Today: Nightwing clears the benches.

I've seen lots of stories where the hero can't find anyone else for back-up, like the Fantastic Four or Avengers being out of town. I've seen fewer where the hero has to get rid of everyone. Like today's book! From 2008, the Brave and the Bold #15, "Wings and Arrows" Written by Mark Waid, art by Scott Kolins.

Nightwing is described as "next to Superman, Dick Grayson is the one guy alive that every other crimefighter trusts." So when he claims Trigon is going to invade earth, he's able to get the Justice League, Titans, Outsiders, and Justice Society in position to counter-attack. Too bad it's a lie.

Nightwing keeps Hawkman in reserve, but he also has Deadman, who explains the situation: the dragon-priest Siva Anuttara invaded Nanda Parbat, captured Deadman's boss Rama Kushna, and created "an army of body-haunting ghost assassins," who can take over people like Deadman can, except when they do it they kill their host. Deadman and Green Arrow failed to stop Annutara, but GA was able to put an arrow in Deadman and throw him off a cliff. This wasn't as stupid a plan as you'd think: while he comes back to life in Nanda Parbat, he returned to his ghostly self outside, and went to Batman for help. With Bats undercover, Deadman possesses Alfred to give Nightwing the head's up, but Nightwing realizes if he were to organize any superheroic help, they could be taken over and killed by the ghost assassins. So he lies to get all the heroes to safety; except for Hawkman, because they need his knowledge of ancient civilizations and whatnot.

Actually, Waid may need Hawkman for a specific bit later in the story, but it's fun so I'll allow it. I don't know how I missed this when it came out--I do kinda like the low-continuity, done in one or two stories better than the multipart crossover pseudo-epics. And for fifty cents, hell yeah.