Costume Spotlight: Nightwing (Rebirth)

One of the goals of DC Rebirth is to make the characters more closely resemble their most popular versions. In some cases, that means making a character's physical appearance look more like an adaptational counterpart. last week we discussed Wonder Woman, but Nightwing is another good example.

When most people think of Nightwing, this is what they picture. It debuted in the Nightwing miniseries (1995) that led to him getting an ongoing:

Nightwing kept this costume until the New 52, and whenever Nightwing showed up in a show or video game, he wore a version of this costume. Except, for some reason, the blue part was turned into a bird. Almost every single time.

 

These are just five examples: The New Batman Adventures, Teen Titans, The Batman, Young Justice, and the Son of Batman trilogy.

In the New 52, beginning in Nightwing #1 (September 2011) to be precise, Nightwing got a new look after almost 20 years:

Then he quit being Nightwing and became a spy, but as part of the course correction - for lack of a better word - of Rebirth, Nightwing showed up in Nightwing: Rebirth #1 (July 2016) looking like this:

It's not exactly the same as any animated appearance, but it is clearly inspired by them.

Batman Beyond: I Finally Figured It Out - Part 4: The Present

Long-time readers will know that Batman Beyond has long been a thorn in my side. DC seems to really want the franchise around, but can't ever seem to figure out what they want to do with it, so it's been in continuity, outside continuity, in continuity but with Tim Drake as Batman...it's a headache.

However, recently I got the chance to read through every Batman Beyond series and I took copious notes to try to figure out how it should be represented on this site, and figured it out I did: there are actually three separate versions of the Batman Beyond world. In this three part post, I will describe the three versions and note the characters and concepts each one introduced. If the site has already talked about them, I'll link to that page. If not, I'll put in the new information. Here's Part 1, Part 2a, Part 2b, and Part 3 if you missed them.

Version(?) 4: The Present
Once you decide a certain future is going to be THE future, it's hard to not start seeding that future in the present. This page catalogues the ones I know about so far. There aren't that many of them, and most of the ones that are there haven't appeared on this site already, but they're there, and for the sake of completion - and, let's be honest, to fill up the week - I'm compiling them here.

Wayne Industries being taken over by Powers International

The Jokerz gang

Warren McGinnis is the father of Terry McGinnis, aka Batman, aka Batman Beyond, aka...well, that's a spoiler at the time of the writing (but check out 2016 issues of Batman Beyond for more details!). He first appeared in the Batman Beyond pilot, "Rebirth" (1999), where he was unfortunately killed. However, he apparently went to Gotham Academy when he was a kid! He debuted as a little red-haired scamp in Gotham Academy #1 (October 2014), where he's called Warren:

And then again in issue 5 (February 2015), where this time he's called McGinnis:

If there are any I missed, let me know!

Batman Beyond: I Finally Figured It Out - Part 3: Prime Earth

Long-time readers will know that Batman Beyond has long been a thorn in my side. DC seems to really want the franchise around, but can't ever seem to figure out what they want to do with it, so it's been in continuity, outside continuity, in continuity but with Tim Drake as Batman...it's a headache.

However, recently I got the chance to read through every Batman Beyond series and I took copious notes to try to figure out how it should be represented on this site, and figured it out I did: there are actually three separate versions of the Batman Beyond world. In this three part post, I will describe the three versions and note the characters and concepts each one introduced. If the site has already talked about them, I'll link to that page. If not, I'll put in the new information. Here's Part 1, Part 2a, and Part 2b if you missed them.

Version 3: Future of Prime Earth
This version was introduced in Future's End, and is once again the future of the main DC Universe, only this time it's the post-New 52 main DC Universe. Just like last time, it has threads that make it feel like a continuation of the previous stories (Inque's daughter, Rewire), but it's not. In this version, Gotham is the only city left standing and the rest of the planet combines various other DC futures, including OMAC and Kamandi.



Terry McGinnis - Despite the same name and costume, this is a VERY different character than other versions.

Matt McGinnis is Terry's brother. He first appeared in the Batman Beyond pilot, "Rebirth" (1999) and then appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #1 (June 2015).

Warren and Mary McGinnis, Terry's parents, first appeared in the Batman Beyond pilot, "Rebirth" (1999), and then were mentioned in Batman Beyond #1 (June 2015).

Commissioner Barbara Gordon is not original to Batman Beyond, but she first appeared as commissioner in the Batman Beyond episode, "Black Out" (1999). She first appeared in the future of Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #1 (June 2015), and was confirmed as commissioner in Batman Beyond #2 (July 2015).

Maxine "Max" Gibson is Terry's best friend. She first appeared on tv in the episode "Hidden Agenda" (1999). She first appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #1 (June 2015).

Warhawk, a member of Justice League Unlimited, first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "The Call" (2000). He was first mentioned as being on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #3 (August 2015), then fully appeared in Batman Beyond #8 (January 2016).

Micron, a member of Justice League Unlimited, first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "The Call" (2000). He first appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #3 (August 2015).

Kai-Ro, a member of Justice League Unlimited, first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "The Call" (2000). He was mentioned on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #8 (January 2016), then fully appeared in Batman Beyond #9 (February 2016). [He's on the far right in the picture below.]

Aquagirl, a member of Justice League Unlimited, first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "The Call" (2000). He first appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #9 (February 2016). [She's on the far left in the picture below.]

Superman's outfit first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "The Call" (2000). It first appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #9 (February 2016), but unlike other versions of Superman in the Justice League Unlimited, this is not Clark Kent but his son Jonathan. In a way this makes more sense, because I never understood why Superman wore something different in the future.

The Jokerz, a band of gangs modelling themselves after the Joker, first appeared in the Batman Beyond pilot, "Rebirth" (1999) and then appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #1 (June 2015)

Terminal is a member of the Jokerz that first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode, "Hidden Agenda" (1999). He first appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #13 (June 2016).

Inque was a saboteur working for Derek Powers who first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "Black Out" (1999). She first appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #2 (July 2015).

Spellbinder and Shriek first appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #5 (October 2015). Shriek first appeared on tv in the episode of the same name (1999). Spellbinder is Ira Billings, a psychologist at Hamilton High.  He first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "Spellbound" (1999).

Derek Powers was the main antagonist for Batman Beyond, and as such, was around since the first episode, "Rebirth" (1999). He was mentioned in Batman Beyond #7 (December 2015).

Splicers appear in the Batman Beyond episode of the same name (1999). They're a Gotham trend developed by Dr. Abel Cuvier that combines human DNA and animal DNA. Both Splicers and Dr. Cuvier appear in Batman Beyond #9 (February 2016), in a clever twist that they're the reason for the animal men in Kamandi's time.

Wayne-Powers is a conglomerate created by Derek Powers buying Wayne Industries, which first appear in the Batman Beyond pilot "Rebirth" (1999). It first appeared on Prime Earth in Batman Beyond #1 (June 2015).

Join us tomorrow for Part 4: Batman Beyond in the present!

Batman Beyond: I Finally Figured It Out - Part 2b: Earth-12

Long-time readers will know that Batman Beyond has long been a thorn in my side. DC seems to really want the franchise around, but can't ever seem to figure out what they want to do with it, so it's been in continuity, outside continuity, in continuity but with Tim Drake as Batman...it's a headache.

However, recently I got the chance to read through every Batman Beyond series and I took copious notes to try to figure out how it should be represented on this site, and figured it out I did: there are actually three separate versions of the Batman Beyond world. In this three part post, I will describe the three versions and note the characters and concepts each one introduced. If the site has already talked about them, I'll link to that page. If not, I'll put in the new information. Here's Part 1 if you missed it; yesterday was Part 2a (Earth-12 from the Batman's side), today is Earth-12 from Justice League's side, Thursday will be Part 3, and Part 4 will be on Friday.

Version 2: The Future of Earth-12
This version provides a clean break, in that it changes its name to Batman Beyond 2.0 and Justice League 2.0. But it's more than that. Suddenly Barbara Gordon can walk again, costumes (Nightwing's in particular) reflect their animated counterparts, and they not only exclusively refer to events of the DCAU when talking about the past, they refer to the past more frequently and in deeper detail. This book does occasionally - once or twice - refer to events from previous volumes, but it does it vaguely enough that it could be talking about separate events entirely.

Justice League Unlimited, a future version of the Justice League, first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "The Call" (2000), with members Superman, Barda, Warhawk, Aquagirl, Micron, and Kai-Ro. Superman and Barda are pre-existing characters, but the rest are new. They first appeared on this earth in Justice League 2.0 #1 (August 2013). By this point, they had added several new members, including Batman, The Flash, Mister Miracle, and Captain Marvel.

The Justice Lords, a dark counterpart to the Justice League from Earth-50, first appeared in the Justice League 2-parter "A Better World" (2003), the events of which are recapped in Justice League Beyond 2.0 #17 (April 2014). The Justice Lords are first mentioned in Justice League Beyond 2.0 #16 (March 2014), then appear in issue 17 in full - except for Lord Hawkgirl - but in flashback. The Justice Lords Unlimited - which include Curare - appear in Justice League Beyond 2.0 #18 (April 2014).

Jax-Ur's outfit in Superman: The Animated Series (as seen in "Blasts from the Past" (1997)), is quite different from what he wore when he first appeared in Adventure Comics #289 (August 1961), or at any other time in his history. Yet that's what he's wearing in Justice League Beyond 2.0 #4 (September 2013).

Parasite's appearance has already been discussed here, but it shows up on Earth-50 in Justice League Beyond 2.0 #18 (April 2014).

Amazo's appearance in Justice League was much more generic than his comics appearance, which debuted in The Brave and the Bold #30 (April 1960). But the generic version - specifically the upgraded gold version from "The Return" (2004) - is what's represented in Justice League Beyond 2.0 #9 (December 2013).

Brainiac's appearance isn't terribly different from his comics counterpart, but it's enough to be noticeable. You can read more about this look here, but it appeared in Justice League Beyond 2.0 #8 (November 2013).

Brainiac as Krypton's world computer is an idea that first appeared in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "The Last Son of Krypton" (1996). It was reused in Justice League Beyond 2.0 #12 (January 2014).

The merger of Brainiac and Lex Luthor, and the resulting merger of Brainiac and Darkseid happened in the Justice League Unlimited episodes "Divided We Fall" (2005) and "Alive!" (2006), respectively, and were referenced in Justice League Beyond 2.0 #11 (January 2014).

Batman and Wonder Woman's attraction was featured in several episodes of Justice League, including "Starcrossed" (2004). When Wonder Woman travelled to Earth-50, she and Lord Batman acted on it, as told in Justice League Beyond 2.0 #17 (April 2014).

Batman's Penny is a particularly clever and subtle reference. The penny itself has been around in comics almost as long as Batman has, but it comes from a one-off villain called the Penny Plunderer. In the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Almost Got 'im" (1992), Batman gets it from Two-Face, which explains why it has two heads in Justice League Beyond 2.0 #22 (June 2014).

The Justice League Watchtower - a darker version of it, at least - appears as the Justice Lords satellite on Earth-50 in Batman Beyond 2.0 #23 (June 2014). Yes, I realize this should've appeared in yesterday's post, but I forgot to write it down in my notes. It fits better here, anyway.

Batman Beyond: I Finally Figured It Out - Part 2a: Earth-12

Long-time readers will know that Batman Beyond has long been a thorn in my side. DC seems to really want the franchise around, but can't ever seem to figure out what they want to do with it, so it's been in continuity, outside continuity, in continuity but with Tim Drake as Batman...it's a headache.

However, recently I got the chance to read through every Batman Beyond series and I took copious notes to try to figure out how it should be represented on this site, and figured it out I did: there are actually three separate versions of the Batman Beyond world. In this three part post, I will describe the three versions and note the characters and concepts each one introduced. If the site has already talked about them, I'll link to that page. If not, I'll put in the new information. Here's Part 1 if you missed it; tomorrow will be Part 2b (Earth-12 from the Justice League's side), Thursday will be Part 3, and Part 4 will be on Friday.

Version 2: The Future of Earth-12
This version provides a clean break, in that it changes its name to Batman Beyond 2.0. But it's more than that. Suddenly Barbara Gordon can walk again, costumes (Nightwing's in particular) reflect their animated counterparts, and they not only exclusively refer to events of the DCAU when talking about the past, they refer to the past more frequently and in deeper detail. This book does occasionally - once or twice - refer to events from previous volumes, but it does it vaguely enough that it could be talking about separate events entirely.

Terry McGinnis/Batman first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "Rebirth" (1999), as the new Batman, Bruce Wayne's replacement. On Earth-12, he first appears in Batman Beyond 2.0 #1 (August 2013), duh.

Dana Tan now has her own page.

Mary McGinnis and Matt McGinnis, Terry's mother and brother, respectively, first appeared in the Batman Beyond pilot, "Rebirth" (1999). In the comics set on Earth-12, they first appeared in Batman Beyond 2.0 #2 (August 2013).

Warren McGinnis, Terry's father, appeared in the first episode of Batman Beyond, "Rebirth" (1999); we never met the Earth-12 version in comics, but his Earth-50 counterpart appeared in Batman Beyond 2.0 #24 (July 2014).

Maxine "Max" Gibson is Terry's best friend. She first appeared on tv in the episode  "Hidden Agenda" (1999). She was first mentioned in Batman Beyond 2.0 #1 (August 2013), but didn't fully appear until Batman Beyond 2.0 #27 (August 2014).

Justice League Unlimited

Sam Young

The Jokerz - The Jokerz are a collection of gangs that model themselves after The Joker; they debuted in the first episode of Batman Beyond, "Rebirth" (1999). Their first Earth-12 appearance is listed in the link, but their first appearance in this version of Batman Beyond was in Batman Beyond 2.0 #1 (August 2013). Specifically, we see Ghoul, Woof, and Chucko. Dee Dee doesn't make an appearance until issue 2 (August 2013).

Splicers are first mentioned in Batman Beyond 2.0 #1 (August 2013), although the Man-Bats he was fighting weren't technically splicers. But I'm pretty sure Woof is, and he's in the issue too.

Mad Stan, aka Stanley Lebowski, had his first appearance in the Batman Beyond episode "Rats" (1999). On Earth-12, he first appears in Batman Beyond 2.0 #1 (August 2013).

As does Charlie "Big Time" Bigelow

Shriek and Spellbinder first appear in Batman Beyond 2.0 #2 (August 2013). Shriek first appeared on tv in the episode of the same name (1999). Spellbinder is Ira Billings, a psychologist at Hamilton High.  He first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "Spellbound" (1999).

Curare

Inque was a saboteur working for Derek Powers who first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "Black Out" (1999). She is first mentioned in Batman Beyond 2.0 #3 (September 2013), but doesn't appear until issue 5 (October 2013).

Melanie Walker/Ten

The Royal Flush Gang has been around in comics for a long time, but this particular incarnation - which Ten was a part of - first appeared in the episode "Dead Man's Hand" (1999). They appear in Batman Beyond 2.0 #33 (September 2014), although we later learn that everyone has been replaced except for Queen.

Justice Lords

The Phantasm

Derek Powers/Blight was the main antagonist for Batman Beyond, and as such, was around since the first episode, "Rebirth" (1999). He was mentioned in Batman Beyond 2.0 #26 (July 2014).

Mr. Fixx was Blight's right-hand man, and he debuted in "Rebirth" (1999). He was later mentioned in Batman Beyond 2.0 #26 (July 2014).

Powers Industries, the company - first appearing in "Rebirth" (1999) - that bought out Wayne Industries and was run by Derek Powers, aka Blight, was mentioned Batman Beyond 2.0 #17 (March 2014). To be fair, this is the Earth-50 version of Powers Industries, but since this scene of the issue is written to make you think it's happening on Earth-12, it still counts. It counts regardless, but it especially counts.

Foxteca is a company created by Lucius Fox after leaving Wayne Industries that first appeared in the episode "Black Out" (1999) when Inque was hired to sabotage it. It then first appeared in Batman Beyond 2.0 #7 (November 2013).

The Peregrinator's Club is a men's only club that was featured in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Joker's Favor" (1992) and a few other episodes. It was mentioned in Batman Beyond 2.0 #11 (January 2014).

Daggett Industries is a company owned by corrupt businessman Roland Daggett, which first appeared in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Feat of Clay" (1992), and then several times after that. This mention is from Batman Beyond 2.0 #11 (January 2014).

Nightwing and Robin (Tim Drake) appear in flashback with their animated looks in Batman Beyond 2.0 #4 (October 2013).

The animated Batmobile and Dick Grayson in his animated Robin outfit appear in Batman Beyond 2.0 #9 (December 2013), during a flashback to the events of the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Fear of Victory"(1992).

Mr. Freeze's animated look appeared in Batman Beyond 2.0 #16 (March 2014).

Two-Face's animated look appeared in Batman Beyond 2.0 #16 (March 2014).

Tim Drake's infection with Joker toxin is recounted in Batman Beyond 2.0 #26 (July 2014). This event was the impetus of the plot in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000).

Batman and Batgirl's relationship ended in a flashback featured in Batman Beyond 2.0 #26 (July 2014). This particular plot point was brought up occasionally in Batman Beyond, in episodes such as "A Touch of Curare" (1999) and "Out of the Past" (2000). I've never particularly cared for this idea, but it happened.

This version of Commissioner Barbara Gordon can walk, as seen in Batman Beyond 2.0 #1 (August 2013). The version in previous Batman Beyond comics couldn't at first, then could with the help of implants.

And finally, in this panel from Batman Beyond 2.0 #11 (January 2014), they're referring to the events of the Batman Beyond episode "Out of the Past" (2000).