It’s been almost three years now since Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo took over Nightwing, taking an approach that wasn’t “Not Batman,” as my colleague Tom Bondurant put it when reviewing their first issue, but instead, was “Fun Batman.” I think the title has stuck to that ideal pretty well, and now we’ll see if they can stick the landing.
DC has announced that Nightwing #114 is the first of a five-part arc that will wrap up their run on the title. And thanks to the villain Heartless, it could be the end of Nightwing’s career as a superhero.
“When Bruno Redondo and I first took on this series, we felt it was the perfect time for a big Nightwing story,” Taylor said. “We wanted to show the world why Dick Grayson was an A-lister in our eyes. It was the right time for a charming, entertaining, positive force for good pushing back against corruption and greed. It was also time for Dick and Babs to get a puppy.”
Fans helped name that puppy, and you can see her on the cover with her master who, thanks to the villain Heartless, can no longer leap.
“We’re pretty damn proud of our guy,” Taylor said, “and I’m very proud of our whole team on our 40+ issues of Nightwing. Everything we’ve worked on since issue #78 has been leading to this story. The villain, Heartless (working with Tony Zucco—the man who killed Dicks’ parents), has planned what comes next for a very long time. He has watched a city changed for the better by one hero, and he has waited for the moment when tearing out the heart of Bludhaven would hurt the most. Bruno and I wanted to put Nightwing on a pedestal. We wanted to show how high this flying Grayson could soar. Now, it’s time for him to fall.”
“It will make many people sad,” added Redondo, “but it’ll also build. One last ride, full Tom and Bruno. If we are gonna end this (and every long arc needs to find its end), we are gonna make it in a big way.”
Nightwing #114 comes out May 21.