Around the time of the Chuck Dixon/Greg Land run on this title, I became a big fan of what was going on in Bludhaven. Though the series didn't hook me when it debuted, I later discovered that Dixon had really constructed an independent life and well-realized supporting cast for a classic character who was usually defined by a bigger heroic icon. I lost touch with the title a while back, and this issue -- the first of a two-part story arc -- seemed like a good opportunity to revisit it and refamiliarize myself with Dick Grayson. What I found instead were thoroughly inaccessible scripting and artwork. Grayson fails to provide sufficient exposition for the reader, and the artists drop the ball as well, especially when it comes to the flashback sequences.
Nightwing and the female vigilante crimefighter known as the Tarantula are on the run. Blockbuster, the biggest crimelord that Bludhaven has ever seen, has been shot dead, and they're responsible. While the Tarantula looks for leads on how to get out of the sticky situation they're in, Nightwing is horrified with how he's lost control of things... especially the Tarantula. She's reckless and self-destructive, and she seems more than willing to cross a line that the Batman and Nightwing's other colleagues have avoided throughout their crimefighting careers. Meanwhile, the two costumed figures are being hunted by a poisonous mercenary.
Mike Lilly's artwork here strikes me as a cross between the styles of Scott (Richard Dragon) McDaniel and Whilce (StormWatch) Portacio. Both of those arists boast an exaggerated style, and that's true here well. The darkness and exaggeration make for some confusing reader here. The action does not flow clearly at all in the opening scene, and the book just goes downhill from there. There's no nearly enough visual information in the flashbacks to bring the reader up to date either.
Mind you, there's not enough information in the script either. Nightwing's seeming catatonia in the opening scene is unexplained, and just why he's willing to go along with the wishes and impulses of the Tarantula is completely unclear as well. Are we meant to believe that he might be in love with her? That she's mesmerized him with her overt sexuality? I don't buy into it. Nightwing is a character who's all about control and discipline.
What's unfortunate about all of this is that the core plot premise -- heroes being blamed for a crimelord's murder -- is actually a rather interesting one. Blockbuster has been built up into such an intimidating figure over the course of this series that his death carries with it a real sense of importance. It's too bad that quality is lost in this completely inaccessible story. A good jumping-on point, this ain't.
