Opinions on Chuck Dixon's time as a Batman writer

[Mr. Holmes]

Dixon's Robin is probably the best thing he's done. It very much is a prototypical Ultimate Spider-Man. Brian Q Miller's Batgirl is its spiritual successor, more so than Red Robin.

[Mr. A]

Dixon's sits at number 2 of my top 5 writers during the late 90s-early 00s

I hold a very special place in my heart for his 70 issue reign on Nightwing; particularlly #25 (my first exposure to the Batverse outside the films and DCAU). While the villians aren't as top 10 memorable worthy, the action, accompanied by art of Scott McDaniel and Karl Story made up for it. He understood the characters far more than the recent lot ever will. And yes, I love the Joker in the Slab idea; Having him back out of it and back in Arkham makes Hush look slightly non-canonical and arbitrary at times.

His time on the book along with Birds of Prey and Robin (and the other titles though not written by him) represented the DCU I loved since I was 10 the day I bought Nightwing #25 (March 1999) up to the day Dan Didio came into the picture to destroyed it all with his hamfisted decisions and extreme short term planning. I almost came close to getting The Outsiders for the first time in four years (Winick's handling of Dick and having Jade assumed leadership from under him rubbed me the wrong way) until Dixon got fired (lets call it like it is!)

Chuck, I look forward to the day when the WB finally grows a brain and clean house indefinitely, I'll gladly get a new DC Comic with your name on it. Until then, please come to Dynamite? A Chuck Dixon penned Shadow or Green Hornet sounds very, very tempting.

[The Duke]

I'll put it this way, Chuck Dixon was part of the last Batman run I've read without wanting to stop every five minutes.

Essentially he was part of the last few years of 28 years of consistent reading.

[carabas]

In retrospect I think he was a very poor Batman writer who really just did noy get the basics of the character, but he was also an excellent writer for all the barious Bat-sattelite characters.

[dupersuper]

No. The destruction of the JLI was to give those stories emotional weight. If DC had killed Aqualad then no one would have cared. But killing Blue Beetle (Ted Kord, the popular on) or the Dibneys gives the story significance.

Is that assertion from one of Didios online responses? Also, I was mightily pissed when they killed Garth...

It's unoriginal and lazy to copy a comic beat by beat. It's literally the exact same story. I don't care if you consider it an "adaptation". "Adaptations" are what ruined DC Animated. Compare the first season of TAS with these shitty Direct-to-DVD films they're making.

...Are you a Red Lantern?

[dancj]

In retrospect I think he was a very poor Batman writer who really just did noy get the basics of the character, but he was also an excellent writer for all the barious Bat-sattelite characters.

That would explain why he was so good during Knightquest - when Bruce was off pretending to be an English lord.

[allstarmatches]

This is a good thread.

Before I offer an opinion, I have to ask: does anyone have a list the characters the Dixon created for the Batclan? (I can't recall off the top of my head.)

Thanks.

Some of the more notable ones:

Bane
Spoiler
Spellbinder II
Lynx
King Snake
Torque
Lady Vic
Nite-Wing
The General

That's only a partial list. He had lots of one-off or one-note characters who'd show up from time to time (the Brutales of the world).

Also as to revitalizing existing characters, he essentially created the version of the Helena Bertinelli Huntress that was featured up until Flashpoint. Helena B. was created by Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton and had her own series before Chuck wrote her, but he changed her personality pretty significantly and relocated her to Gotham.

[Scud]

For me, Morrison is bar none the best Joker writer between Arkham Asylum and Clown at Midnight. But Dixon definitely comes close.

I feel the same way, Dixon and Dini are tied at #2 for me. Morrison gets a lot of credit for writing the only Joker scene that ever made me laugh with the whole "Robin who? Robin Graves." bit.

Dixon's Riddler origin is definitely one of my favorites of his.

[scary harpy]

Some of the more notable ones:

Bane
Spoiler
Spellbinder II
Lynx
King Snake
Torque
Lady Vic
Nite-Wing
The General

That's only a partial list. He had lots of one-off or one-note characters who'd show up from time to time (the Brutales of the world).

Also as to revitalizing existing characters, he essentially created the version of the Helena Bertinelli Huntress that was featured up until Flashpoint. Helena B. was created by Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton and had her own series before Chuck wrote her, but he changed her personality pretty significantly and relocated her to Gotham.

Thanks, allstarmatches.

Do not underestimate the one-note characters: they could have become something if he'd been given the chance. I liked Stephanie, Lady Spellbinder and Violet (?).

I do not expect anything from a Batman comic that I would not expect from any Batman cartoon. Based on his rules, I think I he could write either well. I probably enjoyed most of his runs in the Bat-titles.

I especially like the fact that he revitalized existing characters; I wished someone would do that for a number of one-note villains.

It's a shame he was mistreated if I understand correctly.

[sunofdarkchild]

Do not underestimate the one-note characters: they could have become something if he'd been given the chance. I liked Stephanie, Lady Spellbinder and Violet (?).

Dixon has stated that one of the things he is most proud of is Stephanie Brown, because he never meant for her to be more than a one and done character, and according to him he only brought her back for more appearences because of fan demand. He felt very good that he had given enough depth to such a minor character in her only appearence that people were begging for her to appear again.

More than his rules, it is that this man who created Bane can say that he is so proud of Steph for that reason that tells me that he has hs priorities as a writer straight.

[Mia]

I think he'll be remembered as a great batman family writer, and a good batman writer.

Ironically I did not like his treatment of Batman. Batman/Bruce Wayne always struck me as a rake and Dixon never captured that. Dixon's Batman was way too bland for my taste. Now I did love what he did with the rest of the Bat family, Huntress, Catwoman, Robin and of course Nightwing.

[jmresp]

I enjoyed his run.

[Charmed1]

Dixon did incredible and consistently great work on Batman.

I swear some people just gravitate to the writer who can have the most outlandish or off the wall idea.

Dixon is the father of the modern day Batman.

I gotta shake my head here though the over-rating of Morrison is almost as bad as the over-rating of the movie The Dark Knight....damn.

[Christopher Cross Is God]

While I liked a lot of it at the time, I can't really enjoy rereading it on any level. It seems so... mediocre now.

I still enjoy reading his run on Nightwing with Greg Land as artist. Nothing phenomenal, but it was enjoyable and still holds up, IMO......I feel the same way about a select few of Dixon's issues on Robin, as well as the "Hunt for Oracle" Nightwing/BOP crossover Dixon wrote.

And I was surprised to find I liked his return to the Robin title before he abruptly left (The Robin issues shortly before RIP).

But, the majority of his writing, especially on Batman, I didn't care much for. One of his worst pieces of work was Robin III: Cry of the Huntress. That was just awful.

[jgiannantoni05]

Dixon is the father of the modern day Batman.

I gotta shake my head here though the over-rating of Morrison is almost as bad as the over-rating of the movie The Dark Knight....damn.

Talk about "over-rating." I love Dixon's Batman work, but "father of modern day Batman"...no. He never even had the spotlight alone, what with Moench and Alan Grant, who's tenures preceded his (and Moench, Grant and Dixon all did generally similar types of stories with a similar conception of Batman). Then there is O'Neil as editor starting in 1986, who along with Miller, were more key in fathering modern day Batman.