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View Full Version : Does it seem like Chuck Dixon hedged ideas from Daredevil?

Nightdawn
10-03-2005, 04:45 PM
I'm re-reading Nightwing: A Knight in Bludhaven, and I don't know, it almost seems like Chuck Dixon was hedging ideas from Miller's Daredevil. Lady Vic, the high-society girl turned deadly assassin; Blockbuster, the gigantic, smart as hell vice lord. I'm sure I'm going to run into more as I continue reading through the trades, but can anybody else come up with some examples?

Not to say that I don't love Dixon's Nightwing, I think it's great; just saying.
chap22
10-03-2005, 05:01 PM
Originally posted by Nightdawn
I'm re-reading Nightwing: A Knight in Bludhaven, and I don't know, it almost seems like Chuck Dixon was hedging ideas from Miller's Daredevil. Lady Vic, the high-society girl turned deadly assassin; Blockbuster, the gigantic, smart as hell vice lord. I'm sure I'm going to run into more as I continue reading through the trades, but can anybody else come up with some examples?

Not to say that I don't love Dixon's Nightwing, I think it's great; just saying.

not nearly as badly as Devin did in her "Born Again-lite" arc. Dick loses everything, his home is blown up, etc etc.
she also threw in a bit of Nocenti's DD, what with Typhoid Ma- umm err - Tarantula entering the picture too.
Nightdawn
10-03-2005, 05:12 PM
Originally posted by chap22
not nearly as badly as Devin did in her "Born Again-lite" arc. Dick loses everything, his home is blown up, etc etc.
she also threw in a bit of Nocenti's DD, what with Typhoid Ma- umm err - Tarantula entering the picture too.

Again, I didn't say he did it badly; personally, I LOVE the character of Blockbuster, and the Rogues Gallery of Assassins was great(a nice counterpoint to the almost run of the mill loons Batman fights; I like the crazies from Arkham, but it can get old); just a thought I'd had.

Yeah, like most people, I'm not thrilled by Devin Grayson's run on Nightwing, but I'll always have the Chuck Dixon ones to read through over and over! :D

So, Blockbuster and Lady Vic were two that were more subtle, more a nod to Miller's Daredevil, in my mind, and Tarantula is a more blatant rip. Who else, and which of those two categories would you put it in?
md62
10-03-2005, 08:41 PM
Never thought about it. All I know is I liked Dixon's writing on Nightwing. He is a solid writer.
Nightdawn
10-04-2005, 10:54 PM
Originally posted by md62
Never thought about it. All I know is I liked Dixon's writing on Nightwing. He is a solid writer.

Oh yeah, he most definitely is; I can always count on Dixon to write a good, entertaining story.
furioso2012
10-04-2005, 11:26 PM
Technically, Blockbuster may predate Kingpin, as he was a Silver Age villain who seems to have been a bit of a Hulk knock-off. I think his characterization is pretty different from Fisk's too.

And Lady Vic = Elektra seems a bit of a reach. Think about the creative process: Dixon wants a female ass-kicker/warrior. Lady Shiva has that all down pretty well, so how do you make the newbie different? Try flipping the equation: make the assassin an Aristocrat. Plus, Elektra's defining trait is not her snooty background.

Then again, maybe I am TOTALLY wrong and Dixon is indeed doing a double homage.

I always thought Lady Vic sounded like an electric razor model...

Love the Dixon-McDaniel team so much I bought the RICHARD DRAGON run. Lotsa fun there: shame it ended so soon.

And BLOCKBUSTER is damned cool (a better read in many ways, but different book). And so is/was CHASE.
Nightdawn
10-05-2005, 09:18 AM
Richard Dragon was good? Is it worth hunting down the issues even if they're a few bucks over cover price?
GOSD
10-05-2005, 09:33 AM
Originally posted by Nightdawn
Richard Dragon was good? Is it worth hunting down the issues even if they're a few bucks over cover price? As much as I love Chuck and Scott, it's not worth cover price let alone ANYTHING over it..
furioso2012
10-05-2005, 01:28 PM
Different strokes for different folks.

I loved the series, although the final arc was not as kick ass as the opening one. I wouldn't pay over cover price, but I'd refuse to pay for any recent, non-hit series.

Suggestion to Nightdawn: do what i did and buy the first three, then U decide...
EmeraldGuy32
10-05-2005, 07:13 PM
Originally posted by chap22
not nearly as badly as Devin did in her "Born Again-lite" arc. Dick loses everything, his home is blown up, etc etc.
she also threw in a bit of Nocenti's DD, what with Typhoid Ma- umm err - Tarantula entering the picture too.
hehe. I thought the same thing when reading that arc.
buji
10-21-2005, 11:13 PM
does anyone know what Dixon is currently working on? i've been searching around but haven't been able to find anything definite besides an announcement that he'll be working on some books for a company called Shooting Star in 2006.

i've just been reading his Batgirl: Year One, in addition to some Birds of Prey that he wrote, & i was impressed by his handling of the characters.
No1insight
10-21-2005, 11:58 PM
Chuck Dixon is the definitive Bat spin-off writer, if you ask me.

Right now I think he's writing Team Zero and Iron Ghost, or something non-DC/Marvel...
BradyKiller
10-24-2005, 11:57 AM
Originally posted by chap22
not nearly as badly as Devin did in her "Born Again-lite" arc. Dick loses everything, his home is blown up, etc etc.
she also threw in a bit of Nocenti's DD, what with Typhoid Ma- umm err - Tarantula entering the picture too.

Uh-huh!

That's all I have to say....
grphxkindaguy
10-24-2005, 12:22 PM
Originally posted by buji
does anyone know what Dixon is currently working on? i've been searching around but haven't been able to find anything definite besides an announcement that he'll be working on some books for a company called Shooting Star in 2006.


IIRC, he's also doing a Wyatt Earp/Dodge City comic book for Moonstone publishing.
I am MODOK
10-24-2005, 03:30 PM
Originally posted by Nightdawn
Richard Dragon was good? Is it worth hunting down the issues even if they're a few bucks over cover price?

I think the series is worth picking up. It really feels like a kung fu movie set in the DCU, with the masters of different martial arts all trying to see who's best. I enjoyed it.

Dixon is working on Iron Ghost and Team Zero that I know of right now. I'm still holding out hope for a post one year later return to Nightwing...
buji
10-24-2005, 04:17 PM
it seems that he's rather under-rated for the quality of stories i've been reading by him. any story behind why he's no longer working at DC?
Cray_ws
10-25-2005, 12:29 AM
Sometimes it gets to where you end up reading a title and you feel like you've read this before but in a different book. Chuck Dixon's writing could easily be mistaken as recycled plots, but I don't think there should be a question of whether he's borrowing ideas or not..

If anything I think its a sign that you need to find something else to read, preferably a different genre or maybe give a writer you wouldn't normally give a chance. This will help keep your mind from looking for familiar plot themes.

Then after awhile you go back to old titles and it all seems fresh and yet familiar at the same time. Your mind is more willing to absorb the small details and not try so hard to figure out how the book will play out.

I firmly believe that alot comic book readers have a hard time figuring out if the book they reading is for them. Many assume if they don't like X-Men titles, they must be written poorly. When you read the same book for any length of time, you're bound to know how things play out. I can only assume many longtime X-Men readers are comfortable with knowing the plot devices used. Its like a proverbial teddy bear for the mind. It is the cozy feeling of nostalgia and earnest feeling young again. Escapism with a safety net of predictability that Jean Grey will always be reborn regardless of the dire predicament she gets into.

Every month there's a new song we haven't heard before, and sometimes it shakes up the music industry and people listen. Wouldn't it be great if a brand new comic could crack the top 10 seller list and everyone would read it. Then the next month a another fresh new title cracks the top 10 and so on...

I don't know about you all, but it only took me 12 issues of X-Men to know how things play out, and the same goes for other franchised characters. Don't get me wrong I still read an X-Men trade once in a blue moon, but I like to direct my enthusiasm to new books like Finder, Queen & Country, Walking Dead, Invincible, and Ex Machina.
Jab
10-25-2005, 01:54 AM
I believe there are no original stories left to tell. I do believe that there are new twists on old ideas and themes... but everything seems to derive from something else and with a little work and research you can always find the "inspiration".