Guilt and
redemption can be a challenge to reconcile. In the case of Nightwing, it’s
borderline tiresome. Here’s a guy who has spent most of his life fighting side
by side with Batman, the Teen Titans and several other heroes. He (briefly) sided
with Raptor, a villainous character in a bid to do some good. But Raptor went
to far and now Nightwing is consumed with remorse for his temporary lapse of
judgment.
Get off the
cross, Nightwing, someone else needs the wood. This tortured-hero-consumed-by-guilt
is getting real old real fast.
Nightwing is
trying very hard to save not only himself, but also a small group of minor
super-villain wannabes. Here’s a clue: if you don’t want to be treated like a criminal,
don’t do criminal things. It’s something that is heard in many communities
around the world, including mine. People gripe that because of their history or
skin color or address, they’re subject to being “profiled” as a criminal. I’m
not saying it’s an invalid statement, but the first line of defense is not to complain,
or wish for an improvement. The first strategy should be to not break the law.
But I digress – largely because I find this kind of writing counter-productive. It seems as if Seeley is molding the motivations and reactions to fit the circumstances, rather than allowing them to follow a more logical, reasonable path.
Nightwing and
his new team are closing in on the person intent on carving a big chunk of
Bludhaven’s criminal empire for himself. It culminates with a mad dash to the
mayor’s office an unmasking of the true culprit. But despite his heroics and
all he has tried to accomplish, the police of Bludhaven are not receptive to
his help, and it remains to be seen how long Bludhaven will have a super-hero.