#//ric grayson

[oldmannapping]

The gang tries Tik Tok

Red Robin: "We're vigilantes, of course we fall asleep at our day job."

Spoiler: "We're vigilantes, of course we have unresolved daddy issues."

Nightwing: "We're vigilantes, of course we put on a smile to hide the unfathomable trauma from the relentless horrors we see every day."

Red Robin: "Wait, no, that's not-"

[cut]

Signal: "We're Gotham vigilantes, of course we have a favorite Batburger meal."

Red Hood: "We're Gotham vigilantes, of course we have a favorite gargoyle."

Nightwing: "We're Gotham vigilantes, of course we have to exist outside of a system that is soulless and corrupt while barely making a dent in the abysmal crime rate."

Signal: "Dude."

[cut]

Oracle: "We're vigilantes, of course we know your passwords."

Robin: "We're vigilantes, of course we carry a backup sword."

Nightwing: "We're vigilantes, of course we spell it R-I-C without the K."

Oracle: "CUT."

[ashoss]

hello fellow jason enjoyers

[cowboysorceror]

breaking a year long creative block to make fun of Dick Grayson for getting shot in the head 🙏

[vechter]

batman (1940) #590 // get out before the drop, shipyrds // another part of honesty, shipyrds // grayson (2014) annual #1 // art by anna-laura // titans (2008) #5 // secret origins (1986) #13 // beat journalism, dustorange // teen titans spotlight (1986) #14 // robin & batman (2022) #1 // declensions, dustorange // robin & batman (2022) #1 // nightwing (2011) #30 // sputnik sweetheart, haruki murakami // justice league (2011) #25 // secret origins (1986) #13 // wayfinding, shipyrds // the long and short of it, richard siken // batman: black and white (2021) #5 // pearl (2022) // batman (1940) #684 // unknown // nightwing (2016) #50 // soft clocks, dustorange // nightwing (2016) #50 // nightwing (2016) #1 // wayfinding, shipyrds // nightwing (2016) #1 // francheska, hey fran hey

dick grayson + an exploration of identity, personhood & belonging

[who-always-pays-their-taxes]

Batboys + Text Posts & Tweets

- Part. 2

[secretidentie]

For Halloween every year dick dresses up as one of his family members. The year he decides to just throw on a cheap nightwing costume the others plan to surprise him during family dinner.

When dick walks in he's greeted by Bruce in full disco wing costume. Bruce, who has clearly been waiting for this opportunity, does everything from unnecessary flips and catchphrases to pretending to taste heroine of the ground to stay in character. At some point in the night he changed into a different version of the disco wing costume with the longer hair. During dinner he refuses to get off the table or stop smiling the whole night.

Jason shows up a little late driving a taxi cab. Fully in character as Ric, he spends the night asking to play poker and pretending he's at a shadey bar. When dick tries to ask about red hood things he insists he has no idea what he's talking about and threatens to burn down the house. Dick finally agrees to play poker just to shut him up but that inspires Ric to go on about all the adventures he's had at an underground fighting ring.

Tim spends the majority of his night hanging upside down from a chandelier. In the original Robin short-shorts, he gives inspirational speeches and keeps asking where batman is. He goes around hugging everyone except Ric and calls himself the boy wonder. Just like disco wing he refuses to sit still but atleast gets off the table during dinner.

At this point Dick is laughing his ass off and is eager to see what Damian is going to wear. He's expecting nightwing but instead Damian comes out in his little green leotard he wore back when he was in The Flying Graysons. Dick is squeezing Damian into a hug and starts crying a bit when Damian starts performing part of his floor routine.

Dick forces everyone to take a bunch of family photos, including Alfred who is dressed as The Target. He keeps this photo hung up in his house and remembers this as "the year his family was a bunch of dicks for Halloween. "

[farshootergotme]

I like the idea that Dick gets a new hairstyle every year. His hair's been through all kind of looks.

[celaenaeiln]

I literally can't take it anymore. I need to get this out of my system. This is a hate-rant about why almost every single thing Tom Taylor has written is wrong.

First and foremost is the bimbofication of Dick Grayson. Tom Taylor loves to write him like this idiot who doesn't think at all. Being cheerful does not mean being dumb.

Nightwing (2016) Issue #79

"You seem unusually contemplative"? All Dick does is contemplate!

Nightwing (1996) Issue #3

His mind is always running!

Nightwing (2011) Issue #13

Nightwing (2016) Issue #38

I just picked a random issue from all of these comics and in every single one of these, Dick's planning, thinking, and strategising constantly.

Tom Taylor literally treats him like he's stupid or something.

Also the degradation of his abilities

Nightwing (2016) Issue #79

A vigilante for 20 years. Who has faced assassins, hitmen, psychos, surprise attacks, metas, and you're telling me he didn't know that a untrained kid snuck up and stole from him?

He forgot who he was, he didn't forget where he lived! Even when he was Ric Grayson, Dick had procedural memory. His battle instincts stayed with him.

Nightwing (2016) Issue #52

"Then...I didn't even know what I was doing. I took him down--took him apart in seconds."

This man is a vigilante machine when he was amnesic. Why the heck would Dick ever let his guard down?

His robin reference

Nightwing (2016) Issue #92

Even Bruce in Batman: Hush has said it-Dick was the best. His skills were the best of anyone he's witnessed which is one of the reasons why Bruce let him be Robin in the first place.

This scene is so wrong that there's a robin scene that came out before this in direct opposition of this Tom Taylor Shitshow.

Robin & Batman Issue #1

This was actually pre-robin. Bruce had him do a solo-trial run to see his skill before he made him Robin and this was the result. Compare that to Tom Taylor's scene and the result is humiliating. For Taylor.

Tom Taylor's version of trying to show that Dick loves the people comes off as him hating crime-fighting. RIP the whole Robin firing drama and Nightwing birth i guess.

Nightwing (2016) Issue #79

"We could have avoided all of this if we'd just stayed in and eaten kibble."

Nightwing (1996) Issue #3

Dick would rather die than stop crime-fighting. After Blockbuster's first attempt, his life was hanging on by a thread and he still continued crime fighting.

Nightwing (1996) Issue #91

After Blockbuster blew up his apartment, this is the single-minded determination Dick had to continue crime-fighting. This is him at one of the worst lows of his life but he refused to give up but now? He has everything and Dick wants to ignore the murder of a child to stay inside and eat kibble which - what the heck? I know he's seen as a happy character but him finding dog-food desirable is too far!

Also the idiocy of which Tom Taylor had Barbara calling the cops in Bludhaven for a stolen wallet. Newsflash! This isn't her first rodeo here.

Nightwing (2016) Issue #81

vs

Nightwing (2016) Issue #24

Nightwing (2011) Issue #23

Given how Dick's easily defeated enhanced metas and "very good" fighters, him falling down the stairs is a little to absolutely impossible to believe.

Another thing I love about Dick that Tom Taylor deciminates is his grace. Dick is the most graceful person in DC. His balance easily matches Selina's enhanced cat powers.

But yet. You have.

Nightwing (2016) Issue #83

Nightwing (2011) Issue #23

yeah. okay.

Taylor's motorbike scenes of Dick make me so mad. The boy is a pro at crazy. It's one of his best traits because he does the wildest stunts and he pulls it off.

Nightwing (2016) Issue #93

Nightwing (1996) Issue #86

He lands on his feet. He grabbed a villain mid-air, crashed into a window, and was perfectly fine. Actually no, he's not fine because he's worried about his bike's paint job.

Nightwing (2011) Issue #24

He just sailed over a whole crowd of people and started kicking butt like what he just did wasn't extraordinary - which for him is just another tuesday.

Nightwing (2016) Issue #95

yeah, tell 'er Dick.

He doesn't need someone to hold his bike.

One of the worst things in Taylor's run is how Blockbuster went down. It suddenly reminded me of Selina's stupid ideology which is why I think I got so ticked off.

Nightwing (2016) Issue #96

Blockbusters' thugs loyalty to him isn't a make it or break it deal. He's one of strongest criminal organisations and the knowledge that he owns one of the worst prisons that he could easily put his underlings into would've instilled fear into his thugs, not freedom. Furthermore Blockbuster takes good care of his people that don't piss him off. He teamed up with Nightwing in the scarecrow era in Nightwing (2016) because someone was messing with his people. He's extremely intelligent and superstrong, and he's not just going to be brought down by the knowledge that he owns a prison. It's Bludhaven. If he didn't, then there would be something suspicious given that he runs the city. It's the way Taylor dumbs down Bludhaven's villains that gets to me. Imagine him writing Batman (2016). It's like saying, "yeah the Joker was just a little misguided but he found the right way again after a stern talking to by Batman."

Nightwing is a big name.

When Dick first came to Bludhaven, one of the police officers was like we don't want your crazy here or something. Also Bludhaven loves Nightwing. They want him.

So why is everyone pretending like they don't know who he is?

Nightwing (2016) Issue #90

The police, the citizens, the villains-all of them. Dick fought Brutale and beat the crap out of him way back in 1996 comic. He's a Bludhaven regular. Just because Dick forgot who he was doesn't mean anyone else forgot him. Amnesia doesn't work that way.

Nightwing (2016) Issue #54

A whole team of Nightwings were formed during Dick's amnesic period because of how badly he was needed and missed. It's almost like the Tom Taylor run is set in an alternate universe.

I ran out of image space but what the absolute fiddlesticks is up with Dick being scared to jump. It better be a manipulation tactic but at this point I think Tom Taylor doesn't even know that Dick is manipulative.

[casscainmainly]

The Unholy Trinity

[tiger-in-the-flightdeck]

I feel like making waves!

(Some of these are like my Anti-Takes, so oh god please do not come raze my home to the ground and salt the earth!)

[confusedhummingbird]

You know the thing that gets me most about the "Ric Grayson arc" is it honestly had potential to be very meaningful. Dick is said over and over again to be a linchpin in the hero community he's been a hero since he was 8-9. He grew up around many of the older heroes and sidekicks his age and later mentored and became a big brother figure to others. So to see how the other superheroes would react to him being shot in the head and then not being able to remember anything could be gut wrenching. It could show just how loved Dick is with the other heros and how it would be so devastating. However we only really get to see the Batfamily react to it and even then it's not the whole Batfamily it's mostly Barbara, Bruce, Alfred, and Damian that even get a chance to react at all. And then he moves back to Bludhaven and no one thinks to check on him? He's one of the most connected heroes and no one outside of Gotham thinks to check on him? You're telling me Superman, who watched him grow up and told him the story of Nightwing, wouldn't check up on him? You're telling me the Titans, who he is best friends with and are their leader, Wouldn't check on him? Especially Donna who is basically his platonic life partner and sister figure or Wally who both consider to be each other's best friends.

I also imagine they wouldn't be happy about the fake Nightwings that were running around. Not only for the danger it would present to the ordinary civilians dressed up as Nightwings but also the emotional punch in the gut that your friend isn't himself and there are others out there wearing his costume and trying to be him. Imagine the anger, the hurt, the sadness. Imagine people like Superman or the Titans showing up and wanting to put a stop to it. But no we get none of that.

That's the thing that gets me with this storyline is besides it just being really sucky and far too long. I see the potential that it could have had. It could have gone in a billion different ways that made it more impactful and heartbreaking but no we got none of that and I'm disappointed.

[batbunker]

I can't emphasize how exhausting of a rollercoaster it's been to be a Dick Grayson fan for the last number of years from the Ric Grayson arc through TTBR's run.

[thatstheproblemwithnapkinman]

something that kind of annoys me is when peoiple genuinely criticise tom taylor's nightwing run by saying "dick is so out of character in those 2 issues where he gets the shit beaten out of him and then falls through his window"

bc

that is taken out of the context of dick recovering from a traumatic brain injury so yeah he's going to be off balance after being whacked in the head MULTIPLE TIMES what are you talking about?!?!

it's ok, just breathe

the panel for reference

Nightwing (2016) #83 pp. 12

don't believe me?

dick gets shot in the head just above his left ear, which you can see in both of these panels and in the cover for nightwing (2016) #50 (if you pretend if's a mirror image bc why is it on the right)

Batman (2016) #55 pp. 21 Nightwing (2016) #50 pp. 2

Nightwing (2016) #50 Cover

you can also see his brain scans in the same issue which nicely show the area of damage and literally list what happened

Nightwing (2016) #50 pp. 2

so he lost bone (skull), blood (obviously), brain tissue (we'll come back to this), cerebrospinal fluid (bc there was a whole in his head), and suffered from severe vascular swelling (we'll return here too)

so, what brain tissue did dick lose?

here's the very basic anatomy of the human brain

John Hopkins Medicine - https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/anatomy-of-the-brain (i drew the red circle)

now the ears sit just in front of the cerebellum, roughly somewhere around the red circle which lines up with the brain scan showing the damage is roughly in that notch where the temporal lobe and parietal lobe meet

the temporal lobe is involved with speech, rhythm, and short term memory

the parietal lobe is involved with pain and touch recognition, recognising objects, and oh would you look at that, spatial recognition

dick go shot in the part of the brain that tells the body where it is in relation to objects

no wonder he had a hard time fighting and trying to climb through windows, his coordination was all fucky

now the cerebellum is the part of the brain that affects balance BUT but but but we haven't talked about vascular swelling yet

vascular swelling is where the walls of the blood vessels swell (whodathunk) and this causes a reduction in the blood supply as they swell inwards

outward swelling with increase pressure on the brain which is not good either BUT this reduced blood flow = less oxygen to the brain = damage

there's a reason the symptoms of hypoxia pre-passing out are pretty much limited to your brain bc that's the organ that goes first

so with a decrease in bloodflow to his brain, there is a decent change damage was also done to every single part of his brain

now the blood supply does come in past the cerebellum so tbh there probably wouldn't be that much damage if at all however even with that it would explain how dick was still effected from getting shot

so having learned all that, lets take a look at issues 81 & 83 shall we

in #81...

Nightwing (2016) #81 pp. 5

he gets whacked in the head by heartless, someone with enhanced strength

Nightwing (2016) #81 pp. 12

he passes out because he's been whacked on the head near to where he was shot

Nightwing (2016) #81 pp. 13

this is nicely confirmed by babs

Nightwing (2016) #81 pp. 19

he gets pushed back whilst fighting and due to his injury induced lack of spatial awareness, he falls down the stairs

then in #83, after fighting blockbuster, almost getting shot again, and flying through a helicopter...

Nightwing (2016) #83 pp. 12

he falls through his window

so yeah, i do think this is reasonable for dick to do given he's recovering from a brain injury and has just been hit in the head and probably hit it whilst falling down the stairs

and if you've made it this far, i want to emphasise the 20 million valid reasons to criticise tom taylor's nightwing run, but this just isn't one of them

[hood-ex]

Sometimes I think about this girl at my high school who had some form of head trauma that sent her into a coma for a few weeks. Her dad worked on the school campus, and when she finally recovered and returned to school, she was sitting in the cafeteria at the table next to me, and her dad walked in to buy his lunch. Her dad spotted her, and I could see the weeks of worry visibly entrenched on his face. And the look in his eyes... it was like he was terrified she was about to disappear out of thin air.

I wonder if Dick ever catches Bruce looking at him like that.

[drowning-moonlight]

Jason: nothing is stopping you from going by Richard

Dick: I’M stopping me from going by Richard

Jason: what about Rich? Or Richie? Rick?

Dick: I’ll die before I let someone call me Richie

Jason: don’t talk about death so lightly. Some of us died for real

Dick: you have to let that go, oh my god

Jason: god’s not here Richie, only me!

*Dick tackles Jason*

[momachan]

"Batgirl. Wow. I mean, I ship him with Starfire. But whatever makes him happy... I guess."

Nightwing (2016) Vol. 4: The Leap. Nightwing #98. "A Nite To Remember."

You know you're big in DC when you get an imp.