Batman/Nightwing: Bloodborne: A Medical Review
Batman/Nightwing: Bloodborne (2002 “prestige style” one-shot)
Kelley Puckett, writer
Toby Cypress, art
A nearby comic book shop had a recent sale where selected graphic novels and assorted one-shots were 75% off. When I saw Batman/Nightwing: Bloodborne in the stacks — a comic about a deadly man-made virus — I figured it was worth $1.49 to read this apparently medically-inclined comic. After reading it, I think I overpaid $1.24.
I generally like Puckett’s writing, particularly Kinetic, but it was too jumbled this time. There’s definite potential in the storyline, but the interesting ideas are left to wither and die while the uninspired main story drifts forward. The plot relies too much on coincidence to be remotely believable and the flow of the narrative is so stop and go I had to keep checking to make sure I didn’t accidentally skip a page or two. The art is stylistic and sketchy with an unfinished look to it. In some books this would work, but in this case it just mirrors the unfinished feel of the comic.
The manmade virus plot is not as interesting as I had hoped, but there is one particular scene towards the end of the comic I want to discuss:
Nightwing: Okay – Immunology 101. Your vaccine should stimulate an immune system response, producing antibodies to the virus, right?
Doctor: Yes…?
Nightwing: So the bloodstream of a vaccinated person would be filled with viral antibodies, ready to attack the illness.
Doctor: Yes, that’s all true, but…
Nightwing: Good. Perform a complete transfusion. Me and him.
Doctor: What? But…then you would die, instead.
Nightwing: Not if I took the vaccine before I got here.
In other words, Nightwing has taken the experimental vaccine and wants the doctor to tranfuse his blood into Batman so that Batman will gain his immunity against the virus. Nightwing’s basic idea is correct, but there are a few important flaws.
When a person is vaccinated, their body makes antibodies against the germ (or germ proteins) contained in that vaccine. After the initial “infection” is resolved, a few of these antibodies will remain circulating in the blood. The body also creates special memory cells that are ready to churn out massive amounts of these antibodies if the body is ever exposed to that germ again. This is known as active immunity and is why vaccines produce long lasting protection against infection.
If the blood (or plasma) of an immunized individual is given to a non-immunized person, that person will gain the benefits of the immunized individual’s antibodies. This passive immunity is only temporary, lasting about 2 or 3 months.
By taking the vaccine, Nightwing hopes to develop an active immunity against the virus. His blood is then transfused into Batman who should gain a passive immunity against the virus.
Unfortunately, active immunity takes several weeks to fully develop. Nightwing took the vaccine at most thirty minutes before the transfusion and has not had time to develop enough antibodies to offer Batman any protection. Batman will gain nothing from the transfusion except maybe a transfusion reaction or fluid overload (see below).
Nitpicks:
1) Do Batman and Nightwing even have compatible blood types? It does no good to gain immunity against the virus just to die from a transfusion reaction.
2) Transfusing whole blood carries the risk of fluid overload. There is a particularly high risk for overload in this situation because Batman is not anemic or dehydrated and would essentially be adding Nightwing’s blood to his already full bloodstream. That’s several liters too much blood and heart failure is likely to develop.
3) It’s not mentioned in the comic or on the Grand Comics Database page, but that is not Toby Cypress art on the cover. It looks like Ted McKeever to me.
UPDATE: The Grand Comic Book Database page has been corrected and now lists Ted McKeever as the cover artist.
August 30th, 2006 at 10:22 am
“Deep in the Mongolia…”?
August 30th, 2006 at 10:34 am
I’m willing to accept that Nightwing would know whether Batman and him had compatible blood types. After all they worked together a long time in a field where injury and blood loss are common. Considering the type of planner Batman is, it seems like the kind of thing he would check.
Of course considering the other mistakes Nightwing is making here, maybe I am overthinking it.
August 30th, 2006 at 10:43 am
Official Comment
Jonathan,
It’s not just any Mongolia, but the Mongolia.
Do you buy that? No?
OK, I’ll fix it.
Medraut,
It could be that Batman plans so well, he only took in circus orphans with perfectly compatible blood types…just in case. Somewhere out there is a wannabe sidekick with the wrong bloodtype.
I just realized that since the transfusion is whole blood — which includes blood cells and plasma — then the bloodtypes need to be not just compatible, but identical.
August 30th, 2006 at 11:00 am
With regards to number 2, couldn’t they be draining Batman’s blood at the same time to prevent that?
Anyways, it’s Batman. Of course he’s planned for this.
August 30th, 2006 at 12:32 pm
The Goddamned Batman always drains himself of a pint of blood before going out, just in case he has to receive an experimental transfusion. (And keeps that pint on his utility belt, seperated, in case he has to give one.) That’s why he is grouchy all the time.
August 31st, 2006 at 3:19 am
It actually sounds from the phrasing like Nightwing’s suggesting that his blood and Batman’s be swapped. This should avoid the fluid overload issues, surely (while doubtless having other problems associated)?
August 31st, 2006 at 8:18 am
Official Comment
Mr Manatee,
That would be the right idea, but — at least according to the art — it doesn’t happen.
Maire,
Your explanation makes more sense and explains why the doctor thought Nightwing would die “instead” of Batman, but apparently the artist didn’t agree as the art only depicts a one-way Nightwong-to-Batman transfusion.
September 5th, 2006 at 2:28 am
[…] Polite Dissent’s Scott uses his medical knowledge to critique Batman/Nightwing: Bloodbourne: By taking the vaccine, Nightwing hopes to develop an active immunity against the virus. His blood is then transfused into Batman who should gain a passive immunity against the virus. […]
September 19th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
1) nobody cares if a they have compatable blood types. if the story is dramatic and full of detective composure then a fan would read the comic. 2) comics are there to enjoy not to moan about ( unless u enjoy moaning which is basically jst sad) 3) and finally both characters have brought joy to ppl all over the world me being one of them and tlking about the technical side of tranfusions is jst stupid when u jst want the simple enjoyment of reading a comic.
allan worrall
p.s. write back i want to hear ur views on my comment.
January 11th, 2008 at 7:20 am
I know that I am very late in responding, but I will make up for it by spelling out whole words instead of using just single letters to approximate words. I have wondered in the past about the blood type compatibility. I’m not sure how the blood transfusions work or what the difference is between a normal transfusion and “whole blood”. Could you please explain it? I take it that if Batman is type AB and Nightwing is type A, that the blood is not compatible? Or what if Nightwing is a unviversal donor?
Also, have you ever heard of the theory about people with some sort of gene that makes it so they are resistant to diseases (I can’t remember, but I *think* it was nicknamed the Delta gene). The people basically either resist or do not get cancer. Their ancestors survived the black plague and other outbreaks. I wish I could remember more about it. I was working on something and only half paying attention at the time the program was on the Discovery Health channel.
I brought it up because I thought it would be cool if Nightwing was one of those people with the delta gene or whatever it’s called. He did avoid getting “the Clench” (a storyline which I’m sure you could really nitpick about).
August 18th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
i remeber reading somewhere that NIghtwing is a universal doner (O-) i’m trying to find where i saw that information but it seems to make more sense now.
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