Nightwing: The New Order Review

Hi, this is Lauren Lester, and you're listening

to the Geekcast Radio Network. You've just jumped

inside the pull bag. Join TFG1 Mike and the rest

of the comic reading crew here at the GCRN as

they make their great escape into comics. From

DC, Marvel, IDW, Boom Studios, Xenoscope, and

more, we have everything you want to read right

here. Transformers comics? Yeah, we cover that.

He -Man? Yeah, sure. DC superheroes like Batman,

Batgirl, Nightwing, and Batman Beyond? Yep, we

have those too. How about TMNT from IDW and I

Hate Ferland from Image Comics? Yeah, we have

all that here. Plus, so much more. It's all inside

the pullback here on the Geekcast Radio Network.

So without any further ado, it's time to talk

about the comics we are reading right now here

inside the pullback. Hello and welcome to The

Pull Bag. This is episode 313. I am of course

TF2 and Mike and joining me for a rare occasion

here inside The Pull Bag is Steve Megatron. Hello,

sir. Yo. Yo. And what could possibly bring Steve

Megatron back to The Pull Bag? Well... A good

story. Amazing story, but... I wasn't disagreeing.

I just... No, I know, I know. Trust me, I know.

uh... this year that we get one of those in dc

comics or any of the top big big three anymore

okay i will defend dc on one title since the

only title i read that's ongoing the batman beyond

rebirth series has i haven't read any of the

oil it's it's been really really good the twenty

fifteen series that that dan jurgens wrote and

then the new twenty sixteen series that i say

new twenty sixteen two years after the fact but

basically the current batman beyond rebirth comics

that are going on it's it's so good uh... everyone

should know whether it's by this time you know

five years of the poll bag that i am like these

super diehard nightwing fanboy uh... I just am,

always have been. But I didn't even know this

was a thing. I did not know this story had happened.

We're gonna be talking about a six issue miniseries.

Kyle Higgins returns to Nightwing. I was shocked.

I was like, what is this? Why did I not know

about this? I have to buy this and trade paperback

right now digitally on Comixology .com because

if I don't I'll never be able to live with myself

again So basically last year into this year 2017

-2018 Kyle Higgins returned to DC Comics and

Nightwing for this six issue miniseries Nightwing

the New Order People were meant to walk, not

fly. The year is 2040 and Dick Grayson has turned

his back on his costumed past. As commander of

the federal paramilitary organization known as

the Crusaders, he now enforces the legal ban

on all metahuman activity by medically inhibiting

or incarcerating anyone, hero or villain. who

manifests superpowers of any kind. But when his

son Jake suddenly reveals superhuman abilities

that... that resist all efforts to suppress them,

the man once known as Nightwing must return to

the legacy he abandoned and seek help from the

very people he has condemned. After joining forces

with his ex -partners from the Titans, including

his estranged wife and Jake's mother, Starfire,

Dick sets out to free Jake from the Crusader's

high -tech prison. But the Pentagon has taken

a special interest in the case, which means that

the former Batwoman Kate Kane has made it her

mission to crack the secret behind Jake's mysterious

immunity, and what she discovers could mean the

end for the Graysons, the Crusaders, and most

of all, humanity. Oh my god! This store when

I read this there, I'm not even gonna lie. I

can't lie about this is just too good There are

points in this that I actually teared up Like

this is so good anyone that's read Kyle Higgins

run on new 52 Nightwing all five volumes of it

if You read this your if you read that and you

love that and you read this you're gonna love

this too. I mean this just Because the trade

came out in 2018. I've said this before I'm not

sure if I said it on air I'm gonna say this right

now Nightwing the new order is the best trade

paperback release of 2018. There is no Debating

this the it's just law at that point because

like wow I could not believe That this was a

series that actually had happened now Like I

said, it's very rare the Steve Megatron comes

on this show because you know he's too busy with

all his tech stuff and all of that and other

podcasts and whatever so getting Steve to come

on here it would have taken something special

and god damn it if this is not something special

I uh I really wasn't sure what I was getting

into when I agreed and to be honest I forgot

I agreed but I was like I have to read this Because

I said I would and then I was like I just hope

the story is good. And so Going through it. I

was actually surprised at how everything unfolded

because not following the regular DC Because

some of this stuff had to have transpired at

some point or even if it's an Elseworlds thing.

It's still I Didn't know any of the backstory

behind it going in or any of the reasonings for

anything, but I think that they pulled it off

pretty well for what they did and I think that

it was interesting seeing certain heroes depowered

and gaining their powers back and discovering

that the solution to the entire issue was in

front of Grayson the entire time. and the fact

that Bruce would have been rolling over in his

grave if he saw what happened to the Batcave

I was like no and they're like in Nightwing's

like yeah they didn't know about the secret level

or the secret secret level or the secret secret

level on the bottom of the secret level so it

was kind of funny seeing him go down there but

it's all Okay, so before we start gushing even

more, Kyle Higgins on writing, Trevor McCarthy

is the artist, Dean White is the colorist, and

Clayton Cowles? Cowles is the letter on this.

Cover art and original series covers done by

Trevor McCarthy. Anyone remember when we did

Gates of Gotham way back when in the pull bag?

This is basically Kyle and Trevor coming back

together I mean obviously gates of Gotham was

Trevor McCarthy on art and covers and things

like that It was Kyle Higgins and Scott Snyder

writing gates of Gotham, but a lot of the time

reading gates of Gotham I heard what Kyle's voice

and what Kyle's vision was for That story with

with Dick Grayson being Batman and the two of

them finally Reunite and give us this and I was

like, oh my god This is amazing My favorite parts

of this outside of the story and most of the

art is how they do the Nightwing logo. It's always

all red and inside the book red and black so

it's paying homage to the new 52 red and black.

I mean if you look at the front cover of the

thing there's the the actual cover is Nightwing

in blue and black and then you open it up and

the page that gives the creative it's new 52

red and black Nightwing oh my god like this book

does everything this six issue miniseries is

by far the best thing DC Comics has done in a

very long time. And whether it's an Elseworld

tale, whether it's a futuristic tale, the way

I see this is existing almost in the same future

as Batman Beyond, except it's slightly different

because Dick had to basically save the world.

And Kyle Higgins and Trevor McCarthy do everything

that a DC fan especially a DC animated universe

fan would want them to do. I mean, Lois Lane

as a lantern? Who would have seen that coming?

Yeah, I... yeah. So some of this stuff was taken

kind of out of other aspects of the DC universe

and it makes me wonder which parts... would have

actually happened or were in vain of happening

because I'm so far removed from the series. Right.

But I did find it interesting that you still

had Jon Stewart floating around as Green Lantern

helping Kate Kane. Yeah, Kate Kane. And I was

like, why is that name familiar? And I was like,

and then they revealed who it was. And I was

like, oh, yeah, I remember who that is now. But

and it was nice seeing Tim Drake Okay, so you're

wondering what aspects like where they've pulled

from I See in this pretty much Okay, even though

Kate slash batwoman wasn't really in the DCA

you at all if ever I don't think she ever showed

up in there, but a Majority of this is a combination

of pulling from that continuity. It's pulling

from whatever new 52 continuity or even creating

a story you know you pull it I know batwoman's

been around longer the new 52 obviously when

that happened but like you pull that character

into this story and give her and dick some sort

of on whatever backstory kind of a thing you

know some sort of on Unsettling backs like that

they were never friends. They were never this

that it's not like they were lovers or anything

because obviously, you know, whatever but You

what Kyle has done in the writing in this he

is taken Beat by beat through several parts of

DC lore and has combined it all into one story

You're like, oh, that's a reference to that or

oh, I know that from this or whatever and it

all works wonderfully. I found Mr. Freeze extremely

creepy. In fact, he's still alive in a totally

different capacity. Yeah, and again, think of

Spider Mr. Freeze from the animated series when

his body ended up becoming the spider. Like,

that's what I think of when I see that kind of

stuff. All of the voice cast, if this was to

ever get animated, which I hope it will, Lauren

Lester obviously, Dick Grayson, Nightwing, Lois

Lane, Dana Delaney, John Stewart, Phil Lamar,

I mean like, I heard Phil the whole time in my

head and I'm like, oh my god, I've talked to

that guy. Yeah, he's like, Nightwing. Yeah, exactly.

Stand down. And Lex at the end, I'm like, oh

my, you know, and Superman's a little up in the

air, though, because the reason why I say that

is because George Newburn had done Superman in

Justice League. But he could have still played

him, because think about that episode where Vandal

Savage... Right, the future, yeah. Where they

thought they killed Superman, but they actually

flung him into the future. Yeah, the hereafter

two -part, yeah. That's what I'm talking about.

Like I did like yes like maybe in the beginning

like in the first part of the trade where it's

you know Dick and Clark and Dick has basically

destroyed the world to save it or whatever destroyed

all the superpowers and you have The to it like

maybe I could hear Tim Daly at that point But

once you show up with a bearded Superman, I'm

like that's George Newburn all the way in my

head I just I love this so much. There's just

My god folks Trevor McCarthy's art is wonderful.

Every bit of it is is amazing. I mean again taking

a piece out of like the savage time from Justice

League when Batman when we went back to the future

or whatever and Batman was you know this this

Nazi Regime thing with the the the not justice

lord. You know what I'm talking about You know,

basically Gestapo type of uniform. That's what

the that's what the crusaders look like. Yeah.

Well, yes, but yeah I mean it's a cross between

that and what happened in the savage time and

the narration the fact that Jake is narrating

the story and come to the realization that he's

narrating it to his newborn son at the end of

the comic like we're not gonna just technically

yeah he's he's doing that but he's he's recording

it on him like a video blog right yeah um but

yeah so Just everything that Kyle Higgins and

Trevor McCarthy and the rest of the creative

put into this it it's It's a love letter to Nightwing

fans around the world. It really is and this

This episode of the pullback folks is a prelude

To Nightwing November we are gonna go I don't

know if it's gonna be Steve and I if it's gonna

be JT And I it's gonna be myself and somebody

we're gonna go back to new 52 and we're gonna

go through Five trades one trade per episode

of the new 52 Kyle Higgins run because I've been

wanting to do that for years at this point So

Nightwing November coming later this year inside

the pull bag. There's a teaser for you this comic

There wasn't much. I didn't like about it. I

understand Brady's the the little Dude there.

I understand his whole thing of oh, I want to

be top dog Why do you get to be top dog kind

of a thing? You know I get that The character

is who the character is he was kind of weak.

I was almost wondering if the Liz Liz I was wondering

if she was going to be max from Batman Beyond

I I was so hoping yeah because Yeah, if she had

purple hair, I would say that would be max, but

she doesn't Yeah, but it was still it was still

interesting and it was funny how she's like Yeah,

you rubbed it in his face. Didn't you? You know,

she says I know I'm not an idiot. I know you

went in there trying to rub it in his face and

all it's pretty disgusting if you ask me and

You know because he has the freaking blasted

eye which is funny. It was kind of interesting

also seeing Wally lose his powers. Yeah it was.

And then Lex restoring his powers as well as

Superman's and then the bomb goes off igniting

and letting everyone have superpowers. Yep. So

more cool things that I love about this. And

the weird thing is they had Batman as the catalyst

that set this whole thing in motion. Of course.

It always goes back to Batman. I mean, come on.

And then Dick became exactly what Bruce was.

Yep. Pretty much. So when we get to, and we're

not going issue by issue here folks, I'm just

looking at my notes and these part of my notes

was from issue two. The scene with Alfred, Dick

and Jake, I just love the interaction that they

have with each other. I was surprised he was

still alive. Oh, you can't kill Alfred. Well,

they do, but you're not supposed to. You know,

and then like you said, Tim Drake, quote unquote,

he would have had kittens over what happened

to the Batcave. Oh my god, the Batcave. Getting

Kate's history, Batwoman and all. At the end

of issue three when the Titans show up and Jake's

narration is like yeah dad didn't want his old

life back But when his old life found him dot

dot dot and then under the next part of like

next old wounds Oh God, I'm like Kyle you it

just Because old wounds his butt old wounds and

over the edge are my two favorite old wounds

is the one where dick decided not to work with

burst anymore right right and over the edges

were back girl died and it's it's a alternate

you know it's what if that what would happen

if that girl had died but yes old wounds is basically

there was a point where uh... batman went too

far and robin's like i'm out of here i'm done

and it's yeah absolutely love that episode Between

Trevor's designs on Green Lantern, Flash, and

the rest, wow, the art is killer. I just love

the way that Trevor designs the characters. By

the time you get to issue four, you know, we

get reveal of Lois Lane as the Blue Lantern.

That was super interesting to see how all that

played out. And then, because the Titans are

essentially the resistance force to the Crusaders...

Hmm, you've been hiding out in Bloodhaven all

this time. Well, it's the last place you would

have looked like Wow again Kyle pulling everything

every piece of Dick Grayson's history into this

one story and still telling an original story

that isn't Retreading anything that has happened

before Yeah, it's always a little funny Seeing

when history comes into play and that's one thing

Kyle's been actually pretty good at is Yanking

back to the The origins of the characters from

the animated series and so he makes a direct

dig and tie into those So that if you were familiar

with it, you'll catch it. If not, it's still

it's just another quote, but It means something

It's not just a you know, let's just throw this

in here because it sounds good exactly It's not

just a a flash -in -the -pan reference of anything

it always ties back Like he even ties back to

the end of his run in new 52 When Jake is like,

you know Nightwing is used to be all about you

know catching people when they fall I Love this

book if this book doesn't win awards then the

comic industry is just To me, this is almost

like the Dark Knight Returns for Batman, but

this is Nightwing's version. Right. Oh, absolutely.

So like, it's very fitting, and because Nightwing

has generally gotten the shaft on a lot of side

problems, like just he's had to reinvent so much,

it kind of makes sense that he went this route.

Yep. So it's it's a very fitting story. I mean

After reading this and thinking about it now

and you saying it's like his version of Dark

Knight Returns It really is and it makes me think

of that old fan -made trailer entitled Grayson

Where you remember this I'd remember showing

this to you. I'll show it to you again off air

But basically this fan -made trailer titled Grayson

was basically What you just said? you know, Dark

Knight Returns kind of a thing, but with Grayson

at the forefront, and some sort of Batman mystery,

like where is he, what happened, yadda yadda

yadda, Superman shows up at some point or another,

and you can't tell a Nightwing story without

having su - you can, and they've done it before,

but like, a story like this, the way this is

done, the futuristic aspect, the superpower aspect,

versus, you know, superpowered people versus

regular people. You can't not have Nightwing

and Superman in the same book because, hello,

that's kind of where Nightwing got his start

was the whole Superman thing. So that trailer,

I will link that in the post or something and

you guys can watch that if it's still, I think

it should still be around. The only difference

here is that Starfire is his estranged wife and

it's not Barbara and I'm fine with that. I don't

have an issue with that. It gives good reason

why his son has powers. Has powers, well obviously

yeah, because obviously one of the parents would

have had to have powers. I'm not, what I'm saying,

I'm saying that more for the audience than for

us because It makes sense here that he and Barbara

are not together, that he and Corey slash Starfire

are, because as you just said, the whole powers

thing, but also, I'm pointing that out because

when people watch the Grayson trailer, Barbara's

in that, obviously. So there's a slight difference

there. I just can't say enough good things about

this. This story makes my heart melt. It starts

off as this futuristic thing and as always Kyle

Higgins his voice with the character of Dick

Grayson Nightwing and all the other characters

always rings true It's like a lesson in the bat

family without needing to have Batman be at the

forefront Like somebody said to me recently about

Dan DiDio always wanting to basically brush Nightwing

off to the side I forget if that was yours. I

forget who said it was Dan DiDio said they basically

wanted to kill off Nightwing Again, yeah, it

just remove him from the playing field. Yeah,

but you shouldn't do that because technically

I don't care where anyone says I don't care about

biology I don't care about the League of Assassins

or League of Shadows or whatever. I Don't give

a crap that Damien is Bruce's biological son

Dick Grayson is Bruce Wayne's first son like

that's just what it is what it always will be

and the fact that he took it so hard When Bruce

was essentially murdered by Superman with the

black tonight, yeah Shows you that he was just

like this is enough like this has gone on way

too long and he Went out to essentially just

wipe out the supers Because you know, he he basically

did what what Batman would have done in that

situation and that's to take them off the playing

field Oh, yeah, absolutely The whole the whole

thing with Alfred an issue to like I had to look

at the panels again because I Read this like

as soon as I found out about it a couple of months

ago at this point When I first read this I noticed

it, but I didn't notice it But I had to look

again now right before we started this episode

and reading this when Brady is like put the bat

down old man or drop the bat or whatever when

the whole confrontation is happening I'm like

what bat Alfred's not holding a batarang. What

are you talking about? Of course? It was a baseball

bat, but my first thought was oh my god Alfred

holding a batarang that would have been awesome

and It's just so touching it really really is

the whole story Yeah, I absolutely like This

is a story I could read once a year. I love this

so much. Just to have something, you know, refreshing

and interesting and a Nightwing story that is

from every piece of his history. Now I am currently

reading, I'm trying to read through the first

volume of the 2016 Nightwing Rebirth series,

and that is good as well, but that's obviously

within continuity and everything else. This stands

alone to me. This is not really, like you said,

it's an Elseworlds tale, it's a what -if, it's

a whatever, it's a thing. And I love that DC

will do this every now and then with these miniseries,

because That way you can just read one thing

and not have to keep up with 80 years of continuity.

No. But yeah, I did think that more or less it

is the Dark Knight Returns for the Nightwing

character. Oh, absolutely it is. Most definitely.

What would you rate this zero to five the whole

thing I Give it a four point five out of five

just as a safe Safe number. I wouldn't give it

a perfect because there were a couple of elements

I thought could have you know like the thing

with with max I I mean I know max would have

been you know Technically around the same age

or maybe a little bit younger, but still right

I think that would have been a nice nod even

if, because it's pretty close to the Batman Beyond

era. I know that it's in the 2040s instead of,

I think Batman Beyond is in what, the 2060s or

something? No, Batman Beyond is around that same

time, 2040, 2050, somewhere around there. So

anyways, I think that would have been a nice

nod. And it would have been nice to see a few

more of the original Justice League members to

see kind of what happened. Yeah. I mean, other

than just Superman and GL and Flash. Yeah. Well,

Flash was WALL -E, but that was from the Titans.

That wasn't very... I know, but I'm thinking

Justice League... Or Wonder Woman, or... Yeah,

I'm thinking Justice League as in DCAU, and that

was WALL -E. Well, yeah, but being that they

mentioned the Titans, I saw the other Flash for

that instance, so... Yeah, I mean, it would have

been kind of neat to see, you know, or where

Wonder Woman went or so on, but it was overall,

it was pretty solid. Yeah, it's a solid, solid

story. It's a really cool story. There's no...

For me, what usually brings a grade down on a

comic, whatever comic it is, it's like if it

transitions, if the transitions from page to

page or from story point to story point aren't

done well. Or if there's a moment in it where

I just throw my hands up and I'm like, that's

it, I'm done. They did that? No way. Just not

even believable. This has none of that. And yes,

I know, I'm a super fan and I don't care because

if a story can make me cry multiple times after

reading it two different times, then yeah, it's

easily a five out of five for me. I can't not.

sugar -coated and say it's less than that because

there's nothing in this like every beat of this

story basically made my heart race Nightwing

the new order check it out folks I will put a

link to it for the comics ology trade in the

post as I said earlier I will put a link to the

Grayson fan made trailer if you guys want to

check that out What have you got going on over

on Altered Geek, Future Imperfect, all that stuff?

Future Imperfect is kind of on a rotational once

or twice a month episode thing, and so is All

Things Transformers. I'm actually thinking about

doing one shortly. But Altered Geek, I'm still

edging closer to episode 300. I think we're hitting

episode 280 this week. Cool, so yeah big number

so I got I got 20 more to go so I Might release

multiple episodes that I can hit 300 by the anniversary

date. I'm also working on the new geek cast radio

website, which I Have yet to finish a couple

of specific pages, and I'm still trying to tweak

a particular issue. I've been having from the

get -go with with something with the membership

aspect But overall it's gonna be pretty solid

when it comes out. Very cool. Very cool Yeah,

I am doing so much I've got all of this we've

got auto Bali August like between June July and

August This is the most work I've put into the

pull bag since like year three at this point

like I've recorded episode 310 to now And after

this, I'll be recording 314, 315, and 316, and

then the rest of Autobot Liagas. So the pull

bag has essentially consumed me, and I'm having

so much fun doing it. I hope everyone is enjoying

listening to it and all of that. I'm also doing

Mayhem mics, doing Powers of Grayskull with Optimus

Solo, still planning on 10 years of TuneCast

next year. I can't believe this year marks 80

years since Superman debuted, next year is 80

years since Batman debuted in 1939, like... God,

I'm old. So, folks, coming up inside the pull

bag over the next two weeks, I was gonna do this

in one issue, one episode, but... JT and I like

to go through beat by beat and we're gonna have

to do that But we're next to episodes 314 and

315 is gonna be Batman Beyond rebirth the long

payback parts 1 & 2 This is basically in total

its issue 14 to 19 because that was the story

art for the long payback So that's what's happening

there And then episode 316 hopefully will be

WWE volume 1 from boom studios after that we

start Autobotly August So, there is that. Follow

us on Facebook, all that good stuff, you'll be

able to hear that. All that info when Steve does

the outro here in a few moments. Where can the

people find you online, sir? Well, they can find

me on the Twitters at SCP -21. Absolutely I am

at TF2 and Mike you can follow at the pull bag

on Twitter always follow at geek cast radio on

Twitter for all the other GCR and updates as

well Like as of this recording the video The

Batman dance party have you seen this thing yet?

No, oh my god. We will talk about this. We will

talk about this on altered geek or something

cuz oh my god This is hilarious It is super fun.

So we're gonna get the heck out of here, make

your great escape into comics, and we will catch

you next time here inside the pull bag. Now I

love s'mores as much as the next guy, but I'm

fresh out of marshmallows. What do you say we

call it a night? You've just heard the latest

episode of The Pull Bag. The GCRN's first comic

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