Saturday, September 30, 2023

Nightwing: The Target

Some of you might not know this but after Dick Grayson went off to Blüdhaven to make his way as Nightwing, the former ward of Bruce Wayne attended the police academy and became a cop. It turns out that Blüdhaven's police department is more corrupt than Gotham's thin blue line has ever been. Fighting both petty and organized crime overlooked by dirty cops at night as Nightwing and pursuing justice during the day in uniform, Dick Grayson is on a mission to clean up his new home town. 

Dick's firm boundaries of right from wrong has put Officer Grayson in the crosshairs of the Blüdhaven brotherhood in blue. On his first night on solo patrol, Grayson assists in a pursuit of a pair of thugs with know gang ties. When Officer Grayson witnesses police brutality first hand against two wrongly accused suspects, he takes action. Only the numbers are way wrong and Dick is savagely forced to accept a beating, less someone suspect him of being stronger than he really is. 

Grayson awakens in a hospital room, handcuffed to the bed. His fellow boys in blue have seen to it that neither of those brutalized suspects will ever testify against their misconduct. Not only that, Dick Grayson has been accused as the perpetrator of the violent assaults. With Officer Grayson now under the microscope of Blüdhaven's Internal Affairs Unit, not only does Dick face the rest of his life behind bars, but the entire Batman family is at risk of being unmasked to the general public.

Shelving his Nightwing costume, Dick Grayson dons a new vigilante persona called the Target. Finally free to explore his playful side that came about as a former circus performer, as the Target, Dick Grayson is like a much safer, righteous version of the Joker and I love it! 

Over the span of Dick Grayson's 75 year plus career, he's taken on a number of secret identities. Not counting his time as Robin, the Target is my favorite of them all because of how loose and mischievous Dick becomes. He never crosses the line, but since the Target is an unknown player in Blüdhaven, Grayson is able to do things his own way instead of in the shadow of the Batman.

I'm rather disappointed to research that this prestige format comic book is the only time Dick Grayson becomes the Target. I would be all over a continuation of this persona. If it was an older storyline, I'd be adding those back issues to my wish list. If DC ever decided to rebrand Dick Grayson once more as the Target in an all-new series, I'd add it to my subscription pull over at my favorite LCS right now! 

A great era of Dick Grayson that was over way too soon and obviously all but forgotten. I'm adding this unsure keeper to my permanent collection. But I want more!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

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