Nightwing 1: Leaping into the Light

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I frankly can’t relate as much to this new version of Dick, even if I still recognize and enjoy seeing him tackle this new phase of life. Taylor has written for DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Wildstorm, 2000 AD and Gestalt Comics. Although they could’ve easily made Batman a main player here, Taylor is very conscious of telling a story of Dick, who is looking back on his history, which includes reacquainting with the current Robin, Tim Drake, and more importantly, a possible romantic rekindling with Barbara Gordon.

You’re given an answer to that dilemma by the end, but the surplus of villains within these pages mostly linger on the fringes of the narrative.To them, Dick is a mere nuisance and there is a certain lack of stakes that goes hand in hand with that. It’s about sacrifice, putting yourself before others, and showing the world that standing up for what’s right is worth fighting for.

This book promises an attempt to address the root causes of street crime, and to render villainous the powerful people who benefit from chaos. Who knew that the recently departed Alfred invested his salary and pretty well so he died a billionaire and gave it all to Dick. Gone are the days of beating up pickpockets; now we’re asking why this rich city has so many people starving for cash.

Nightwing has to get to the bottom of this Heartless character whilst also snooping on the new mayor Zucco, but the info he’s going to find is the last thing he’d expect. Okay, I’ll go with it, we need this element to soften our hearts toward Dick and Babs, but it, again, seems too easy and cliched.

Nightwing thankfully looks like he is built more like a fit trapeze artist and not a hormonally-enhanced bodybuilder--so that’s a plus! Those willing to hitch a ride to Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo will very likely not regret such a decision. Nightwing looks great, the splash pages are outstanding, and I love how Dick’s movements as he soars through Bludhaven reflect his trapeze artist beginnings, so he moves like an acrobat. Who is this terrifying new menace named Heartless and will he be able to resist plucking out the biggest heart in all of Bludhaven?I read this because I am somewhat committed to reading a few/a lot of the Eisner 2022 nominees, and this is one I hadn’t yet read.