Dick Grayson made many enemies, both as a vigilante and a philanthropist, with his efforts to clean up Blüdhaven. Yet none of those enemies is as insidious as the serial killer dubbed Heartless, who framed the first Robin for his crimes. Now, forced into hiding by his self-appointed nemesis, Dick Grayson cannot be there in his city’s time of need. Thankfully, in Nightwing #116, another hero takes on his mantle to save Blüdhaven in his absence.
Written by Tom Taylor, with art by Bruno Redondo, Nightwing #116 continues the Fallen Grayson storyline. The previous issues found Dick Grayson framed for the Heartless’ murders. As this issue opens, Dick has also been falsely accused of embezzlement, and his allies in the local government and police have been accused of corruption. All of this is due to the machinations of Heartless, who only finds joy in the suffering of others.
To add insult to injury, Heartless infected Dick Grayson with a toxin that gave him a fear of heights. This pushes Dick to leave Blüdhaven to seek out Deadman, who taught Dick how to overcome his fear of falling after his parents’ deaths. However, the absence of Nightwing does not go unnoticed. The real Heartless, still pretending to be Dick Grayson, threatens to kill more innocents unless Nightwing faces him.
Bruce Wayne becomes the new Nightwing to honor protégé
While Blüdhaven has no shortage of heroes, Nightwing is the city’s defender, in the same way Gotham City belongs to Batman. This leads Batman to make a stunning decision. The comic closes with Bruce Wayne donning the Nightwing costume, declaring that “Blüdhaven needs Nightwing.”
There is a fitting resonance to Batman taking on his first sidekick’s identity. As he notes when Barbara Gordon questions the decision, “Dick would do the same for me. He has done the same for me.”
Dick Grayson originally created the Nightwing identity to get out of the shadow of his mentor. It is ironic, then, that Batman should take on that same mantle to honor the man Dick Grayson has become. More, it is also an echo of a recurring theme from the current series, where Bruce and Dick affirmed their relationship as father and son.
Nightwing #116 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
