Batman: The Black Mirror and Nightwing: The Untouchable - A Comparative Analysis
Two of my favorite Dick Grayson stories are Batman: The Black Mirror by Scott Snyder, Jock, and Francesco Francavilla, and Nightwing: The Untouchable by Sam Humphries, Bernard Chang, Klaus Janson, and Phil Jimenez (make sure to read these before reading this blog post).
Both stories play to Dick's strengths and get at what makes him tick in a very deep way. Recently, I realized that the two stories have many similarities, both in their portrayal of Dick, and in the role the villains play. Snyder's Dealer and James Gordon Jr. and Humphries' Judge each hold completely opposing worldviews to Dick Grayson, represent different parts of Gotham City and Blüdhaven, and challenge the relationship between Dick Grayson and the cities he calls home.
Snyder and Humphries are two of my favorite writers for Dick Grayson because they fundamentally understand what makes him a unique and beloved character. This comes through in interviews they've given.
In 2012, Snyder said:
"It was a lot of fun because Dick Grayson is so different from Bruce Wayne. He’s emotionally accessible and open and sharing and giving with his feelings. He’s really fun to write, almost as if you or your friend were given the chance to be Batman—you know, enthusiasm and a lack of baggage; a sense of wonder about the world. He’s tough, he’s determined. He’s not some wide-eyed innocent, yet he wears his heart on his sleeve....Dick’s greatest strength is his sense of compassion and empathy—his human, generous qualities—that’s what makes him a different Batman, a different hero than Bruce. At the same time, what Gotham will do is take those strengths and convince you that they are weaknesses."
And in 2017 Humphries said:
"Nightwing, doing what he does best. He’s a superhero, a crime fighter, and a detective, and he’s going to have to pull on all three roles to try and stop the Judge... Well, you know, if you ask somebody about Nightwing as a character, maybe one of the top things they would say is 'everyone loves Nightwing.' I mean, he’s a popular guy, right?...Of course we’re gonna have stories that either hinge on his personal relationships with others or what he’s going through, how he deals with situations where he has to depend upon his relationships with others."
Similarly, Snyder and Humphries take the time to develop Gotham and Blüdhaven in unique ways, bringing a perspective to each city that plays well with Dick's character.
Snyder says of Gotham:
"The way I see Gotham is as a black mirror—a kind of villain generator. The city almost seems to put its heroes through this trial by fire where it knows their greatest fears about themselves and their demons. It creates villains that speak to those demons and those fears directly."
Humphries says of Blüdhaven:
"Blüdhaven as a 'neon canyon,' the idea that the casinos and the hotels have taken over Blüdhaven to such a degree that sometimes you can’t even see the sky. You’re surrounded on all sides by sheer walls of lights and LCD screens. It’s like your constantly going through a neon canyon...there’s a lot of money in Blüdhaven, but any city in the world where there’s a lot of money, there’s a lot of inequality. So there’s the bright, glitzy, high-roller side of Blüdhaven, and there’s old Blüdhaven. There’s not a lot of steel and glass in that part of Blüdhaven, it’s more bricks and iron, and that’s where you have the old crumbling churches and St. Jude’s Monastery."
With these factors in mind, I'd like to write a comparative analysis. This won't be comparing the actual plots so much, as Snyder's volume is comprised of several interconnected stories, covering ten issues, while Humphries' is a shorter, tighter run, comprised of only seven issues. What can be compared are their approaches to Gotham and Blüdhaven, the relationship between the villains and the cities, the cities and Dick, and the relationship between the villains and Dick. Thematically, The Black Mirror and The Untouchable are very similar, and they also possess many aesthetic parallels. This is most clearly illustrated with two images of Dick nosediving off skyscrapers:
Detective Comics #872 and Nightwing #35
There are other minor parallels and similarities. For instance, both stories mention that Dick Grayson watches nature documentaries:
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| Detective Comics #877 |
Likewise, both have Dick trapped underwater, desperately racing against time to reach the surface. (Disclaimer: do not try to ingest pure oxygen or swim 1000 feet up in seven minutes, you WILL die):
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| Detective Comics #878 |
Now, on to the major similarities.
The Cities:
Both stories deal heavily with the history and nature of Gotham City and Blüdhaven. Dick talks about both in various ways throughout each story. Gotham is described as a mean, hungry city, always pushing people to their limits. Gotham is almost a living thing, with a dark, beating heart of evil. Blüdhaven is described as a glitzy casino town, covering up crime, corruption, and a bloody history with neon and glamour. In The Black Mirror, Gotham is introduced through the perspective of Dick's father as a "black pin city," which means it's a place where no holds are barred. Dick's description of Blüdhaven is based around the fact that he's been living there for some time, and has grown familiar with the nature of the town. Later, the history of corruption in Blüdhaven is expanded upon further by The Judge.
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| Detective Comics #871 |
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| Nightwing #35 |
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| Nightwing #39 |
Throughout both stories, the idea that the cities are becoming darker is prevalent. Each city is tailored to challenge Dick in specific ways. The idea that both cities corrupt even the best of us is strong, and Dick comments on this change.
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| Detective Comics #873 |
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| Nightwing #35 |
The cities provide the perfect backdrop and thematic elements to introduce villains who are completely ideologically opposed to Dick Grayson.
The Villains:
The first major villain that Dick encounters in The Black Mirror is The Dealer. He's a black market salesman that provides the wealthy elite of Gotham the opportunity to purchase artifacts related to Batman and his rogues with anonymity, indulging their darkest impulses. The Dealer believes that what makes humanity "divine" is not goodness, generosity, or compassion, but malevolence. His theory is that what separates humanity from the animals is our ability for great evil, and that no place on Earth illustrates this better than Gotham.
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| Detective Comics #872 |
In his pursuit of The Dealer, Dick pushes himself to his limits. Defeating The Dealer in Gotham is important to him, as a symbolic victory.
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| Detective Comics #873 |
The Dealer is merely a pawn however, for The Black Mirror's main villain: James Gordon Jr. He is nothing less than a psychopath, bent on causing suffering simply because he can. His worldview is that empathy and compassion are humanity's greatest weaknesses, and that this makes Dick Grayson the weakest man in Gotham. He has positioned himself as Dick Grayson's twisted mirror. His plot involves drugging mass amounts of baby formula with a drug which kills the part of the brain that causes humans to feel empathy. In essence, he wants to create a city of people like him.
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| Detective Comics #881 |
In Nightwing: The Untouchable, Sam Humphries introduced The Judge, a supernatural villain that sees, and exploits, the corruption in others. He has plagued Dick Grayson since Dick was Robin, and posits that "corruption is the crystallization of the human heart," which he believes Nightwing fights against in vain. His goal is to expose the corruption in others, even Nightwing.
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| Nightwing #35 |
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| Nightwing #38 |
The Judge's actions result in the deaths of over 30 people, and much like with The Dealer, Dick pushes himself to his limits to catch him.
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| Nightwing #36 |
Confrontations:
When Dick does catch up with his villains, his reactions are similar. Dick doesn't tend to believe in the myths men surround themselves with. He's fought Brother Blood and Trigon, it takes a lot to impress him. The Dealer believes himself a High Priest of Evil, The Judge sees himself as the judge of all humanity's corruption. Dick sees evil men hurting innocents who need to be stopped.
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| Detective Comics #873 |
After taking down The Dealer, James Gordon Jr. eventually reveals himself as the orchestrator of all the major events of The Black Mirror. When finally talking with Dick, he outlines exactly how he sees Dick, and why he finds him flawed. The Judge makes a similar analysis of Dick in their final encounter, and it's interesting to see how these two villains see Dick Grayson differently.
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| Detective Comics #881 |
Despite the fact that James looks down on Dick, and thinks him inferior, he sees Dick's altruism and goodness as genuine. To him, they're the things that make Dick weak. The Judge on the other hand, sees Dick's altruism as fake, a masquerade of goodness that Dick uses to absolve himself of guilt. This is because The Judge doesn't view himself as human, and views all humans as inherently corrupt, while James Gordon Jr. views himself as the best version of humanity. Despite these differences, both men are positioned to be ideological opposites of Dick Grayson. Luckily, Dick is able to defeat both villains.
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| Detective Comics #881 |
In the end, James Gordon Jr., The Dealer, and The Judge all push Dick to his limits and place his ideology in the spotlight, putting it to the test. But they are unable to break his belief in goodness, his ability to care for others, and his belief that people are not their worst moments.
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| Detective Comics #881 |
Conclusion:
The final pages of these two stories end on positive notes. James Gordon Jr. and The Judge in many ways are to Dick Grayson what The Joker is to Batman. If Joker is Chaos and Batman is Order, James Jr. and The Judge represent humanity at its worst, and Dick Grayson represents humanity at its best. Not perfect, but relentless in his efforts to be better, and keep moving forward.
Snyder and Humphries each put it perfectly:
"If you can stand up to the monsters it throws at you, you come out redeemed. A stronger version of yourself.""We're trying the best we can. Even though we may fall...we get back up again."
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| Detective Comics #881 |
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