By Steve Baxi — I love Dick Grayson. Since his debut as the first Robin in 1940, and then as Nightwing in 1984, Dick has become the moral center of the DC Universe, more so than the Trinity itself. Not because he’s smarter than Batman, kinder than Superman, or wiser than Wonder Woman. He’s not. Rather, it’s because he turned out right. He grew up alongside these three, he’s older than most Batman characters, older than the DC Universe itself in some ways, but he was always the symbol of their future, their legacy. The guiding philosophy of Dick Grayson was to prove that the world these great heroes wanted was possible. Dick Grayson was meant to show that a kid growing up alongside Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman could take all the good, leave behind the mistakes of their past, and mature into their own confident, proud, optimistic self. Let’s be honest, we don’t aspire to be dark, broody, and perpetually tormented Batman when we grow up. No, we aspire to be the first Son of Batman. We aspire to be Dick Grayson.

And yet, this is precisely why Tom Taylor’s first arc of Nightwing falls short. Taylor loves Dick Grayson too, but rather than showing how he handles challenges differently than his mentors, Taylor handcuffs Dick into a greatest hits highlight reel without anything particularly new or exciting for him to do. Leaping Into the Light is meant to be a bold new direction for Dick Grayson, a triumphant entry point away from the dark days of “Ric,” the Talon, and decades of undercut runs by creators who didn’t feel like they were allowed to take leaps into the future with a character all about leaping into the future. Tom Taylor’s era was signaled as perhaps one of the first times since New Teen Titans that Dick Grayson would get full freedom. Instead he’s trapped once again, this time not by editorial circumstance, but by lack of vision.

Leaping Into the Light chronicles Dick’s return to Blüdhaven, still run by Blockbuster with the help of newcomer Melinda Zucco. Along the way, he’s been gifted a considerable inheritance by the recently deceased Alfred Pennyworth. The aim is to give Dick Grayson his own playground outside of Gotham City, along with financial means on par with his mentor in order to show how he handles his responsibility to the world differently. Batman is a billionaire, so why doesn’t he do more for the homeless and the poor of his city? This is a question that has exploded online in recent years, and one Tom Taylor is attempting to answer by giving Dick billions of dollars too.

The problem with the status quo Taylor is building for Dick is that it’s riding high on reader’s assumptions. Blüdhaven and Blockbuster are exactly what they were when Chuck Dixon wrote Nightwing in the 1990s. Instead of exploring the culture or characters of Blüdhaven in his own voice, Taylor is merely gesturing at knowledge and instincts we already hold. In effect, Taylor wants to have his cake and eat it too. On the one hand, the actual content of the world we’re in requires familiarity with the past. On the other hand, exposure to even a limited amount of old Nightwing is enough to make you realize this run so far has yet to do anything new.

This compounds when we enter the political commentary Taylor is trying to make. Homelessness is bad and a problem we ought to deal with. I think it’s hard to disagree with that statement. However, rather than actually exploring causes, experiences or Taylor’s own ideas of the world of poverty and marginalization, Taylor merely assumes the sentiment without any content. A lot like holding a gun to a baby, I care about the issue inherently but the writing is not making much effort to help me understand the situation as is, It’s simply relying on the assumptions we’re already making.

The only contribution to Dick’s character Taylor has made in these six issues so far is the revelation that Melinda Zucco, daughter of the man who killed his parents, is also his long lost sister. But once again the problem here is that Taylor wants to introduce associations by names we’re familiar with and ignore any conflict that might stem from it. In Nightwing #82, we see the history of John Grayson’s relationship with Melinda's mother. Taylor makes painstakingly clear that John did not cheat on Mary, that this was entirely prior to their relationship and Dick’s birth. The problem is that there is no conflict. Dick’s view of his parents isn’t challenged, if anything is emboldened. At the very least, making John cheat would’ve provided us something to wrestle with, but instead Taylor steers completely clear of anything that might introduce a new or unique story element.

What Taylor does steer into, however, is memes. With works like Injustice, Taylor has become practiced in short, digital first scripting that only has room for very concise panels and quick moments. Taylor’s work on Injustice is filled with scenes that make for a great screenshot: singular panels with a quip and just enough context built into the scene that the rest of the story around it doesn’t particularly matter. Nightwing is littered with these kinds of moments. Every issue is guaranteed to have no less than 2-3 moments that can be clipped out for quick posting. Sometimes these moments are cute, but read together in trade, they become glaring distractions from the story. I found myself quickly tired out by moments that read like twitter headcanons rather than natural character moments inherent to the story being told. I love Tim Drake, but I genuinely do not need a one off panel that only tells me he’s “thought by many as the best Robin. I totally get it.” This doesn’t feel like Dick Grayson appreciating his brother, it feels like Dick Grayson saying what the audience wants to hear.

Where this book shines, however, is the art by Bruno Redondo and Adriano Lucas. Every cover, every splash page, every action scene is immediately iconic. I had a smile ear to ear when Dick and Tim team-up. This is also the first time I have ever been entice to buy variant covers, particularly the variants for #79 and #81. Redondo’s style is able to shine with a superhero that is inherently kinetic, making Dick leap into action, giving motion trails to his acrobatics and forcing our eyes to bounce around the frame with him. Changing Dick’s grapnel to come from the center of his escrima sticks, simulating a trapeze swing, is in particular an inspired choice.

Alongside Redondo, Rick Leonardi returns to the title. Leonardi previously drew the character sporadically in the early 2000s, and this might be the only nostalgia laden choice in the book that felt worth it. Instead of making Leonardi rehash his previous work, he’s getting to draw a new moment for Dick’s backstory. His line work, paired with traditional color and ink contrasts Redondo to give the pages an older feel that are enhanced if you know Leonardi’s history, but they don’t depend on that association to carry the story.

I really can’t express how disappointed I felt with this arc. I was excited for this run, I loved everything I heard Taylor say about his intentions to make Dick Grayson a pillar alongside the Trinity for the DC universe. Reading this, however, felt less like the greatness I know Dick Grayson is capable of and more like someone stuck in their old glory. Dick is exciting because he faces challenges with creativity and heart, he’s the next evolution of a superhero scene that raised him but that he aspires to go beyond. Instead of seeing that high-flying leap into new territory, Dick is once again saddled with a city and villains that feel beneath him. And while Tom Taylor seems to love Dick Grayson, that feels like a shackle keeping him from exploring Dick’s insecurities rather than a push to help the character be everything we know he can be.

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Trade Collection Review: Nightwing Vol 1: Leaping Into the Light

Nightwing Vol 1: Leaping Into the Light
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Bruno Redondo, Rick Leonardi, Neil Edwards
Colorist: Adriano Lucas
Inker: Andy Lanning, Scott Hanna
Letter: Wes Abbott
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $24.99
Nightwing is back—and his drive to keep Blüdhaven safe has never been stronger! But his adoptive city has elected a new mayor with the last name Zucco. When Nightwing enlists Batgirl’s help in investigating the politician bearing the same name as the man who murdered his parents, she unearths details that will shock and fundamentally change the hero.
Dick Grayson’s big heart has protected those persecuted by bullies in his youth, combated evil alongside Batman as Robin, and pledged his newly inherited wealth to enriching Blüdhaven as Nightwing. His kindness and generosity have always guided his life. But now a new villain stalks the back alleys, removing the hearts of the city’s most vulnerable. Who is this terrifying new menace named Heartless, and will he be able to resist plucking out the biggest heart in all of Blüdhaven?
Collected in this Infinite Frontier Nightwing evolution are issues #78-83.
Publication Date: December 14, 2021
Pre-Order: Nightwing Vol. 1 - Leaping Into the Light

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Steve Baxi has a Masters in Ethics and Applied Philosophy, with focuses in 20th Century Aesthetics and Politics. He creates video essays on pop culture through a philosophy lens and frequently tweets through @SteveSBaxi.