Nightwing 1: Leaping into the Light

Product Information

Taylor understands that even the brave heroes of the DC Universe need to be able to lean on those close to them to fulfill their potential. He is perhaps best known for the DC Comics series, DCEASED, NIGHTWING (nominated for 8 Eisner Awards), SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL, INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US, SUICIDE SQUAD, EARTH 2 and BATMAN/SUPERMAN as well as Marvel's FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, ALL NEW WOLVERINE, X-MEN: RED, DARK AGES and SUPERIOR IRON MAN. To them, Dick is a mere nuisance and there is a certain lack of stakes that goes hand in hand with that. Graphic Novels Batgirl (comic) Batgirl and the Birds of Prey: Rebirth (comic) Batman (comic) Batman ’66 (comic) Batman ’66 Meets the Man From U. Rick Leonardi and Neil Edwards draw the handful of pages that make up the flashback sequence, which aren’t bad but aren’t that special either, and I wasn’t that impressed with Heartless’ character design.

Other aspects though are transparently sentimental like when Dick gets a new pet puppy (kinda like Jonathan the actual wolverine in All-New Wolverine). And as if that wasn’t enough, there were more than a few surprises nestled into this one like an unknown backstory, and the introduction of both a possible new ally and a new villain. Batgirl and Nightwing accidentally get hit with something that reveals their deepest fears and it involves each other. No matter the argument for how a story should be paced, Leaping into the Light is a captivating read for anyone interested in Nightwing as a character or for those who seek more than traditional fisticuffs in their superhero comic books. Anyway, Bruno's Nightwing looks like an acrobat rather than a body builder and the rest of his figures look right to me.

Is this run going to explore the "Batman would be better off creating social programs with his billions" idea that surfaces on the internet every few weeks? There’s nothing inherently wrong with Taylor’s decision to give Dick a fortune and to focus on that burden, but it’s being treated as if it’s a grand new idea. On top of that, the serial killer is stalking the streets, taking from people who have nothing to lose.

I was going to hold off until maybe this got turned into an omnibus, or something, but with all the rave I just got the urge to jump in.And finally we have him facing multiple threats like that of Blockbuster's men named Brutale and Electrocutioner and how he fights them and then the big battle with Blockbuster when he attempts to find out the origins of the new Mayor Zucco and her strange connection to him and thats like one of the best part of the stories and I love the way the retcon is done and really makes for an interesting dynamic for him! Also, if the cute dog that is eventually named Bitewing isn’t the first sign of that influence, then I don’t know what is. A lot of the best stuff in the comic is Dick’s interactions with the few members of the Bat-Family, especially with Babs as their banter has been delightful. There are villains, both old and new, who make their presence known through violence and intimidation, but they are not the focus.

To be fair, I like the on again/off again Barbara Gordon-Dick Grayson struggle through friendship/romance, though it apparently has been going on for a long time. Bruno Redondo’s art was very expressive and Adriano Lucas’ colours were not overly rendered yet remained effective and atmospheric.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. I never read a Nightwing graphic novel before but this came up on Prime reading and I have been reading Batman and the Flash recently too for similar reasons. The smaller scale ultimately works, even if I would’ve liked for our villains to have a more coherent, and intimate plan. In general I don’t read current DC comics, but Taylor does a wonderful job of not making you feel like you’re missing out on anything. It’s only a little unfortunate that Leaping into the Light focuses much more on pulling at heartstrings than manufacturing tension as Dick figures out the best way to help the citizens of Blüdhaven.

Tom Taylor has done it again as he has always done wonders with Elseworld stories like Dceased and Injustice down to then doing one of the best Suicide Squad runs in a long while.This first volume serves as a fresh starting point in Nightwings current run and contains issues 78-83. His style focuses a lot on motion, and the different ways to display that in comics, and I feel like it’s a perfect pairing for the character of Nightwing. Taylor has a good handle on the Bat-family and I'm excited to see where this run goes in the future.