downwardspiral: thedeadairchannel018
For those who've been asking: no, I'm not leaving Nightwing. Dexter Soy, who's been my co-conspirator on the book since issue 119 across the Cirque Du Sin storyline, announced last week that 135 was his last issue on the title, and he'll be moving on to another project.
This means we're taking issue 136 to be the opening of a new era of the comic. We aren't throwing out anything that's come before, but you could look at issues 119 to 135 as one novel. 136 will be the opening chapter of the next one.
About 6 months ago I sat down with Scott Snyder in Philadelphia, and he asked me "what's next for Nightwing?" I had some nebulous ideas. He asked a few questions and gave a few nudges. By the end of the evening I knew exactly what I wanted the book to be going forward. He knows what he's doing, that Scott Snyder.
It's a direction that will surprise some people, but feels like the right move after the spandex maximalism of the Cirque Du Sin storyline.
I went into this book thinking about the myth of the character; the length of his legacy and how he's shaped the DC universe. Before Dick Grayson, the worlds of Batman and Superman feel a gulf away from each other. Batman primarily fought gangsters and crooks in pinstripe suits. You wouldn't necessarily accuse the stories of being grounded, but they were definitely crime stories above all else.
Then came Robin. Robin is a jolt of the absurd cutting through any sense of realism those first golden age stories might attempt to muster. Robin was introduced as a wish fulfillment character. A way for the intended audience - young men- to feel that they were joining their hero on his adventures. Like Doctor Watson to Sherlock Holmes, Robin was there to ask the questions they wanted to ask. To react as they would to the situation at hand. His semiotics were steeped in fantasy. In Robin Hood and Peter Pan. He is a ten year old boy in bright garb, and the fact that he survives his first encounter with any armed thug requires a suspension of disbelief. Even his name invokes a famously petite and fragile bird.
This is not a criticism. Such suspension of disbelief is what these stories are for. It's where the wonder lies. And once this subtler fantastical element is in place, Superman no longer feels like he doesn't belong in Batman's universe.
This is the first ever comic image in which the characters interact. Look who's in the middle.
These are the things I was mulling over that led me to create the Cirque Du Sin- a villainous entity formed of malevolent imagination, who seek to pervert Dick Grayson as a symbol into something more sinister.
An enemy that would let us attempt to capture the fantastic energy, the manic strangeness that the character had brought into the world.
Now I've done that, there are new stories I want to tell with the character. And I want to put his pixie boots firmly back down on the ground.
This is going to be a shift in scale and genre, and feels like a culmination of all I've learned writing particularly this book and Batman: Dark Patterns. If you enjoyed the latter, miss it, and haven't jumped on Nightwing, 136 will be the place to do that.
Someone recently told me at a con that my pointing to Nine Inch Nails as my Nightwing writing soundtrack had gotten them into the band, which was cool to hear. If the three arcs that make up the Cirque Du Sin story- issues 119 to 135- were Pretty Hate Machine, i feel like the next era is probably closer to our Downward Spiral.
The former was a explosion of kaleidoscopic neon. Now we're shifting towards something a little more industrial and introspective. Something more steeped in urban soot and exhaust fumes, a little more disciplined and tight.
Poor Dick Grayson is about to go through it. We're throwing him back on his own resources. He was trained by the world's greatest detective, and he's going to have to flex those chops.
Oh, and the artist who's joining us for this new era? An industry legend. The artist of one of the comic runs that made me want to do this job. The pages have begun to come in, and they're stunning.
You'll find out soon.
It's been a long while since I've put out one of these, for which I apologize. I took on a lot of work, and as plans and deadlines shifted underfoot, kept finding myself caught between either getting a script together on deadline, or a newsletter. If I fail to get a script in, an artist is unable to get started. If they can't get started, they can't get paid. It always feels wrong to noodle with one of these if it's going to slow down someone else putting food on their table.
Things haven't really let up, but my schedule has become a little more predictable, slipping into a bit of a rhythm; between Nightwing, Shredder and another unannounced title, I'm currently working on three ongoing books, which certainly helps. We'll see how long before everything upends again.
Since I last wrote to you, a lot has happened. One big thing is that The One Hand & The Six Fingers won an Eisner award for Best Graphic Album - Reprint. This was very much a surprise to the whole team. We didn't even have an inkling we were going to be nominated. Can't say we weren't chuffed. Thanks to all who voted.
From today till Sunday I'll be in Columbus, Ohio for GalaxyCon- I'm writing most of this in the airport. I'm looking forward to it; their New Orleans show was a blast back at the beginning of the year. I've been making a concerted effort to attend more cons. Having moved to the States, it feels like a good way to see more of this behemothic country, though admittedly one sees a lot of the inside of the behemothic country's convention centres and hotel bars.
This year I've done New Orleans, Baltimore, San Diego, New York, and Philadelphia, with Columbus as the last show of the year.
Last year I think I did one show, and none the year before that, so it feels like the right trajectory. It's good to leave the cave every now and again.
If you're there, I look forward to seeing you. If you're not, I'll write to you next week.
This has been thedeadairchannel. An emanation from the desk of Dan Watters.
