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The Lost Carnival: A Dick Grayson Graphic Novel

Dick Grayson is a teenager working with his family as the main act of Haly’s Travelling Circus: The Flying Graysons. However, Dick wants more out of life. It’s been two weeks into the summer and already he’s chafing at the long months of performing for thin crowds before he goes back to school. He sneaks his best friend and magician Willow out for a party. In breaking up a fight, a girl who banished dark creature with a mysterious power vanishes before Dick can talk to her. He wanders to the carnival that’s set down across the road from the circus in order to find her. Luciana warns Dick not to get too close to her, because she isn’t all she seems, but the two can’t help but see and grow fond of one another. Amid tensions between the carnival and the circus, and Willow suddenly falling very ill, Dick must solve the mystery of the Lost Carnival – and Luciana – in order to save his best friend.

I fell in love with the cover of this graphic novel, and hoped that the whole book would use the black and gold Art Deco elements. Unfortunately, they were reserved only for the cover pages and chapter breaks =( The rest of the book is deftly rendered in white and cerulean when we are with the circus, and red and yellow when we enter the Lost Carnival. The color palettes are mixed for great effect at crucial moments in the story. There is somehow an old quality about the book in the thick, shaky linework and gentle shading.

The main theme of the book is time. Time that has been lost, and appreciation for the time that we have, especially with loved ones. Most readers will know that Dick Grayson eventually loses his parents, is taken in by Bruce Wayne, and becomes the first Robin and eventually Nightwing. There is also a point made about a child’s path not needing to be the same as their parents’, and that’s okay! I wish the book had spent a little less time on the romance and a little more time with Mr. and Mrs. Grayson to highlight these points further – though I understand that Dick is a teen and this is a YA graphic novel, which is likely why this wasn’t the case =P

I VERY much enjoyed the Dark Tower reference on page 37… if you get it, you get it 😉

This story is set before Dick Grayson becomes Robin, so it doesn’t require too much background knowledge. The limited color palette is used to great effect. Though too much time was devoted to the romance for me, the themes of time and carving your own path independent from your parents are adequately handled. The target audience and Dick Grayson fans will enjoy it.

– Kathleen

Moreci, Michael, and Sas Milledge. The Lost Carnival: A Dick Grayson Graphic Novel. 2020.

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Grayson (Vol. 2): We All Die at Dawn

After crash-landing in the desert with his partner Helena, the deadly Midnighter, and a baby containing the heart of the Paragon, Dick has no choice but to walk to civilization – 200 miles away. To save the baby, Dick will walk. Midnighter follows, determined to take the baby, and the heart, for his own purposes. He asks questions that Dick himself is trying to get to the bottom of. Why does Spyral need the pieces of the Paragon? Who exactly is Mr. Minos, and what is his endgame? Will their questions on the secrets of Spyral die with the four in the desert, or will they live to figure it out?

The action and intrigue continue from Volume 1. We do see here a gentler side of Dick’s character, as he cares for the baby and plows onward through the desert. Midnighter is a little-known character, so it was nice to see him make an appearance in this volume. As we don’t yet know his motivations or alignment with Spyral, he only adds another layer of intrigue that we can unravel later on.

… I could go on, and leave a proper review, but I believe this panel, which is probably the greatest known to man, will just about sum up:

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My work here is done ;D

– Kathleen

Seeley, Tim, Tom King, Mikel Janin, Stephen Mooney, and Jeremy Cox. Grayson (Vol. 2): We All Die at Dawn. 2016.

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Grayson (Vol. 1): Agents of Spyral

Dick Grayson is a hero to many. During the Forever Evil storyline, Nightwing was unmasked, his secret identity revealed, and (seemingly) killed on camera to millions of viewers. To many, that hero is now a dead man… but they don’t know Dick. The former Boy Wonder is alive, well, and now goes by Agent 37 at the spy agency called Spyral. Partnered with Helena Bertinelli, the agent known as Matron, they hunt down pieces of the slain god Paragon, whose organs have the potential to become weapons of mass destruction. However, Spyral’s lead man, Mister Minos, has another motive: he wants to use these pieces to discover the secret identity of every superhero on Earth. Of course, Batman is on to Mister Minos’ duplicity – and Dick is his man on the inside. Though Dick is, for all intents and purposes, dead to the rest of the world, he has more to lose now than ever: his sense of self.

There have been a few times in Rebirth where Dick and Helena’s spy days have been referenced, and I was curious for more context. This is a solid start to the series. We’ve seen Dick constantly struggle to get out of Batman’s shadow (it’s partially why he became Nightwing), so it will be very interesting to see if and how he manages to do it here, especially if he’s still working with the Dark Knight.

Speaking of Batman, it is a little annoying how he seems to know everything… including that a super-secret spy agency is up to no good. I’m curious to see how he knew this, and I’m sure it will be revealed as the story goes on. Also yet to be revealed are Helena’s motives for joining Spyral. And how a girl’s boarding school became their front! There’s a lot of fun to be had here, but intrigue also.

The art is nothing to write home about. It’s certainly servicable: anatomy is accurate, expressions and lighting are natural, and backgrounds are understandably toned down to focus on the characters and action. But it suffers in that it’s in your run-of-the-mill, everyday comic book style. While there’s nothing unique offered here in the art style, it’s a solid foundation from which to build a graphic novel in which the story has more focus than the art. I, for one, am looking forward to more of the story!

– Kathleen

Seeley, Tim, Tom King, Mikel Janín, Stephen Mooney, and Jeromy Cox. Grayson (Vol. 1): Agents of Spyral. 2015.

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Nightwing (Rebirth, Vol. 1): Better than Batman

Dick Grayson is, well, Dick Grayson again. He’s finished with Spyral, he’s back from the (figurative) dead, and he’s got his secret identity back. There is one last bit of spy business he needs to take care of, though: the Parliament of Owls. They threatened Damian Wayne in order to get Dick to join them, and that is something Dick won’t stand for. He infiltrates their ranks once again, but this time they pair him with someone called Raptor. Though he’s a liar and a thief, Dick can’t help but feel like he can trust him. Almost like… like they have a connection. When the bond between them is revealed to be more than coincidence, can Dick continue to trust him? Can he even carry out this last spy mission without losing himself?

Well, the title got it right. The Rebirth Nightwing is way better than Rebirth Batman. The thing about Dick is, he’s got most of Batman’s characteristics and morals, but overall wrapped in a cheerier and (dare I say) more attractive package. Little hints are dropped as to Raptor’s secret identity throughout the book, leaving us readers hanging on the edge of our seats to see the mystery revealed. The art wasn’t as detailed and defined as I’d like, but the story was more than enough to keep me going.

– Kathleen

Seeley, Tim, Javier Fernandez, and Christ Sotomayor. Nightwing (Rebirth, Vol. 1): Better than Batman. 2017.

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Nightwing: The Lost Year

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Wolfman, Marv, Jamal Igle, and Jon Bosco. Nightwing: The Lost Year. 2008.

Nightwing is injured and left in a coma after the Crisis. When he wakes up, a year has gone by. Barbara Gordon is there when Dick wakes up and is tasked with being his physical therapist. But their time together proves ultimately too painful for both of them, and Dick leaves after his recovery. Back on the streets of Gotham, Nightwing stops a kidnapping attempt on someone he used to know. Liu visits Dick at his work, wanting to see him after being released from prison. Dick already knows he can’t trust her, but especially after she tells him she’s working for “Metal” Eddie Hwang, the leader of a gang Dick used to run with. Liu swears he’s clean now, but Dick isn’t so sure. For one, it can’t be a coincidence that Liu comes to see Dick Grayson the night after Nightwing rescues her. And Vigilante has shown up, swearing revenge on the seemingly reformed Eddie. What’s the connection? What does Liu want? Why does Dick want to trust her even though he knows he can’t?

This one is smack in the middle of the arc, so it was hard to get my bearings at first. I adored how elements of Barbara and Dick’s relationship were recounted in the beginning. They’re just so cute! Their first date was incredibly funny. Get ready for the feels though after that.

This is a good example of the inner struggle a hero faces. Dick wants to see the good in Liu, even though she’s hurt him before. He knows he can’t trust her, but wants to give her the benefit of the doubt anyway, even if it means he has to get hurt again. I suppose much of a superhero’s fights are internal more than external. This was definitely an internal book. I enjoyed it, but probably wouldn’t pick it up again. The rest of the book after Dick and Babs just wasn’t interesting to me??? Idk if that speaks to how much I love those two or how the book actually was.

– Kathleen

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Nightwing/Huntress

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Grayson, David, Greg Land, and Bill Sienkiewicz. Nightwing/Huntress. 2003.

I’ve been on a Huntress kick lately. And even more lately, on a Nightwing kick. I then found this comic and thought, “Well, what could be better???” XD

A prostitute is found dead in a hotel room in mobster Frankie Black’s name, and Huntress is on the case. Problem is, Nightwing was at the warehouse Black was at at the time of the murder – watching him run a gun deal. Someone’s framed him, and the heroes need to figure out how to work together to figure out who. Nightwing is wary of Huntress and her ruthless methods, and Huntress is quickly frustrated by Nightwing’s straight-laced, methodical thinking. However, they find themselves attracted to one another. Under all that, can they work together? And who in the world has good reason to frame a mobster for murder?

I absolutely loved this one. It was interesting to see Huntress and Nightwing interact, since they’re so different. A recurring theme in the comic was loneliness and trying to find your place in a family, in a new relationship, a new place. The mystery keeps you guessing up until the very end. Be prepared for a plot twist! The color palette was subdued, very cool in tones of blue and purple. I loved the designs of their costumes; Huntress isn’t sexualized like a lot of other female superheroes are. However, I am a fan of the finger stripes on Nightwing’s costume – make of that what you will ;D

I definitely need to make a point of reading more of these two! I love Batman but haven’t read a lot of the stand-alone family books – save for Batgirl, of course =P

-Kathleen

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