I think we can all agree that Dick Grayson looks pretty good for 80.

The Boy Wonder first appeared in Detective Comics #38 on March 6th, 1940, as the youngest member of the Flying Graysons. Taken in by Bruce Wayne after the tragic death of his parents, Dick soon learned his adopted father was Batman, Caped Crusader and the World’s Greatest Detective. The young man would soon join in the crime-fighting action as Batman’s sidekick, Robin.

Dick would go on to reinvent himself as the hero Nightwing, then as a double agent in the Spyral organization (after faking his own death at Bruce’s request), then again as Nightwing (after Jason punched him in the face while Tim watched because, “You don’t do that to another Robin”). We’re not going into the “Ric” thing because thanks, I hate it.

Dick has even worn the pointy ears a couple of times when Bruce was MIA. Or sort-of-mostly-dead for a while. Or sort-of-mostly-retired for a while (I don’t make the rules, people).

But who was Dick before all of that?

Writer Michael Moreci, along with artists Phil Hester and Sas Milledge, give us peek behind that big top in The Lost Carnival: A Dick Grayson Graphic Novel (out May 5).

Moreci was kind enough to answer some of our questions about the project.

Roarbots: Dick’s story usually starts with the death of his parents. What was it like to have the opportunity to write a story that included his parents? Tell us a bit about how you decided who they would have been and how they would have interacted with their son.

Michael Moreci: You know, there’s this funny thing with Dick, and you’re right – it’s always about him starting with death. Same as Batman, only with Batman, anytime someone [writes about] before Bruce’s parents die, those stories are basically just Bruce waiting for them to die. You know? I wanted to get to something else, emotionally, because Dick isn’t like Bruce. He’s not tormented by this tragedy. He’s affected, yes. But not so deeply tortured.

Which made me think: What kind of relationship must have Dick and his parents had that, despite losing them, he can still retain a sense of joy in the world and in life. That led me to a more interesting emotional relationship, and I dug deep into that.

Roarbots: Dick is, despite some (very) dark moments in various story arcs, a fundamentally positive and optimistic character. How do you balance that part of his future self with his very fair and accurate teenage angst in The Lost Carnival?

Moreci: Well, you know, I think we all fall victim to being angsty in our teenage years. What counts is what’s beneath the angst, and I wanted to be sure to show that side of Dick in this story. Yes, he’s a difficult teen. He’s sullen and stubborn and hard to deal with. But underneath that is still the fundamental person Dick is: kind, brave, loving. And we still see that, clearly, balanced with his typical teenage qualities.
Roarbots: Why do you think is Dick so willing to accept the supernatural/magical setting? Obviously, you wrote him that way, but it seems very natural to the character we meet later in his life, the one who works with Batman to solve mundane crimes but also with folks like Zatanna and Doctor Fate and can accept things like Lazarus Pits and resurrection.

Moreci: I’ll tell you what, as a former teenage boy, if a girl as cool and as amazing as Luciana was into me, I’d be willing to suspend pretty much any disbelief in magical things to get closer to her. Us boys are ridiculous like that.
But, joking aside, the point of Luciana and her magic was to ground it in mystery. It’s supernatural but not too supernatural, and there’s enough of an anchor of Dick and others questioning what’s going on that keeps the story from getting too unbelievable. It’s also just how Dick is – he’s a person who believes in the people he cares about, no matter where they come from or who they are.

Roarbots: I recently spoke with Sarah Kuhn, Marieke Nijkamp, and Melissa de la Cruz about the importance of allowing children and teens the opportunity to be angry and to express that anger in Shadow of the Batgirl, The Oracle Code, and Gotham High. Why did you feel it was important for Dick to be able to do the same, especially in a book featuring his parents?

Moreci: I think that’s a great observation. In all my writing, I always, always want characters to feel authentic. And you know what? Sometimes, we as people get mad. We get angry, whether it’s justified or not, and we say and do things we might regret later. It’s human. And that’s magnified times 100 when it comes to teenagers. They need to be able to fully feel what they’re going through and not be ashamed of their feelings. If you’re angry, be angry. If you’re sad, be sad. Go through those emotions; it’s the only way to learn what they are and what they mean to do.

Specifically with anger, though, I think the thing I want readers to take away is that it’s okay to be angry with yourself. Again, we make mistakes. We screw up and we hurt people, whether that was our intention or not. And when that happens, it’s normal to feel mad at yourself. Don’t be mad forever – don’t punish yourself. But recognize your own disappointment, be angry, and try to be better next time.

Roarbots: What other “teenage experiences” did you give Dick in The Lost Carnival you thought were important to help readers connect with the character and the story?

Moreci: Rebelliousness. I love the idea that kids can read this book and get excited by the mystery and the danger, as well as the romance intertwined by both. I’m not endorsing anyone to go rob a bank, but I think there’s value in the thrill of being this age and breaking some rules and getting into some trouble on the path to self-discovery and, quite frankly, leading a full and rich life.

Roarbots: Why was it important to include a love story? And why was it equally important for Dick to have a purely platonic relationship with a girl?

Moreci: I don’t know that I included a love story – I mean, it fundamentally is a love story. Take that out, and there’s not much left. But, you know, it’s a tale as old as time, and that’s because it works. First, love is such an important part of our lives that deeply reflects who we are. It’s monumental, and I think the way Dick handles his first love really shows how he becomes the man we all know and love later on.

As for the platonic relationship – to be really simple, I just wanted a boy/girl relationship that had no romantic angle whatsoever. There’s no triangle with Dick, Willow, and Luciana. Willow is Dick’s friend, and she exists wholly separately from Dick. She doesn’t need him or any romance to be her own person, which is something I kinda love.

Roarbots: The Lost Carnival raises some tough issues: leaving home, first love, death, and loss. And those who know Dick’s origin story as Robin know his parents won’t be around much longer. How do you balance open discussion of those issues within the book with the fact that you’re writing for young readers?

Moreci: The most important thing is that I shoved Dick’s parents’ dying out of the picture. That’s not the story I’m telling, and I didn’t want it weighing down the narrative in any way. But, as for those still heavy topics, I make it a point to never, ever talk down to young readers. As a parent, I know kids can handle it; they crave being taken seriously in this way, in fact. The approach is the approach any good storyteller should take: be honest. And that’s what I strive for, honesty about the joys and thrills of first love but also the pain and agony of loss.

Roarbots: What do you most hope teens take away from The Lost Carnival?

Moreci: We can go much deeper into the things we’ve already discussed, about love and loss and the teenage experience, but ultimately, I want teens to be entertained. I want them to enjoy reading this book. If they don’t, no matter what positive things the book’s saying, I’ve failed as a writer.

It’s hard getting teens to read (at times) and there’s so much competition out there. So, at the very least, I want them to put this book down and be glad they opened it up in the first place.

Roarbots: By contrast, what do you hope parents and other trusted adults take away from the book?

Moreci: Similarly, be entertained. Have fun. It’s okay! But hopefully they’re enriched with a look into teenage love from a boy’s POV, seeing how they deal with romance and how it shapes their world. I’m really glad to have told this kind of story, and I hope people value it for what it is.

(Interviewer’s note: I was and I did. Admittedly, I have a very long standing soft spot for Dick, but I do pick and choose which of his stories I fall in love with and allow myself to be emotionally compromised by. The Lost Carnival is one that I for sure fell in love with and may have cried a little bit at the end of.)

Roarbots: How closely did you work with Phil Hester and Sas Milledge on the art? I know some teams work very closely while others are more likely to use editorial as a bridge.

Moreci: While I so deeply admire both of their work (I consider Phil a friend, in fact), I wasn’t all that involved with their roles. DC’s editors are more than equipped to handle that part of the making of a book, and I thoroughly trusted both of these fantastic artists to deliver the goods. And, wow. Did they ever!

Roarbots: Color is a very important element in The Lost Carnival, signaling not only geographic location but also the characters’ emotional states. Was that a decision the members of the creative team made together or was that an element the artists brought to you?

Moreci: That was thoroughly a DC call. I’m not sure if Sas or Phil were involved, but if didn’t have anything to do with me. But I love the decision!

Roarbots: The cover of The Lost Carnival is now one of my favorite book covers of all time. What did you think when you first saw it?

Moreci: Right?! I think I fell out of my chair, haha. I mean, how amazing is it? How gorgeous and romantic and so perfectly executed and designed. When I opened up that file, I just couldn’t believe it. It’s a stunning, stunning piece of art.

Roarbots: Does your process vary when you’re writing something like The Lost Carnival versus a book like Wasted Space for Vault Comics?

Moreci: Yes and no. Yes in that the audience is obviously very different for these two books, and that means I’m thinking in completely different ways. No in the sense that I think my storytelling – and the things I cherish most about story – stay pretty much the same. There are things I value about story so deeply, and I’ve cultivated my craft to meet those values. That stays pretty consistent, no matter what I’m working on.

Roarbots: What are you working on now?

Moreci: I’m a busy writer at the moment! I’ve just wrapped up my latest Star Wars series, The Clone Wars: Battle Tales, which is a five-issue weekly event coming in April, and then I’m going right into writing the Star Wars Adventures relaunch, which happens in May. I just finished writing Hexagon, my sci-fi adventure series written specifically for 10- to 14-year-old boys. I’ve got a new novel on my plate, a YA horror book, and I’m just starting a new YA graphic novel series. And some other things I can’t mention quite yet!

Roarbots: What are you reading right now?

Moreci: I’ve been rereading It forever, as well as Megan Miranda’s All the Missing Girls and Christian McKay Heidicker’s Scary Stories for Young Foxes. And I just finished reading R.L. Stine’s graphic novel Just Beyond.

Roarbots: You’re forming a vigilante team with three other heroes. Who do you pick?

Moreci: Hmmmmm… well, Nightwing, obviously. Black Canary. And Casey Jones!

The Lost Carnival: A Dick Grayson Graphic Novel drops May 5th, 2020 from DC Graphic Novels for Young Readers.