C2E2 Report: Different Perspectives – An Interview with Russell Dauterman

Some of you may not have heard of Russell Dauterman yet, but that’s likely about to change. Dauterman was the artist on the excellent Supurbia, closed out the last two issues of Kyle Higgins’ Nightwing run with a bang, and is now going to be launching the new Cyclops title for Marvel.

Russell has a unique and beautiful style and such a wonderful love for the material that I knew I had to talk to him and, thankfully, he was gracious enough to give us a bit of his time this past weekend at C2E2. Join me as we discuss character, representation, and working in the industry.

Nightwing #29 – Review

By: Kyle Higgins (writer), Russell Dauterman (artist), Pete Pantazis (colorist)

The Story: We’re all a part of the circus, some of us are just lucky enough to be performing with nets.

The Review: Nightwing is something special. I’m obviously biased toward that opinion, but I really do believe it. Nightwing is Robin, but cool. Nightwing is the hero who grew up with us. Nightwing is the hero you wish you could be. In the end, it’s not even the Nightwing identity that we’ve attached to, but the man behind the mask. Dick Grayson was Robin. Dick Grayson was Batman. But Nightwing is Dick Grayson and that’s something that Kyle Higgins understood from Day One.

The structure of Nightwing #29 is a beautiful, peculiar little bird. Caught somewhere between a seventy-four year past, a heart-breaking present, and an uncertain future, Dick’s final adventure under Higgins’ pen is a simple story well told. The story alternates between Nightwing’s attempts to stop Zsasz and rescue Jen and Dick’s musings on loss, grief, and identity. While each half surrenders space to the other they come together to form a rather beautiful whole.

Though Dick’s tussle with Zsasz will not likely compare favorably with some of the more impressive fights he’s had in this series, the tension that Dick’s felt since the night his parents died and through twenty-nine issues is channeled through his reminiscences and into his worries about Jen, giving the issue the necessary dramatic arc and building the short battle into the climactic encounter that ends the series.

Nightwing #28 – Review

By: Kyle Higgins (writer), Russell Dauterman (art), Pete Pantazis (colors)

The Story: The more things change, the more they stay the same…

The Review: Dick Grayson’s time in Chicago has been something of a renascence period for the character. He felt at home, solidified his status as a solo hero, and finally started to put down some roots. It’s been a beautiful run, but we finally stand at the precipice. We all know that those roots are gonna have to come up, but while Dick is slow to tie himself down, the bonds he forms are iron cast and cutting them is going to be hard. Appropriately, Kyle Higgins delivers a wonderful introspective issue as the series begins to wind down.

While it’s something of a reflective issue, Higgins makes sure to give us another of his uniquely acrobatic fight scenes, calling back a character that I admit I was not expecting to see again. The surprising villain’s powers suit the style of the issue’s artist, Russell Dauterman, perfectly. The twisting combat is beautifully rendered and, while the snaking paths hurt the momentum of the scene at times, Dauterman pays particular attention to Nightwing’s movements, creating an impressively clear fight scene.

Higgins crafts a scenario that highlights Nightwing’s inherent heroism, while raising serious questions about what a mystery man hero like Dick can accomplish in the sci-fi madness of the DC Universe. It sets a tone for the rest of the issue, and an interesting one at that.