Story: "Big Guns" (38 Pages)

Credits:

Chuck Dixon (plot, script)
Greg Land (pencils)
Jose Marzan Jr. and Drew Geraci (inks)
John Costanza (letters)
Patricia Mulvihill (colors)
Jamison (color seperations)
Bob Schreck (edits)

Feature Character:

Nightwing (next in Nightwing 80-Page Giant #1)

Supporting Characters:

Amy Rohrbach
Phil Addad (both next in Nightwing 80-Page Giant #1)
Amygdala (in between issue #48 and #54)

Villains:

Torque
Mac Arnot (next in Nightwing: The Target)
Tad Ryerstad
Blockbuster II (last in Birds of Prey #24; next in issue #54)

Other Characters:

Ms. Goodley (dies)
Darren Michaelmas (first appearance; the Blüdhaven E.S.U. Commander)
Marv
Len (first appearance of both)
Spinelli (First appearance)

Synopsis:

Former-Inspector Soames is holed up in the Justice Centre, with current Inspector Mac Arnot as hostage, and armed with a disturbingly powerful weapon, most likely supplied by his connections in Intergang. Nightwing is present in his civilian identity and sees an opportunity to do some good by volunteering to go into the building - he then slips away and changes into his Nightwing costume. When he catches up with Soames, Ms Goodley, attempts to gun down all concerned, and is quite literally toasted by Soames, her body being mistaken for that of Nightwing (or rather Dick Grayson) by Darren Michaelmas, ESU Commander. Soames then pushes Arnot out of the window, and despite the latter's corrupt nature, Nightwing naturally saves him, at which point Soames' gun reaches the point of explosion just as he is taken out by Michaelmas.

Grayson turns up alive and well after the inevitable explosion, much to Michaelmas' surprise and confusion - and Amy's disguised delight. Soames is taken to prison, where Amygdala is one of the guards and Tad is his cell-mate. Finally, Michaelmas makes it quite clear that he suspects that there's something 'wrong' with Grayson and that he's got his eye on him.