WARNING: The next article accommodates spoilers for Nightwing #89, on sale now from DC Comics.
Whereas superheroes are principally identified for doing good, a typical criticism of them (each in-universe and in actual life) is that they typically solely deal with supervillains and by no means do a lot to vary the system for the higher, solely to take care of the established order. While there have been a number of basic comedian books over the many years which have debunked this accusation and even characters which might be created particularly to deal with points that folks face, evidently a latest development in superhero comics in recent times has sought to deal with this difficulty and we’ve got seen an uptick of comics exhibiting our heroes to be extra socially conscious and tackling topics corresponding to wealth inequality, racism and local weather change extra head-on and thus reflecting the true world.
In each Nightwing and Superman: Son of Kal-El, author Tom Taylor has had the 2 proteges of DC’s two greatest heroes transfer into roles that sort out points associated to structural inequality, social justice points, and human rights.
The 2 characters are at present teaming as much as examine the murders of a number of meta-humans throughout the globe, finally main them to a path that entails none aside from Lex Luthor. Beforehand, the unique Superman, Clark Kent, had requested Grayson to look at over his son Jon and act as a job mannequin, one thing that Dick has taken to coronary heart contemplating his admiration for Superman. This finally led to the revelation that Dick Grayson is a significant investor within the Reality, the unbiased media outlet that Jon and his boyfriend Jay Nakamura work for that exposes the plight of the nation-state of Gamaora.
Whereas discussing the Reality’s future Jay (disguised as Gossamer) says that he thinks Dick’s present work in Bludhaven is “inspiring”. That is in reference to Dick’s founding of the Alfred Pennyworth Basis within the metropolis, investing massive sums of the inheritance he obtained from his former butler after his loss of life and establishing a youth outreach and challenge to assist alleviate poverty within the metropolis. Naturally, this has led to Dick changing into a philanthropist and a public determine, a job that Bruce Wayne has generally adopted with the varied charities and tasks Wayne Enterprises invests in Gotham. Nevertheless, while Bruce has completed a variety of philanthropy and charity in his time, he has needed to all the time delegate it to his staff while juggling his position as a C.E.O. and profession as Batman takes up most of his time. Dick in the meantime solely has his position as Nightwing to fret about, which means he can take a extra proactive position as Bludhaven’s wealthiest good samaritan.
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Much like Dick, Jon has additionally taken a way more forthright position in bringing about societal change than his father has. Whereas Clark as Superman is not any stranger to combating social injustices corresponding to racism and wealth inequality, he acknowledges his limitations as a Kryptonian on dictating how humanity ought to govern himself, a reality he reiterates to his son when Jon requested why he doesn’t do extra. Being half-human and half-Kryptonian, Jon is extra inclined to grasp his homeworld but additionally is aware of what it’s wish to be an outsider. The truth that he’s the son of a refugee will not be misplaced on the Son of Kal-El, and in his position as each Superman and an unbiased journalist on the Reality, he’s dedicated to elevating consciousness of mistreatments of migrants and the approaching disaster of local weather change as he’s to combating supervillains. Unafraid of the potential backlash, he might be seen standing in solidarity with the oppressed, even when it means going to jail or falling foul of public opinion.
While the heroes of the DC Universe attempt their greatest to make the world a greater place and do what they’ll to battle injustice wherever they are saying it however wish to maintain their energy in examine in order to not overreach what they select to intervene in. Nevertheless, the youthful generations of heroes like Jon Kent and Dick Grayson see the potential for a extra proactive strategy to how they enhance the Earth. It’s an attention-grabbing fashionable improvement, contemplating many individuals throughout the fictional universes of DC and Marvel and even in the true world typically criticize superheroes for sometimes solely ever bandaging issues and sustaining the established order. Extra of that not although, we frequently see these heroes doing their greatest to battle points that we face in the true world and it’s a development in superhero storytelling that appears to be occurring now greater than ever.