Nightwing 2024 Annual #1 is written and drawn by Travis Moore with colours by Alex Guimaraes and Ivan Plascencia and letters by Wes Abbott. Main cover art (left) is by Moore and Tamra Bonvillain. The book is published by DC.
Nightwing 2024 Annual #1 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon ComiXology UK right here.
Synopsis
The secret origins of Bea Bennett! During Nightwing’s recent pirate adventure, we learned that Bea Bennett, Dick/Ric’s ex-girlfriend, is a pirate queen whose father, the Quartermaster, left her an entire pirate society! But what about her life before she became a pirate? Before she met Ric Grayson? Just what, and more importantly, who led her to where she is today. A backstory like no other with tales of betrayal, love, and independence.
Review
There are no doubt still fans out there who wince at the mention of the name Ric Grayson. Lest you have been living outside of the space and time for a number of years you will remember the name is synonymous with a controversial period in the life of Dick Grayson. Left with no memory after a gunshot would from KGBeast, Dick spent the better part of a year disconnected from the rest of the Bat-Family and living under the name Ric.
In recent months Tom Taylor has harkened back to the day of the Dan Jurgens penned-storyline. Bringing back aspects of that story and weaving them in to the tapestry of storytelling which is Nightwing comics. One of the more successful aspects of the Ric Grayson story was the introduction of Bea Bennett. First introduced as landlady of the Prodigal bar. Bea would go on to become Ric’s love interest before his memory would return. Now, Taylor has brought Bea back and revealed her to be the adoptive heir of a group of pirates dating back to the foundation of Blüdhaven. This week, writer and artist Travis Moore is exploring Bea’s full history for this week’s first Nightwing 2024 annual.
The issue charts Bea’s full history, right back to how she became part of pirate cabal. Exploring parts of her past which have previously only been teased and other which may come as a complete surprise to the reader. I had no idea this issue was coming so when I saw the cover I was certainly interested to see what kind of story Moore would choose to tell in opening up the character.
Her origins, which also reveal her real name of Destiny, are typically tragic and certainly set her on a path to becoming the character we know in the present day. There are all the hallmarks of a classic DC origin story: a shady corporation, espionage and a child sadly doomed to become an orphan. There’s nothing we haven’t seen before through the eyes of other characters. All of the elements of Bea’s story are tried and true. But Moore is able to keep the story engaging through consistent pacing and a number of big set pieces.
What is surprising but not entirely unexpected is amount of time dedicated to Nightwing himself. It was clear that both Ric and Dick would need to be a part of the story. Recognising the shared history of the two characters, Moore weaves in and out through moments in previous issues to explore previous scenes from Bea’s perspective. It’s the perfect way to retread moments in history without compromising on Bea as the central focus. But in fleshing out the years between the death of her mother and her not-so-chance first meeting with Ric, we discover that Bea has really always been circling the original Boy Wonder. In fact the two have been much closer than we think for some time. It transpires that following her years on the streets of Blüdhaven and meeting the pirates, Bea was recruited by none other than Spyral.
The revelation does add another layer to the character. It becomes clear that both Ric and Bea were hiding major aspects of their personalities from each other. But it also undermines much of the connection between them. After leaving it seemed that Dick felt a responsibility to Bea and was shocked to learn about the pirates. Likewise when he opened up to her about his returning memories of Robin and Nightwing, Bea held back on admitting her own truth. The idea their entire relationship was built on a lie doesn’t sit comfortably with me despite meaning Bea has a very worthwhile story to tell.
Nightwing 2024 Annual #1 leaves us on a cliffhanger ending that will hopefully be picked up in the near future. Whilst Bea remains a supporting player in the main Nightwing title, this story feels like a tester for whether the character could handle a limited run series of her own. Given the strength of Moore’s character writing and artwork, I think that with the right story there’s definitely mileage in seeing Bea strike out on her own.
Verdict
Whether a one-off or an aperitif for future storytelling, Travis Moore’s Nightwing 2024 Annual #1 does a strong job of exploring one of the series recurring characters. Though I’m unsure about some of the logistical choices in centring Bea so close to Dick throughout history, there’s no denying this book harkens back to the days of the Grayson title and it’s joyous espionage.
⭐⭐⭐
