Here is a brief follow up to my previous post about Vigilante. Marv Wolfman had actually brought the character back in a Nighwing story arc a short while back. I recently picked up these issues and have started reading them. I have to say, Nightwing is one of the better books that I rarely read. Part of the reason is budgetary. (Hey, these books are pretty expensive) The other reason is that I have an indelible image of Burt Ward as Robin and Nightwing is pretty far removed from that old school television portrayal.

Anyway, reading these issues reminds me of how excellent a writer Marv Wolfman truly is. I can’t really call him an underrated talent because he has received accolades for his brilliant work for years. And no matter how many decades have passed since he first picked up the writer’s pen, he never really ceases to be impressive. While I picked up Nightwing 134 to get an insight into the new Vigilante, I ended up seeing Wolfman’s unique method of dealing with the Nightwing character. Wolfman touches upon probably the most obvious hang up of Nightwing. He is a character who is somewhat confused as to who he is.

The whole idea of becoming Nightwing is to get out of the shadow of Batman. By remaining Robin, this would be impossible. Of course, switching costumes may be a decent cosmetic effect but it does little for the psyche. In other words, being in the shadow of Batman is internalized in Dick Grayson and he probably will never step out of that shadow. While Wolfman is not overt or expository with such sentiments, there is a subtext that reflects it.

And, by the way, the new Vigilante is nothing like Adrian Chase. Sure, they both characters embody the traits of a psychotic. But the new Vigilante is over the top nuts. This, of course, makes for a more believable character. After all, to be a vigilante you have to be a psychotic….