Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo’s Nightwing run is returning from a Fear State break arc next week with a unique massive splash page of an issue, which makes it the perfect chance to catch up on this promising new run. From the first issue, the creative team has been throwing Nightwing’s status quo for a loop and giving the character easily his best spotlight since Tim Seeley’s run kicked off the Rebirth era and put him back in the iconic costume.
The first trade, Leaping Into the Light, covers issues #78 to #83, which pack a lot of story into roughly 120 pages. It kicks off with Nightwing returning to Bludhaven for the first time in several years, reintroduces Blockbuster as his arch-nemesis, and throws the entire history of the Grayson family for a massive loop with the introduction of a new wild card who redefines Nightwing’s legacy and leaves him with a lot of unanswered questions.
Maybe the even bigger status quo change, though, is that Dick Grayson is now the richest person in the Bat-family. Left billions from Alfred Pennyworth’s secret fortune, Dick must now answer a question fans have debated for years—can a superhero be an ethical billionaire? Taylor is a notoriously progressive creator, and his answer is surprisingly nuanced. This run not only seems to be the most ambitious Nightwing story in a long time, but one that’s going to bring major changes to Bludhaven as a city.
New villains, strong guest appearances from characters including Tim Drake, and a strong secondary lead in Barbara Gordon make this a must-read. I’ve reviewed every issue of the run on GeekDad, and reviews of the individual issues can be found below. And make sure to check back here next week for my review of Nightwing #87!
Past Reviews:
Nightwing #78
Nightwing #79
Nightwing #80
Nightwing #81
Nightwing #82
Nightwing #83
