Have you gotten your first peek at the two new DC GO! series returning this week to DC UNIVERSE INFINITE? If so, one title probably caught your eye immediately, for…reasons. Of course we’re talking about Nothing Butt Nightwing, a haute new series from Patrick R. Young and Moy R. Marco that puts Dick Grayson in the spotlight. Literally.
Meet Dick Grayson, international fashion model.
The webcomic’s title, suggested by editor Katie Kubert, reflects the book’s cheeky tone, which Patrick R. Young describes as “seriously silly and sillyly serious.”
“We had an opportunity to reset Dick Grayson to a slightly less emotionally mature, more reckless version of himself,” Young shares. “It gives him a little bit of room to grow. This is 100% not the culmination of 80 years of other Dick Grayson stories, but more an exploration of a specific time in his life, and one that I think a lot of readers will be able to relate to.”
Nothing Butt Nightwing takes Dick off Gotham City’s shadowy rooftops and puts him squarely in the dazzling lights of the runway. He’s gone deep undercover to find models who’ve gone missing and Gotham’s underworld pales in comparison to the cutthroat fashion industry. When they’re not scrutinizing every part of his anatomy, they’re putting him on strict skincare routines and doing some unspeakable things to his hair. Dick can fight super-villains every day and twice on Wednesdays, but can he handle being a supermodel?
“I think fish out of water stories are sort of timeless,” says Young. “And in this specific instance I thought it’d be a fun way to change both Dick’s and our perception of him, especially in terms of what it means to truly be ourselves versus wearing a mask. Because even though Dick is now in the spotlight, he’s still wearing costumes and masks and sacrificing a lot of himself for other people’s gain.”
And the story isn’t just a jarring change of a pace for Dick Grayson. DC GO! comics are designed to be read on your phone, with a format specifically tailored for vertical scrolling. Writing for DC GO!’s distinct format has been a fun challenge, Young says.
“Because of the style artist Moy R. and I have chosen to go with for this series, the panels all sort of flow naturally into each other and there’s not a lot of space. We’ve found that I’ve had to become a little choosier with my words, otherwise I could end up covering up some really cool art.”
Not only does Dick have to deal with whatever his new job throws at him, he’s also reeling from being dumped by Barbara Gordon. Babs accuses Dick of not being a real person beyond Nightwing, and she leaves until he can figure out who he is. But Dick Grayson has never been a solo act, so he turns to his friends for advice and support.
“Having grown up first as he did with the Flying Graysons and then later as Robin, I think the necessity of a strong support system has long been part of Dick’s DNA,” Young says. “He knows he’s never going to be the best at everything and thankfully, for now, he has people he can turn to in his times of need.”
Among them is Donna Troy, who gives Dick some simple advice for getting through both the undercover gig and his big breakup: follow the fun. It’s a handy motto that applies to Nothing Butt Nightwing as well.
“It’s my mantra as a writer as well,” reveals Young. “No matter what the outline says, if a new character or arc is presenting itself in a fun way that begs to be spent more time with, then I’m going to do it! That’s certainly what happened with Mime in this first arc of the series. Her role just kept growing and growing. So letting Dick loose a little bit all across the world will be a very fun adventure. He’ll find all the good and bad that comes with being a little bit more…flexible.”
Can Dick use all the ass-ets at his disposal to solve the mystery of the missing models? Find out as new chapters of Nothing Butt Nightwing return this week on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE!
Nothing Butt Nightwing by Patrick R. Young and Moy R. Marcon can be read exclusively on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.
Kelly Knox writes about all-ages comics and animation for DC.com, and is the author of several nonfiction books about some of your favorite film franchises. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox and Bluesky at @kelly-knox.com to talk superheroes, comics and pop culture.
[[{“value”:”Have you gotten your first peek at the two new DC GO! series returning this week to DC UNIVERSE INFINITE? If so, one title probably caught your eye immediately, for…reasons. Of course we’re talking about Nothing Butt Nightwing, a haute new series from Patrick R. Young and Moy R. Marco that puts Dick Grayson in the spotlight. Literally.
Meet Dick Grayson, international fashion model.
The webcomic’s title, suggested by editor Katie Kubert, reflects the book’s cheeky tone, which Patrick R. Young describes as “seriously silly and sillyly serious.”
“We had an opportunity to reset Dick Grayson to a slightly less emotionally mature, more reckless version of himself,” Young shares. “It gives him a little bit of room to grow. This is 100% not the culmination of 80 years of other Dick Grayson stories, but more an exploration of a specific time in his life, and one that I think a lot of readers will be able to relate to.”
Nothing Butt Nightwing takes Dick off Gotham City’s shadowy rooftops and puts him squarely in the dazzling lights of the runway. He’s gone deep undercover to find models who’ve gone missing and Gotham’s underworld pales in comparison to the cutthroat fashion industry. When they’re not scrutinizing every part of his anatomy, they’re putting him on strict skincare routines and doing some unspeakable things to his hair. Dick can fight super-villains every day and twice on Wednesdays, but can he handle being a supermodel?
“I think fish out of water stories are sort of timeless,” says Young. “And in this specific instance I thought it’d be a fun way to change both Dick’s and our perception of him, especially in terms of what it means to truly be ourselves versus wearing a mask. Because even though Dick is now in the spotlight, he’s still wearing costumes and masks and sacrificing a lot of himself for other people’s gain.”
And the story isn’t just a jarring change of a pace for Dick Grayson. DC GO! comics are designed to be read on your phone, with a format specifically tailored for vertical scrolling. Writing for DC GO!’s distinct format has been a fun challenge, Young says.
“Because of the style artist Moy R. and I have chosen to go with for this series, the panels all sort of flow naturally into each other and there’s not a lot of space. We’ve found that I’ve had to become a little choosier with my words, otherwise I could end up covering up some really cool art.”
Not only does Dick have to deal with whatever his new job throws at him, he’s also reeling from being dumped by Barbara Gordon. Babs accuses Dick of not being a real person beyond Nightwing, and she leaves until he can figure out who he is. But Dick Grayson has never been a solo act, so he turns to his friends for advice and support.
“Having grown up first as he did with the Flying Graysons and then later as Robin, I think the necessity of a strong support system has long been part of Dick’s DNA,” Young says. “He knows he’s never going to be the best at everything and thankfully, for now, he has people he can turn to in his times of need.”
Among them is Donna Troy, who gives Dick some simple advice for getting through both the undercover gig and his big breakup: follow the fun. It’s a handy motto that applies to Nothing Butt Nightwing as well.
“It’s my mantra as a writer as well,” reveals Young. “No matter what the outline says, if a new character or arc is presenting itself in a fun way that begs to be spent more time with, then I’m going to do it! That’s certainly what happened with Mime in this first arc of the series. Her role just kept growing and growing. So letting Dick loose a little bit all across the world will be a very fun adventure. He’ll find all the good and bad that comes with being a little bit more…flexible.”
Can Dick use all the ass-ets at his disposal to solve the mystery of the missing models? Find out as new chapters of Nothing Butt Nightwing return this week on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE!
Nothing Butt Nightwing by Patrick R. Young and Moy R. Marcon can be read exclusively on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.
Kelly Knox writes about all-ages comics and animation for DC.com, and is the author of several nonfiction books about some of your favorite film franchises. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox and Bluesky at @kelly-knox.com to talk superheroes, comics and pop culture.”}]]
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