Whereas the previous Batman sidekick has spent the previous couple of years working for the worldwide spy company, Spyral, Dick Grayson is returning to DC comics for Rebirth.
What’s modified is that he is not a spy; he is again in Gotham and dealing with the Darkish Knight as Nightwing. The brand new Nightwing sequence begins July 13 with its Rebirth situation.
The comedian shall be written by Tim Seeley (Grayson) and have the artwork of Yanick Paquette (Swamp Factor). Seeley mentioned the upcoming sequence and defined what’s in retailer for the character in an interview with GameSpot.
GameSpot: You’ve got taken Dick Grayson by numerous adjustments the previous few years. Emotionally, the place is that this character at proper now?
Tim Seeley: We open Nightwing within the aftermath of the Grayson storyline the place he is pleased to be at residence and have his identification again, however he is confronted this speedy situation the place the Court docket of Owls has threatened Damian Wayne. This can be a Dick Grayson who’s conflicted. He is glad to be again with the folks he loves, however he is additionally conscious that his connection to them has endangered them.
The Rebirth situation appears like a transition between Grayson and Nightwing. Does that imply that this sequence shall be extra a few ground-level hero, dropping the weather of espionage?
Seeley: We’ll use facets of what we did in Grayson that labored rather well. One of many issues we established that I actually preferred was the concept that Dick grew up as a gypsy circus performer and did not have a house base. He is actually well-suited to the globe-trotting stuff. He will be based mostly out of Gotham within the first a part of the story, however we’ll see he is appearing as Batman’s worldwide strike drive of 1. I feel we did numerous cool storylines with stunning surroundings, however he is again working for the pursuits of Batman at first of the story.
Due to every thing that is occurred to him over the previous few years, did you’re feeling penning this new sequence, underneath the Rebirth banner and making an attempt to attraction to new readers, to be powerful?
Seeley: Yeah, for certain. It is one of many hardest issues I’ve written. It is a type of issues the place it appears like I am going again to the place Grayson began however utilizing numerous the weather we arrange that basically labored. It is a stability of determining what followers cherished probably the most and what match the character the perfect. There was much more analysis than I anticipated. There was numerous looking in my very own expertise and making an attempt to resolve what appealed most to me in regards to the character. I feel it was worthwhile. [The first issue] was, undoubtedly, the toughest factor I’ve written.
How does it really feel to place him again in his iconic costume?
Seeley: To me, it is humorous as a result of I feel the way in which followers react to it’s not how I would react to it. The costume is only one a part of the character. Once I was a child, he was Robin. To me, he is been so many characters that he does not must be within the swimsuit, however I like the way in which followers react to it. It is such a cool and ideal design. It isn’t the unique, however it’s the perfect. Attending to see them have this very visceral, nostalgic response is fairly enjoyable and an schooling of the evolution of the character and the design.
While you’re working with Yanick Paquette and Javier Fernandez, what was your response while you first began getting the artwork pages again?
Seeley: I used to be so fortunate to work on Grayson with Mikel Janin. He would do that superb, iconic model of that character. I used to be slightly nervous that it might be exhausting to high that, within the expertise of getting the pages again. However having the ability to work with Yanick Paquette, who’s one in every of my favourite artists and a extremely nice man, we’re gonna survive this. I feel each these guys deliver one thing to it. I feel folks shall be shocked with how cool Javier Fernandez’s stuff is and the way it elicits an old-school Scott McDaniel story. The artwork recreation is certainly tops with the Rebirth relaunch.
What are you able to inform us about Dick working with the Court docket and Parliament of the Owls?
Seeley: It is picked up from Robin Conflict the place Dick has to secretly be a part of the Parliament of Owls, which is a spin-off [of the Court of Owls]. We decide the story as much as [Dick] being blackmailed into working for them, however all the time, making an attempt to determine a approach to take them down. For them, the problem is making him a logo of their domination. The dynamic may be very totally different than what we arrange within the Spyral storyline the place it was Dick working for a grey group whereas sustaining his black and white morality. On this story, there is not any doubt in our minds that they imagine any of the issues these evil, bird-mask-wearing jerks, are saying, however we get to see him cleverly work out a approach to take them down.
He is very cocky on this. Dick is in-your-face when coping with the Court docket of Owls.
Seeley: Yeah. There is no phantasm that he isn’t into their beliefs, however their vanity makes them imagine that they’ve actually executed their job. That is one thing I need to play with, the elitism of those guys.
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There’s additionally a brand new antagonist, Raptor. What are you able to inform us about him?
Seeley: Raptor’s going to play a pair totally different roles. That is what is going on to outline him. Dick’s opinion of who this man is and the way he ought to deal with him is the crux of the primary arc. As we introduce him, [Raptor] is a thief who’s been working for the Court docket to cease different thieves. As we’ll see, he is extra like Dick than Batman as his character, historical past, and background goes. He looks like extra a match to Dick as a mentor than Batman.
You’ve got spent numerous time constructing relationships round Dick. To that, followers appear to actually love The Tiger and Midnighter. They’re within the Rebirth situation, however will we be seeing them once more?
Seeley: That is one of many issues we did not need to abandon after we began Nightwing: these relationships to these characters and the way they assist outline Dick as a personality. We’ll see Tiger extra. With the world of espionage and Dick having the ability to work for or towards these guys, it might be a waste to not use them.
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