fictional character
In fiction, a character is a person or being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, in which case the distinction o ...
created by
David Hine
David Hine (born 1956) is an English comic book writer and artist, known for his work on '' Silent War'' and ''The Bulletproof Coffin''.
Career
David Hine has been working in comics since the early 1980s. For ''Crisis'', he drew the series ''St ...
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
. A
comic book
A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
in the eastern suburbs of
Antwerpen
Antwerp (; ; ) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after Tournai and Couvin. With a population of 565,039, ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. He was recruited by
Bruce Wayne
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. In t ...
and
Dick Grayson
Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman, Teen Titans and Justice League. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, he first appeared in ' ...
for
Batman Incorporated
''Batman Incorporated'' (''Batman, Inc.'') is an ongoing American comic book series published by DC Comics, featuring the superhero Batman. Written by Grant Morrison, the series debuted following the events of '' Batman R.I.P'', ''Final Crisis'', ...
''.''
Publication history
Nightrunner was introduced in a two-part story that spanned ''Detective Comics'' Annual #12 and ''Batman'' Annual #28 in December 2010 (cover-date February 2011). David Hine created Nightrunner to mirror the current social and political situations unfolding in the French projects of
Clichy-sous-Bois
Clichy-sous-Bois () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris. It is located from central Paris.French-Algerian, was raised by his single mother on the outskirts of Paris, France. Though peaceful, on Bilal's birthday, he and his friend Aarif were caught in the middle of a protest, and beaten mercilessly by the police force. After they both healed, Aarif gave Bilal a gift including the music of Leni Urbana, an urban representative of the Muslim people in France, urging Bilal to listen to her words. That night Aarif was killed by police after he set fire to their station. After hearing of his friend's death, Bilal would forever be changed. Though he sympathized with the protesters, he found faults on both sides and decided to take a cue from Batman's origins: becoming a symbol, without racial or religious bias, that could make a difference for what's right and just. Already a superior parkour and freerun athlete, he donned the mask of Nightrunner to help the people's cause and bring justice to Clichy-sous-Bois.
He assists
Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
in taking down a child-slavery ring.
See also
*
Maghrebian community of Paris
The Paris metropolitan area has a large Maghrebi population as a result of French North Africa, French colonial ties to that region. the majority of those of African origin living in Paris come from the Maghreb.
In 2019, the Île-de-France, Par ...