Thank goodness for Nightwing, the superhero blogger’s friend. Sometimes I’m stuck for a topic and I’ll find myself returning to the Dick Grayson well. Sometimes a Nightwing-related topic even presents itself.

The latter is the case today, with the first issue of Titans (as distinguished from “The” Titans, the previous Old New Teen Titans revival from 1999) and the conclusion of “Wrath Child,” a Batman Confidential arc guest-starring a younger Nightwing. It’s dueling Nightwings — the now vs. the wow! Join me, won’t you?

SPOILERS FOLLOW, of course.

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Titans #1 comes from writer Judd Winick, penciller Ian Churchill, and inker Norm Rapmund, the same folks who brought us the Titans East Special; and as you can see from the preview, it styles itself Part 2 of the book’s inaugural storyline. I didn’t have particularly high hopes for Titans #1 after reading Titans East, and as it happens those lowered expectations were exceeded.

For one thing, I didn’t expect the issue to introduce all the players; but thanks to its 30 pages of story, there they all are, plus a few more. The increased page count seems like a wash, though: without the copious use of double-page spreads, splash panels, and large panels in general, the story could probably fit into 22 pages. Still, considering that some team books take a few issues just to get everyone in the same room, this issue feels fast-paced already.

The plot of Titans #1 is pretty simple: Nightwing, Starfire, Raven, Red Arrow, Beast Boy, Donna Troy, Flash, and the current crop of Teen Titans are each attacked unexpectedly by supernatural creatures and/or forces. After Batman briefs Nightwing on the Titans East aftermath (and its unexpectedly low death toll), the headliners gather, each having come to the same conclusion about who’s gunning for them. The issue ends on that reveal, with a portentious caption announcing “The End Of The Beginning.”

Accordingly, there’s no formal team-building in the issue, the all-for-one cover notwithstanding. Winick seems more concerned at the moment with grounding the Titans in their own situations than with exploring their interpersonal dynamics. That’s fine; and it’s certainly appropriate given the characters’ particular career paths. Marv Wolfman and George Pérez only had to deal with one of their characters appearing regularly elsewhere, but at least three current Titans have outside gigs.

In fact, rediscovering these characters’ relationships to one another may end up being the point of this series. This is the “Paul McCartney was in a band before Wings?” circumstance (and good grief, how that joke dates me). Someone who’s never read a page of Wolfman/Pérez might still know these folks from their solo titles, Countdown, 52, the Bat-books, Justice League, Winick’s Outsiders, etc. Obviously, they might also be recognizable from the “Teen Titans” cartoon … although I wonder what those hypothetical viewers would think of a nude Starfire or a Raven whose thong peeks out above her hip-huggers.

Speaking of which, I’m not sure about Ian Churchill and Norm Rapmund on this book. Churchill isn’t a bad storyteller by any means, but his figures are stuck in the early ‘90s. Characters have inexplicable slashes all over their bodies, Starfire gets the “balloon-bod” Terra always teased her about, and at one point Raven comes close to dislocating her spine. Such a cheesecake factor seems gratuitous even for Starfire; and for Raven it was (at least to me, unfamiliar with her updates) somewhat jarring. There’s beefcake too — Wally West gets attacked in the shower by demonic goo (one step down from tentacles?), but unlike Starfire his naked butt is covered by a carefully-falling costume; and Gar Logan is attacked while wearing his underwear. Otherwise, Churchill and Rapmund’s work is too detailed to be called “cartoony,” but too stylized to be “realistic.” They do draw the spooky adversaries pretty well, though, especially as colored by Edgar Delgado.

Meanwhile, Judd Winick’s script is hit-or-miss. He does fine by Nightwing, Batman, Beast Boy, and Red Arrow, but his Starfire scene isn’t too subtle, his Flash monologue doesn’t quite track, and his Raven “teen-speak” sounds overthought. Most of the rest of the book is action-scene dialogue, and since (except for Nightwing) we don’t see the Titans getting out of their respective jams, that adds up to a lot of exclamations. So far Titans #1 is selling a lot of attitude and not much substance.

It’s also not selling much nostalgia, apart from the identity of the Mystery Villain* and the composition of the group itself. I’m sure that will change as the series progresses (and there was a healthy dose of it in the Titans East prologue). Still, I don’t think it will reach the hugs-all-around heights of Devin Grayson’s tenure.

In short, Titans #1 isn’t the second coming of Wolfman/Pérez; but honestly, I don’t mind. This isn’t 1980, and Winick and Co. don’t need to introduce a handful of new (or revamped) characters. Instead, they must convince readers that a) this group is worth following; and b) this creative team will make it worthwhile.

Despite all this tepid language, I remain willing to give the book a chance. I hate to say it, but we’re long past the point where a series only gets one issue to justify its existence. The latest non-teen Titans group has gotten two oversized issues to date, and I have a feeling that it’ll take a few more before things start to crystallize. Nevertheless, this issue did seem to sketch the outlines of Winick’s “non-team” approach, and I am looking forward to Winick putting that into practice. Whether he can pull off the interpersonal stuff, and whether I get used to Churchill and Rapmund, remains to be seen.

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Then there’s “Wrath Child,” an exercise in ‘80s nostalgia serialized biweekly in Batman Confidential #s 13-16.** The Wrath was a one-off bad guy created by Mike Barr and Michael Golden for a 1984 Batman Special (reprinted in Batman In The Eighties). After seeing his parents murdered by James Gordon on the same night the Waynes were killed, he trained himself to physical perfection, etc., and eventually adopted an Evil! version of the Bat-suit. Today we might think of him as an earlier, cheesier version of Prometheus; and if he weren’t on display here, I’d expect to see the Wrath in Grant Morrison’s arc.

“Wrath Child” is set in Nightwing’s disco-collar past, ca. 1984-85. There are a wealth of Easter eggs evoking bygone stories: the Batmobile of 1968; the West/Ward Batcopter and Batboat; the ‘80s Batmobile (or its close cousin); and even a MEGO-esque Bat-Cycle. Of course, Nightwing uses a PDA, and nothing looks like it’s from the Reagan era, so the story won’t age too badly, but still — we’re talkin’ old-school here, people.

The plot, likewise, is simple: with the original Wrath dead, a new one is out for revenge. It’s a straightforward superhero story, with Batman and Nightwing trying to stop the Wrath before he kills again. Each issue includes one big set piece, and the grand finale starts with Batmobile vs. Wrathmobile and moves to a fight atop the Gotham Airport’s main tower.

In terms of drama, “Wrath Child” apparently requires a retro setting at least in part so it can examine the early Batman/Nightwing relationship. We’re used to seeing the two on the outs during this period, whether it’s Batman firing Dick/Robin for the last time at the start of “Nightwing: Year One,” or Batman closing himself off after Jason Todd’s death. However, “Wrath Child’s” twisted perspective shows its antagonist devoted to his mentor for all the wrong reasons, and juxtaposes that against a fairly well-adjusted Dynamic Duo. Thus, writer Tony Bedard doesn’t seem concerned with the usual “you don’t respect me” beats.

Similarly, penciller Rags Morales and his inkers provide clean, clear art which doesn’t dwell on the deep blacks and impressionistic touches like other Bat-artists might. They leave plenty of space for the shades of blue and yellow in our heroes’ costumes, as well as the purples (yes, purples) of the Wrath’s. While these characters still live in the shadows, plenty of light touches them.

Indeed, despite Batman, Nightwing, and the Wrath(s) each being products of similar childhoods, “Wrath Child” concludes that nature, not nurture, controls their behavior. Good remains good, and evil likewise. I suppose this could be a refutation of the armchair psychology which argues for a near-psychotic, antisocial Batman; and if this were 2004, when Batman was still a jerk, the story might stand out more. Since it follows DC’s recent efforts to rehabilitate Batman, though, not so much. Instead, it could just as easily be part of the retro atmosphere: there wasn’t much psychological complexity in the pre-Dark Knight 1980s.

The setting also reminds longtime readers that “Wrath Child’s” Batman/Nightwing team-up would have been subject to editorial veto in the early ‘80s. Although the Robin-to-Nightwing transition had gotten Dick Grayson pretty much out of the Bat-picture, that meant that neither the Batman office nor the Titans folks had any special need for Bruce-and-Dick stories. Thus, Nightwing rarely appeared in the Bat-books, and vice versa. This makes “Wrath Child” the kind of nostalgia story that, because of its possible editorial transgressions, verges on fan fiction.

It also brings up the story’s biggest continuity hole: namely, the whereabouts of Jason Todd. According to “Nightwing: Year One,” Dick assumed the Nightwing identity a little after Batman met Jason. In fact, dialogue suggests that “Wrath Child” takes place soon after “The Judas Contract,” Dick’s first Nightwing adventure with the Titans. Considering the mileage that “Wrath Child” gets out of the Batman-and-Robin relationship, I wonder how the story might have turned out differently had the Wrath gone up against the second Robin.

Actually, I suspect that Jason would only have complicated matters, not just in terms of the overall plot, but also the characters’ relationships. “Wrath Child’s” four issues do well to juggle its four main players (our heroes, the villain, and Commissioner Gordon) without throwing in another Robin. Besides, that just leaves room for a sequel.

In the end, “Wrath Child” doesn’t break much new ground, relying for the most part on the peculiar rules of the superhero genre. As a Batman story, it’s notable primarily for the elements it emphasizes and eschews. I’m sure there’s a reason, probably having to do with Dark Knight’s aftereffects, that this period doesn’t get much attention anymore. Still, I found “Wrath Child’s” familiarity very appealing, and I’m sure that was the intent. I’m all for DC doing retro-styled stories, because they satisfy old coots like me without reworking the main line status quo to do so.

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So, I liked the book better that reminded me most of the superhero comics of yore. How insightful, right? Well, I hope it’s a little more complicated than that. I went into Titans #1 expecting more looks back, and was pleasantly surprised that the book kept the characters in the here and now. I’ve written previously that it would be a mistake to exhume new stories out of the vintage Titans relationships, because that only goes so far. However, if Winick comes to the title with the idea that despite their mutual affections, these folks don’t especially need to get back together — now, that’s more intriguing; and it helps the book make its case to new readers.

At the other end of the nostalgia spectrum, “Wrath Child” might simply have come along at the right time. It’s a perfectly inconsequential story which has nothing to do with any current storylines (although give Peter Tomasi time to get the Wrath into Nightwing) and I suspect it will sell appropriately. Therefore, it’s another story written just for me, so thanks, DC! I’m killing comics, one ’80s reference at a time….

Still, I did think that “Wrath Child” was written and drawn with a certain amount of craft, and there’s always a place for well-executed standalone superhero stories. I daresay you don’t even need to know the details of Nightwing’s origin to enjoy it. It should make a nice paperback, probably bundled with the original Wrath story, if DC decides to collect it. The nostalgia factor might not even get in the way.

* [Trigon, in case you hadn’t figured it out already.]

** [Written by Tony Bedard, pencilled by Rags Morales, and inked by Mark Farmer (parts 1-3) and Mick Gray & Rodney Ramos (part 4).]

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