After the previous issue that felt like a chore to read, this issue…wasn’t as bad. Don’t get me wrong, I still really want Ric Grayson to be gone and forgotten, but at least reading this issue didn’t feel like dragging sandpaper against my brain.
(Spoilers Incoming)
We start with Ric training with one of the Nightwings, Hutch. Of course, Grayson was trained by Batman, so he has to hold back against the new hero. Despite Hutch asking, Ric refuses to tell him how he knows everything he knows about combat. Likewise, when Ric asks why Hutch quit the police academy and became a firefighter, Hutch refuses to give him an answer. The two of them go their separate ways, as Hutch moves across rooftops to reach a nearby hospital. As he changes, he reveals that he quit the force after a ride along went badly and his sergeant ended up in a coma. As he sits in his sergeant’s hospital room talking to him, Sapienza arrives and tells him that it might be best if they leave. As they prepare to exit the hospital, the sergeant’s daughter arrives and begins a verbal assault on both of them and the police department. The last thing she says to them is that the department can “burn in hell.”
Elsewhere, as the sun begins to go down, Ric has met up with Bea. She hands him a cell phone, which he initially refuses, saying that he doesn’t need one. The two of them talk for a moment before sharing a kiss that is interrupted by sirens. Ric immediately takes off from Bea and rushes towards the sirens. He quickly joins Hutch on a rooftop, as both vigilantes move towards what they soon realize is an out of control blaze at the police station. They run into the blaze and begin moving the police and prisoners out of the fire. As they do this, they both hear what sounds like a voice coming from the flames saying, “let them burn.” They quickly realize that the flames themselves are alive. They turn around to see a humanoid figure made completely of fire.
Not horrible. Much better than the last issue that only resulted in me ranting. At least we finally have some backstory on at least one of the new Nightwings. In all honesty, going with Hutch for that backstory time was probably smart, as the other Nightwings don’t really seem that interesting to me. Ric is starting to act more and more like who he should be instead of a selfish taxi driver. As I say with every single issue since this mess started, hopefully Dick Grayson comes back soon.