Nightwing - Leaping Into the Light

SYNOPSIS: Nightwing is back — and his drive to keep Blüdhaven safe has never been stronger! But his adoptive city has elected a new mayor with the last name Zucco. When Nightwing enlists Batgirl's help in investigating the politician bearing the same name as the man who murdered his parents, she unearths details that will shock and fundamentally change the hero.

​Dick Grayson's big heart has protected those persecuted by bullies in his youth, combated evil alongside Batman as Robin, and pledged his newly inherited wealth to enriching Blüdhaven as Nightwing. His kindness and generosity have always guided his life. But now a new villain stalks the back alleys, removing the hearts of the city's most vulnerable. Who is this terrifying new menace named Heartless, and will he be able to resist plucking out the biggest heart in all of Blüdhaven?

This volume collects Nightwing #78-83, which ran from March to August 2021. Written by Tom Taylor and drawn by Bruno Redondo, this run garnered many accolades, including Eisner Awards for Best Continuing Series and Best Cover Artist (Redondo), and an Eisner nomination for Best Penciller/Inker (also Redondo). Since it's safe to say you have to judge a comic book as much by its artwork as its story, Redondo has distinguished himself as probably one of the best artists to give life to Dick Grayson. Combining a stark graphic style with great emotional expression, his NIghtwing covers are downright iconic (see below). I can also say he's the first modern artist I can think of who made the use of old timey dot patterns seem cool as fuck. You can see some additional examples of Redondo's work in my post Nightwing Uncovered is a Must-See. 

Stories about Dick Grayson are at their best when they tie together his tragic past (his parents killed in front of him), and how he chose to channel his rage and pain in entirely different ways than his adoptive father, Bruce Wayne, whose parents were killed in a very similar way. In this storyline, Dick is forced to confront some old ghosts when Blüdhaven's new mayor, Melinda Zucco, turns out to have a lot more connections to Dick's parents than her last name.  While Dick has often considered his biological parents to be less flawed than Bruce, certain revelations reveal them as being very imperfect human beings. 

While Dick is figuring out his past and current relationships, he's also determined to become Blüdhaven's savior — by taking down a mobster called Blockbuster and using the vast fortune left to him by Alfred Pennyworth on a variety of public works to help the city's poor and disenfranchised.  Alfred's legacy and how Dick chose to use it also sets up a direct comparison to Bruce Wayne. While Bruce shied away from public displays of altruism, Dick is front and center with it. But his generosity also puts a target on his back from a serial killer called Heartless — whose calling card is to rip the beating hearts out of the chests of his victims. 

​Tom Taylor's story provides plenty of humor and more quiet character-driven moments — those moments that make these heroes more relatable and have ultimately made the "Bat Family" so popular. There are also some nice team-ups between Dick, his adoptive brother Tim Drake (a.k.a. the third Robin), and his girlfriend Barbara Gordon, (a.k.a. Batgirl). The story also introduces us to DC's most famous dog since Krypto, The Super Dog, in the form of a three-legged orphan puppy Nightwing saves from a group of cruel college boys. He and Barbara adopt the puppy, whom Tim names "Bitewing" — but whom Dick insists is named "Haley" in honor of the circus he grew up in. See more about "Bitewing" in Bitedentity Crisis is the One-Shot You Didn't Know You Needed. 

RELATED: Nightwing Uncovered is a Must-See  |  Nightwing Collection  |  Nightwing, Batman and Adoption Problems  |  Batman Collection