Nightwing
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Bruno Redondo
Publisher: DC Comics
DC Comics kicked off 2021 with ‘Future State’, a two-month long showcase event depicting a possible future for the DC Universe.
Born out of the cancelled ‘5G Initiative’, which would have seen the main DC heroes aged and replaced, ‘Future State’ was a chance for DC to try out a whole range of new creative initiatives - characters, writers, artists, and storylines - and to see what stuck with readers.
While many of the comics delivered were criticised, and the event as a whole was much maligned, as a testing ground it bore fruit. DC cherry-picked the best of what worked, and they’ve spent the rest of 2021 drawing on this for much of their new creative output.
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With all of DC’s mainline titles being put on hold throughout ‘Future State’, it offered the opportunity for a creative reset on many titles. ‘Nightwing’ had been viewed as a middling title for a few years by both fans and critics, exemplified by its rotating selection of writers and artists.
A gunshot to Nightwing’s head by KGBeast established a boring long-running storyline driven by ‘Ric’ Grayson’s bout of amnesia, feeling at times like something out of a day-time soap opera. Grayson became a chore, Nightwing was often nowhere to be seen, and flat original characters did nothing to help the situation. Its dubious quality and time wasting were best exemplified by the return of KGBeast to again shoot Grayson, and potentially set off another two years of ‘Nightwing’ comics that no one really wanted.
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‘Nightwing’ benefitted from the ‘Future State’ hiatus and refresh more than any other DC title. Taking the reins, Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo delivered the most captivating and entertaining superhero comic of the year. Their six-issue run resulted in the ‘Leaping Into The Light’ story, which is sure to be held up as one of the greatest ‘Nightwing’ books for decades to come.
Taylor and Redondo’s love for the character is clear, as is their understanding of his nature, as Dick Grayson becomes the inspiring hero that those around him always knew he was. As reported by CBR.com, Taylor spoke of his motivations and goals for taking on the series:
"I've been a fan of Nightwing forever. The Chuck Dixon / Scott McDaniel era was one of my favorite books of all time. I wanted to find that sense again. I wanted to find what I loved about that and push it to the nth degree… It was about taking everything I loved about this character and bringing it all back and not quite reinventing it but just finding a way to make it all work for today and find that sense of fun again, and who he is again, and remind the world of that.”
Redondo’s art is persistently powerful and majestic. It feels inspired at times by the warmth of golden age DC and the punch of David Aja’s work on the modern-classic ‘Hawkeye’ (2012). It’s also consistently funny, which can help temper the unrealistic absurdity of stories about grown men in capes, especially when their decision making is as poor as Dick Grayson’s.
‘Nightwing’ is a book that will give you literal goosebumps of inspiration, even long-time superhero comic book readers who feel like they’ve read it all. It’s an uplifting, heartfelt, thrilling read, a perfect example of the superhero genre, and a modern benchmark of high quality comic books. Most notably, it should also be regarded as a textbook example on how to revive a second-tier character’s creatively misfiring title and turn it into the industry’s must-read book.
Want more of 2021’s greatest comics? Visit Amazon to purchase the full length ‘Best Comic Books of 2021’ book or eBook. It contains 45 detailed essays reviewing the year's best comic book titles.
After more comic book news and reviews? The Sea Shell mobile app is available worldwide as a free download on the App Store and the Play Store. Download it today.