At present, we head again 25 years to try DC’s “Faces of the DC Universe” occasion. In Nightwing’s entry, he confronted his historical past with Batman” occasion (properly, not a lot an occasion as a lot as a month-long companywide enjoyable gimmick) and look particularly at a problem of Nightwing dealing with his previous with Batman because the Dark Knight visits Nightwing in Bludhaven.
That is “Look Again,” the place each 4 weeks of a month, I’ll highlight a single subject of a comic book guide that got here out prior to now and speak about that subject (typically when it comes to a bigger scale, just like the collection total, and so forth.). Every highlight shall be a take a look at a comic book guide from a distinct 12 months that got here out the identical month X quantity of years in the past. The primary highlight of the month seems at a guide that got here out this month ten years in the past. The second highlight seems at a guide that got here out this month 25 years in the past. The third highlight seems at a guide that got here out this month 50 years in the past. The fourth highlight seems at a guide that got here out this month 75 years in the past. The occasional fifth week (we take a look at weeks broadly, so if a month has both 5 Sundays or 5 Saturdays, it counts as having a fifth week) seems at books from 20/30/40/60/70/80 years in the past.
This time round, we head to October 1997 for DC’s “Face Entrance” occasion, and I selected Nightwing #15 (by Chuck Dixon, Scott McDaniel and Karl Story) to single out for a highlight, as Batman visits Bludhaven to go to Nightwing’s new house.
WHAT WAS DC’S “FACES OF THE DC UNIVERSE” EVENT?
I at all times thought that it was known as “Face Entrance,” however I assume it may need been known as “Faces of the DC Universe.” In any occasion, the idea of this “occasion” was that every of the DC Universe titles (plus Superman the Animated Collection, oddly sufficient, however no Vertigo books) would function a drawing of the primary character’s face on the quilt, taking on the entire cowl, with the emblem being shrunken all the way down to only a small bit within the nook. Typically talking, the common artists on the respective books did the covers, however there have been some exceptions, like Brian Stelfreeze doing the quilt for Detective Comics #716 or Tom Grummett doing Robin #48 regardless of having left that collection years earlier.
The rationale why I’m utilizing quotes for “occasion” is as a result of it was actually only a cowl gimmick, the inside tales have been the identical as if this cowl bit hadn’t occurred. When DC subsequent did one thing like this, the corporate made positive that the problems would all be “carried out in a single” tales that point round. Listed below are the covers for the Justice League’s “Massive Seven”…
This was throughout an odd time within the Superman titles, and with 4 books to get covers for, some odd decisions have been used, like the brand new (and short-lived earlier than heading to comedian guide limbo ever since) character, Scorn, and a one-off villain…
There have been some oddball decisions for covers, as properly, like Impulse making a goofy face, Superboy posing the wrong way up, Lobo selecting his nostril and having his finger undergo his ear and Sovereign Seven depicting a group member who died on the finish of the problem.
Marvel had a cute response a month later that I will function sooner or later.
In any occasion, whereas JLA #13 was in the course of “Rock of Ages,” I believe I’d speak about JLA #14 subsequent month, in order that’d be foolish to have back-to-back problems with JLA, so as an alternative, I will go along with Nightwing #15…
HOW DID NIGHTWING DEAL WITH BATMAN VISITING HIM IN BLUDHAVEN?
As I’ve written about earlier than, in 1994, the Batman workplace bought Dick Grayson again from the New Titans workplace. He was as soon as extra a Bat-character. He even crammed in as Batman for some time after which when Bruce Wayne returned, Dick simply kind of…hung round for a 12 months or so. He was barely used. He would simply pop up from time to time to assist out. Ultimately, he was given a brand new costume and within the first subject of his ongoing collection in 1996, Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel despatched him to the town of Bludhaven, a metropolis extra corrupt than Gotham Metropolis, even, and Dick arrange store there as the brand new native superhero .
A 12 months into the run, Dixon and McDaniel had Batman pay Nightwing a go to, and all through the 4 half story, Nightwing continually believed that Batman was right here as a result of he did not like how DIck was dealing with issues. It reminded Dick of once they have been companions as Batman and Robin, the place he was simply an afterthought…
Nevertheless, ultimately, it seems that Batman completely felt that Nightwing was doing job, he was simply stopping by to just about inform him that he was happy with him…
Awww…
In the event you of us have any solutions for November (or every other later months) 2012, 1997, 1972 and 1947 comedian books for me to highlight, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com! Right here is the information, although, for the quilt dates of books with the intention to make solutions for books that really got here out within the right month. Typically talking, the normal period of time between the quilt date and the discharge date of a comic book guide all through most of comedian historical past has been two months (it was three months at instances, however not through the instances we’re discussing right here). So the comedian books could have a canopy date that’s two months forward of the particular launch date (so October for a guide that got here out in August). Clearly, it’s simpler to inform when a guide from 10 years in the past was launched, since there was web protection of books again then.