It has been quite the year for Dick Grayson aka Nightwing. His year long attempt to recall his former life after surviving a failed assassination attempt recently came to an end when the restored Richard Grayson reclaimed his classic black and blue uniform, but also his status as the guardian of Blüdhaven. But things are looking more ‘up’ than ever.
As if the return of Nightwing wasn’t exciting enough, DC Comics has announced that in March 2021, Nightwing will return to Blüdhaven along with his partner Barbara Gordon–and the creative team of Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo, fresh off their successful run on Suicide Squad and excited to elevate Dick to even grander heights as one of DC’s premier heroes.
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Despite having killed Dick Grayson in two separate DC Comics universes, DC’s Injustice and DCeased, writer Tom Taylor is actually a fan, and sees this as an opportunity to put the former Robin back on the pedestal where he belongs. ” It’s also about taking everything Bruno and I love about Nightwing and testing him in a completely new way.” Artist Bruno Redondo looks forward to the challenges with the kind of energy, humor, and optimism that Nightwing represents, believing that he’s the kind of hero people need right now: “Working with Tom on Nightwing is the perfect evolution for us as a team! We have incredible ideas for Dick Grayson’s new adventures.”
After Dark Nights: Death Metal saw long-time romantic partners Nightwing and Batgirl finally get married, and taking place before DC’s Future State, Dick and Barbara return to Blüdhaven to discover that a new mayor with the last name Zucco has been elected, posing two questions: is he related to the same man who murdered Dick’s parents, and is this good for Blüdhaven? While Nightwing has Barbara investigate the new politician, Batgirl will discover details that will shock and fundamentally change DC’s first sidekick and beloved Bat Family member. These details along with the revelation of a new canine sidekick, Dick’s own Ace the Bat Hound, came with a number of advanced preview pages, as seen below.
Considering their track record, its safe to say that Nightwing is in good hands. Taylor and Redundo elaborated and explained more about the world of DC’s Injustice outside of the successful video games. Despite its short length, their recent Suicide Squad run was also well-received by both fans and critics, praised for its character development and the flawless collaboration of its creative team. Tom Taylor shows that same attention to DC’s history that also makes his DCeased series’ such a delight but also that fearless drive to push characters into new territory and Bruno Redondo’s artwork is both grandiose but also detailed and compact where it counts.
The inclusion of a canine sidekick brings to mind Zoey Lawton’s Dogshot, an adorable addition to the Suicide Squad’s cast of former terrorists, criminals, and villains. It’ll be interesting to see how Dick balances being a pet owner with being in a relationship and being the protector of Blüdhaven. But he’s Nightwing, he’s used to walking a tight rope and still putting on a hell of a show and with these two creators behind him, it’ll be one to remember, guaranteed.
Nightwing #78, written by Tom Taylor with art and cover by Bruno Redondo, color by Adriano Lucas, lettering by Wes Abbott, edited by Jessica Chrn, featuring a variant cover by Skan will be in stores March 2021.
