 percent sure on it though.

Bruce: Well she just sent me a document confirming your diagnosis.

Tim:

Dick: Woah dude! Congrats on the tism!

Jason: Welcome to the spectrum little bro!

Damien: Is Dick the only one that isn't ASD?

Dick: *is sad bc he's left out of the club again*

- ✨✨✨✨✨✨

Dick, Tim, Jason and Damien: *driving down the road at 4 in the morning, blasting fnaf songs at full volume* IVE GOT NO TIME!! I've GOT NO TIME TO LIVE

-✨✨✨✨✨✨

Tim: Jason. I'm bi

Jason: Okay

Tim: Okay? That's all you have to say?

Jason: damn Tim, tf you want be to say? Sorry?

Tim: No! I just thought-

Jason: If you have boy problems go to Dick. He's the one with the most experience in that field.

Dick: Hey! I resent that!

Jason: Oh please, you can call yourself straight all you want but you and both know you've what kinda person you were when you first became Nightwing.

Dick: I wasn't gay Jason I was a slut its different.

Jason: sure, okay.

-✨✨✨✨✨✨

I'm gonna make this a series lmao. Being in a house with 6 kids gives you a lot of stories.

Also, yes, 3 of my younger siblings are officially diagnosed with autism. (Damien and my sister are literally the same person. I have so many headcanons about it, it's not even funny. She even has the same insane art skills, I'm terrified of how fast she learned to do things I've been in school for years to learn)

[evilhorse]

Nightwing (Volume 4) # 117

[freddyloyd]

okay heres thing thing: I feel like I could get more behind this retcon if it wasn't specifically tied to Haly's circus. If it was just that the court of owls knew that the circus was coming to Gotham and had their eye on Dick because he was a prodigious athlete rather than Haly's knowing about it and specifically presenting a child. I feel like that ties Haly's to Gotham way more than is necessary and makes it way too nefarious.

Also the tooth thing is very dumb. I'm not a dentist but I feel like in all the scans and tests they've done over the years they would have noticed weird engravings in his tooth. Also the thing with the hideouts in between floors someone would have accidently stumbled into one eventually.

[batboopp]

Can you rec me some batgirl comics that are as good as the og Batgirl run by Scott/Puckett?☹️ I've been giving Cass new solo a shot but the writing is pretty disappointing compared to 2000s Cass imo. I feel like she still carries a lot of baggage from shitty misogynistic retcons and bad writing that happened around the 2010s. for example her very complicated relationship with David was one of my favorite parts of her story, and I hate how he's been demoted to one dimensional villain who doesn't even love Cass.

hello!! <3 amazing question but the most heartbreaking thing you’ll realize as a cass fan is that there really isn’t any better batgirl solo stories than Puckett’s Batgirl 2000. however some cass comics before 2010 i DO recommend are:

Batgirl Secret Files and Origins (2002) 💖

DC’s First: Batgirl/Joker (2002). THIS COMIC IS SO SHDJSJ. Barbara’s and Cass’s dynamic and relationship KILLS me, plus the artstyle is the classic ethereal grittiness that Cass so well captures!

Harley Quinn (2000) issue 10-11. not exactly cass centered but there are some cute moments that I think really contribute to her character-wise, such as her family relations and her idea of what batgirl should stand for!

Nightwing Volume 2 (2003) issue 81. Again, not exactly cass centered, but still a good story that builds on her relationship with Dick, which is always and ingesting point of discussion! However i do think if you want context for why Dick had his arm broken/shot you need to read the previous 3 or so issues. also Cass gets to beat the fuck out of Deathstroke again in Batgirl 2000 issue #63-64 :)

Robin Volume 4 (2005) issues 132 and 135 is also a good Cass story (placed right after Stephanie’s death) which i THINK was continued in Batgirl 2000 issue 57 or 58 under the story title Fresh Blood? idk but i think it’s really interesting reading Cass from others people’s perspectives!

Batman: Allies Secrets and Origin (2005) This took place post War Games after Stephanie’s death and i REALLY didn’t want to recommend anything War Games but i do think it’s interesting how Cass and Tim interact and mourn Stephanie.

—————————————————————- I also enjoy her arcs in No Man’s Land, like:

Batman issue #567 (Mark of Cain part 1)

Detective Comics issue #735 (Mark of Cain part 2)

Legends of the Dark Knight issue #120 (where Helena stops being Batgirl and the mantle is given to Cass.)

Batman issue #569 (CASS BATGIRL FIRST SOLO <33)

Azrael: Agent of the Bat issues #56-57 and #60-61!! (They are SUCH a good duo, definitely recommend!)

Batman: Gotham Knights (2000) issue 2 (just, beautiful all around in Batman and Batgirl’s budding relationship and understanding of each other.)

The Batman Chronicles issue #18 (which takes place maybe 5-6 months after Cass’s solo? idk I’ll have to check again. but anyways this issue is SO good oh my god Leslie and Bruce’s relationship PLUS Cass’s thoughts on the whole of Leslie’s non-violent nature were excellent focal points.)

—————————————————————-

and finally, some REALLY good Cass stories after 2012 are:

Shadow of the Batgirl (2020) part one and part two. It’s a graphic novel created with pastels and a soft artstyle (so not an average cass story) but it still manages to portray a young cass-and all the angst that comes with that- in an amazing and heartfelt manner! There are some inconsistencies writing-wise (especially because im pretty sure the novel is supposed to be taken as an elseworld), but it’s still a good and cozy read, and the writer obviously loved Cass with her whole soul <3

Batman Urban Legends (2021) issue #7 “Hunter…or Hunted?”. SOO PRETTY AND THE ART/FIGHT SEQUENCES ARE FANTASTIC! and some cute bruce and cass interactions <3

—————————————————————-

i should also say that obviously in reactions to your very correct statement that Cass is a constant victim of fandom typical misogyny, these are not perfect. Cass IS a girl, and is aware that she is or presents as one even if she didn’t feel in touch with her femininity for the first ~20 or so years of her life, which is usually held against her in many ways throughout some of these comic arcs. however, I do think the exploration of Cass’s idea of femininity and girl-hood (or person-hood in general really, when she starts accepting the idea that she still counts as an actual person even when she’s not wearing the cowl.) is a fantastic point of exploration, which was so beautifully done in Batgirl 2000 (another reason why you’re super correct, im pretty sure nothing will compare to Puckett’s Batgirl run!)

I also recommend checking out this Cass Cain Reading list for more misc appearances before and after the 2012 rebirth!! have fun and sorry this took me so long to answer <3

[miggywebster]

Miggy Webster in Nightwing (1995) #2 & #4

[havendance]

To build on my previous post, I think of the new52 comics I’ve read, Nightwing is the one that I think is best in terms of what the new52 was trying to do and how it was executed. That being said, it is still hindered by the new52-ness of it all. Working off of the premise of ‘we are rebooting these key characters to reintroduce them to a new universe with a compressed timeline’, Nightwing takes full advantage of the reboot to tell stories that are very much NIGHTWING stories but that couldn’t have been told in the post-crisis universe, revisiting classic Dick plot threads like Haley’s Circus and Tony Zucco in new ways.

I like how the initial plot line explores Dick’s childhood at Haley’s circus. The compressed timeline means that he’s spent more time there, and that means that the story has the opportunity to explore his friendships and relationships with the other performers in a more complicated way than warm nostalgia. Instead, he has a rival and a childhood love, and the guy that died after he left. It gets to take advantage of the reboot to spend more time in that part of the story.

(Of course then it proceeds to burn down Haley's Circus not once but TWICE, and also tie them into the court of owls. We're still trapped in the early new52 era edginess and endless crossover events.)

Volume 4: Second City also does this well imo. Tony Zucco is a pretty resolved plot thread in post crisis canon (I believe Dick wrestled with it in Batman Year 3? but also I didn't read year three so don't take my word for it), but once again the reboot and Dick being younger gives the opportunity to dig back in and re-imagine it. Post-crisis Dick doesn't need to wrestle with his parent's murderer, but it's juicy plot thread for new52 Dick, and I like how it has Zucco trying to start anew after what he did and Dick wrestling with that means in terms of the justice he's searching for.

I still think that Nightwing would be stronger if they hadn't erased so much of his history and relationship and the fact that he wasn't just Robin for a couple years, he BUILT the mantle, but the bones are solid and I think, regardless of whether or not the premise of the new52 was a good idea, Nightwing is doing it's best to execute it in a strong way.