Nightwing #115 – Tom Taylor, Writer; Bruno Redondo, Artist; Caio Filipe, Inker; Adriano Lucas, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Heartless has been working in the background of this entire run, becoming one of the most vicious and personal villains Dick Grayson has ever faced. And now it’s time for him to step into the light in the darkest way possible, as he works to unravel everything Dick has built in Bludhaven. Along with Tony Zucco and Heartless’ equally evil majordomo Gerald, the two have built a perfect trap for Dick at his gala—setting up an expose of some questionable ties he had, followed by a crisis that leads to a hurried evacuation of the gala. And that’s where they prey on Dick’s greatest weakness—his compassion. By luring him into a trap using someone in need of rescue, they’re able to get him at their mercy—and Dick actually spends most of the issue going in and out of consciousness as they build the final part of their plan—setting him up in a way that will permanently destroy his reputation.
So how does Dick get from here to alone in the mountains, seeking the answer to his personal demons? It’s hard to tell, but the cliffhanger calls back to some of the great Batman event comics of the early 2000s. Bruno Redondo’s art continues to be excellent, and it’s interesting how this book has neatly worked in Boss Zucco as the behind-the-scenes villain for much of it—this is, obviously, the first enemy Dick ever had. This issue is really setting the stage for what’s to come, immersing us in Dick’s head as he finds himself more vulnerable than he’s been in decades, and that sets the emotional stakes very high as we head into the last act of this run. It’ll be interesting to see if Taylor sticks around Titans long-term after he finishes this run, because that way at least we’ll keep his perfect touch on the original Boy Wonder going a little bit longer even as someone new takes the helm here.
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