Nightwing 1: Leaping into the Light

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The narrative thread lies with this burden of wealth that Dick has suddenly attained and his internal struggle to figure out the best way to utilize it. Nightwing thankfully looks like he is built more like a fit trapeze artist and not a hormonally-enhanced bodybuilder--so that’s a plus! Tom Taylor is getting to be synonomous with good quality, and his Nightwing run is yet another shining example of why.

I haven't been interested in keeping up with DC lately, but this is one title that I'm glad I didn't miss out on.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! Overall, Nightwing, Volume 1: Leaping into the Light is a decent beginning/leaping on point/soft relaunch of this title and I hope it becomes even better as it goes on. The color palette isn't as subdued as Matt Fraction's Hawkeye run but Adriano Lucas understands that less is more in most cases. Omg Nightwing is back and this volume is so good like one of the best DC comics period and its really well written, beautifully drawn and by the end of reading it, you will have a big smile on your face! And the overall storyline introduced here is interesting as well and ties into Nightwing’s arch-enemy Blockbuster and Dick’s tragic past.

Lucas’ colors are also tantamount to Redondo’s success as every choice he makes is perfect, especially the soft pink and purple hues of Dick’s apartment lighting, which adds a dash of romance to Dick’s solo scenes with Barbara. He’s wearing half of Anarky’s mask for some reason and his MO is to remove the victim’s heart and put it in a jar - literally making them less of a heart. Besides Babs and the dog, and so on, there is also Big News that Dick has a sister we have never heard about, Melinda Zucco, the daughter of Tony Zucco who killed Dick’s parents. However, as much as Alfred is no longer around, the few scenes that evoke the late butler play as an emotional tribute to him, from his letter to Dick, to Batman’s only line.

Redondo’s pencils with Adriano Lucas’ colors are some of the best in comics right now and Taylor’s scripts are confident and persuasive, especially in the smaller, more character driven moments.

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.It has stakes, fantastic art that elevates the script instead of highlighting it’s flaws, and an actual endgame for Dick Grayson’s character arc.

However, I’m willing to go along with the surface level investigation into the average person’s problems Taylor’s scripts have Dick delve into. This is why Dick’s new struggle of inheriting vast wealth is an equally intriguing and troublesome angle.This first 6 issue arc shows Dick Grayson (Nightwing) being visited by an old friend, Barbara Gordan. I don’t usually touch on editors in my reviews, but in this volume Jessica Chen’s input and notes were noticeable from the outset, something which I thought was great to see and very helpful for new and old readers alike.