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Post by dragonbat on Dec 19, 2006 21:15:24 GMT -5
Please let us know what you think!
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Post by Admin on Dec 19, 2006 22:12:50 GMT -5
I have to admit, it was a little bit jarring at first reading an issue of Nightwing not written by Ellen; she has imbued the character with an immediacy and familiarity that I think I've taken for granted at this point!
But as put-off as I was at the beginning of this issue, by the end I was won over. Batkid has had an impressive debut, giving us a story with as much urgency and tension as characterization. Here is a writer who loves her subject, and seems committed to showing us how heroic he can be.
Lots of action (though at times a little heavy on exposition), and a good 'voice.' This writer has a good handle on these characters, and this title seems to be in good hands.
However, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'm not a big fan of the interpretation of the Bat characters as a 'family' (however dysfunctional), with Bruce as some kind of patriarch. I don't think this was a card played too heavily here, and this is only my opinion anyway, but...
Looking forward to seeing what the next issue brings!
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Post by starlord on Dec 19, 2006 22:51:51 GMT -5
It's not easy taking over a book from someone who had really made it their own, and Ellen had done just that. With that being said, though, Batkid did an excellent job keeping the quality top notch. I don't mind the idea that the Bat clan is a "family" of sorts, and so the end was kind of nice. I do have to say that I also felt like there was a great deal of exposition, but it didn't distract from the main story. All in all, a great beginning! I'm excited to see what comes next, and welcome to DC2, Batkid. We obviously have another great writer on the team!  |
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Post by HoM on Dec 20, 2006 14:03:19 GMT -5
I'm not going to touch on the "family" aspects or anything like that, but I can sum up my thoughts on this story simply:
Damn good.
Welcome aboard Batkid, stick around and show us what else you've got!
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Post by arcalian on Dec 20, 2006 18:21:12 GMT -5
I am quite sure Dick will learn from this experience, and, next time, take down this level of goon by himself, easily.
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Susan Hillwig
Staff 
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
Posts: 1,612
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Post by Susan Hillwig on Dec 21, 2006 3:17:29 GMT -5
I agree that you can tell the difference between Ellen's Nightwing and Batkid's, but I also saw some similarities (like the way the whole notion of the "Bat-family" is treated). Whether that was the writer's doing or Ellen's editing, I don't know.
But...there are some aspects that I thought came off badly here, first off being the way time was handled: six hours goes by in a blink, and later we suddenly find this has been going on for three days! The passage of time could have been better shown in the story. And as moving as Bruce's admission of being worried about Dick was, the idea of him revealing their IDs in such a way just played as false. Also, what was the motivation of freeing Riddler and Poison Ivy in this?
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Post by markymark261 on Dec 21, 2006 4:23:21 GMT -5
I thought the writing itself was great (and I liked Dick's problems with Christmas shopping at the beginning), but I had reservations over some aspects of the plot. Nightwing seemed quite ineffectual and the using a hostage to stop him and then him getting beaten up, seemed a bit reminiscent of the very first issue (I'd have hoped he'd have figured out a better way to deal with such situations by now). Also, I had a hard time with believing Batman would have the patience to take a backseat Oracle sort of role as he did here, especially at the times when he wasn't sure if Dick was dead or alive.
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Post by dragonbat on Dec 21, 2006 9:18:33 GMT -5
You've hit a lot of very right notes with this one. It's never easy taking over an established title, but you handled it very well. I'm looking forward to seeing NW's voice develop further over the course of your run.
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Post by batarang on Dec 21, 2006 10:44:47 GMT -5
I agree with most of the previous posters on this. There are some details I could quibble over, and there were some characterization points that didn't quite ring ring true for me, especially in the case of Batman. It's clear there is a new writer on this title with a very different voice than the previous writer.
That said, there was plenty of action, and I did enjoy the handling of Dick's character (though he did get the crap beat out of him) and as Nightwing is the star of this series it's good to see his voice is still there. I'll be interested to see where this writer takes Nightwing next.
Welcome, batkid, and looking forward to next issue.
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Post by Romans Empire on Dec 21, 2006 14:05:18 GMT -5
Let me be the next one to welcome you aboard Batkid!
A lot of the same things I was thinking of while reading this story have already been mentioned so I won't go over them again.
I do find it very interesting how writers of different genders approach these characters. I guessed pretty early on that the new writer was a female. The way men and women generally express themselves seems to seep into their writing and that usually gives us a fresh look at different characters. I always found it fascinating how female comics fans are drawn to Nightwing more so then any other character. Not entirely sure why, but thats a topic for another day.
I am happy for the results here as another talented writer, female or otherwise, has continued this book. I didn't find it too jarring going from Ellen to you as the writer of this issue. You both have a great handle on telling the tale through Dicks eyes. We see his thoughts and reactions to the events around him. The story revolves around Nightwing and it was executed very well.
There were some definite (mostly minor) plot issues but the writing was damn solid! I was nice to see a story that didn't need an epic multiparter to get the job done. I look forward to what happens next during your run.
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Post by batkid on Dec 23, 2006 1:21:30 GMT -5
Hey, guys!
Thanks for all the feedback! I REALLY enjoyed writing this... it's my first Nightwing fanfic, so I was excited to be able to do it.
I've always thought of the original Batclan as a sort of family.... Babs, Bruce, Dick, and Al, which is the group DC2 is using. When DC got into Cass, Azrael, and Jason, the relationships sort of dissolved, except for Dick and Bab's. So, I tried to keep to the first group's relationship as I saw it.
As for his injuries.... it's fine for Superman to waltz in and use his powers to breeze through the rescue, but as for Nightwing... he's human. I wanted it to be a definite challenge for him to rescue the hostages. And I tried to keep him from being easily beaten and captured, which was why I played with his conscience with the lady hostage. I wanted a genuine sacrifice there, not a easy defeat!
I enjoyed reading Ellen's issues, and appreciated how she got into Dick's head. I wanted to try and keep with that as best as I could, and explain his reactions to different situations (i.e., the scene with the murder threat with the hostage.)
Again, thanks for all your feedback! Hope to hear from you all later!
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