Dick Grayson takes an authoritarian turn in NIGHTWING: THE NEW ORDER

Dick Grayson is one of those characters that just can’t seem to settle down. Always the heir apparent to the Batman title, DC has changed his status quo a few times ever since Chuck Dixon settled him out in Bludhaven; first during his big crisis of conscience during the Devin Grayson run, then threatening to kill him in Infinite Crisis (they killed Superboy instead), then he became Batman during Bruce’s tumble through time thanks to Darkseid, then he got rebooted into a red costume (for some reason), and then his secret identity was outed to the public during the events of Forever Evil and “killed”…but he became a superspy instead, on a series that basically launched the career of Tom King and built a nice association between the character and co-writer Tim Seeley.

And now, he’s Nightwing again. And is living in Bludhaven, and everything is right with the world.

But that’s today, just what does tomorrow bring? Well, here comes Kyle Higgins and Trevor McCarthy on a new series that sees a future, alternate-universe version of Nightwing that’s gone full-blown martial law against anyone with super powers in the upcoming Nightwing: The New Order a six issue miniseries that sees Higgins returning to the character that he launched in the New 52, and reunited with Batman: Gates of Gotham partner McCarthy.

The gist according to DC’s press:

Now leader of a government task force called the Crusaders, Grayson’s priorities are to hunt the remaining Supers and repress anyone who works outside the law. But when events transpire that turn the Crusaders’ aim toward Grayson’s own family, he must turn against the very system he created, with aid from the very people he’s been hunting for years—the last metahumans of the DC Universe.

It seems a bit of an odd fit for Dick Grayson specifically, who has often been seen as the brighter, fellow superhero friendly alternative to Batman – so much so that Grant Morrison inverted the Batman-Robin dynamic in his tenure under the cowl, and of course his superhero guise is borne directly from Kryptonian mythos. This series, with the attached propaganda imagery, also comes right on the heels of the much-talked about/derided Secret Empire over at Marvel, though it dodges some of that same criticism by positing its scenario in an alternative future, akin to the mega-popular Injustice franchise.

On its own, Higgins taking another crack at the character is worthy of note, and I’m always delighted by McCarthy’s art. Higgins states that their aim is to reflect a bit of the current zeitgeist, perhaps:

“My all-time favorite DC books throw characters we know and love into future worlds that are equal parts familiar and terrifying, laced with moral issues that aren’t black and white or easily solved,” says Higgins. “Ultimately, these stories say something about our world. And that’s what we are aiming to do with this Nightwing series, through the lens of a future generation of heroes.”

The first issue hits stands on August 23rd. It’s the latest in a line of miniseries produced by the publisher running alongside their popular Rebirth initiative, such as The Fall and Rise of Captain Atom, The Death of Hawkman, Supergirl: Being Super, and Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love.