Nightwing, Vol. 5: Time of the Titans

Nightwing (2016)

by Tom Taylor, C.S. Pacat, Travis Moore (Artist)

The fifth volume in the exciting Nightwing epic is here!

After the events of Dark Crisis, Superman has a talk with Nightwing, letting him know that now is Dick’s time to lead…so Nightwing gathers a group of friends to be the premier league in the DC Universe and moves their base of operations to Blüdhaven. Meet the new Titans!

And, following the events of the Nightwing 2022 Annual and the Superman and Nightwing crossover, Nightwing continues to mentor Jon Kent in ways that Dick learned from being trained by Batman…but in his own more encouraging way.

Collects Nightwing #101-105

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Fiction, Superheroes

176 pages, Hardcover

First published June 25, 2024

About the author

Once a professional juggler and fire eater, Tom Taylor is a #1 New York Times Bestselling, multi-award-winning comic book writer, playwright and screenwriter.

Well known for his work with DC Comics and Marvel, Taylor is the co-creator of NEVERLANDERS from Penguin Random House, SEVEN SECRETS from Boom Studios and the Aurealis-Award-winning graphic novel series THE DEEP. Taylor is also the Head Writer and Executive Producer of The Deep animated series, four seasons of which is broadcast in over 140 countries.

He is perhaps best known for the DC Comics series, DCEASED (Shadow Awards Winner), NIGHTWING (nominated for 5 Eisner Awards), SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL (GLAAD Award Nominee), 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. Taylor is also the writer of many Star Wars series, which include STAR WARS: INVASION and STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES (Stan Lee Excelsior Award winner). Taylor has written for Marvel, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Boom Studios, Wildstorm, 2000 AD and Gestalt Comics.

He can be followed on twitter @TomTaylorMade.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teen Titans, Go!



This volume has the Rise of the Underworld storyline with Dick working with his oldest friends to save Blockbuster's daughter from Neron. Blockbuster sold his little girl's soul for some goodies back in the day, and now that he's dead via Heartless, Neron is coming to collect.
Or rather, he's sent The Grinning Man to collect.
And this guy is a shapeshifter, so he could literally be anyone.



Nightwing is still acting as mentor to Clark's son, Jon, as he takes up the mantle of Superman while Dad is out of the picture. That storyline also has a nice vibe to it.



Loved this one! But to be fair, I've loved this entire run so far.

Recommended.

[Molly™☺ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comparatively weak arc when stacked up against its predecessors, it's Taylor's character writing that continually elevates this run from good to great. The chemistry between comrades shines bright amongst the fairly dim plot, and it's always a joy to see the Titans written well.

actual rating: 3.5 stars

[Dimitris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really hope that someday Marvel will announce Tom Taylor as the head writer of Amazing Spider-Man because his work in Nightwing is truly magnificent

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even when the stories are fairly nonsensical and inconsequential Taylor's writing on this run is just too charming.

The POV issue was a nice try to recapture the "Wow!" art factor of the single panel issue but wasn't quite as effective for me. Still impressive, though!

[Mattthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Rounded up to 5. Travis Moore draws a lot of this one, and his art is gorgeous. Always good to see his art in a book. Continues to be a great series.
Recommend.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

i don’t care what people are saying about these comics, i’m freaking loving them. I’ve never laughed so much in such a short period of time.

[Machiavelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Taylor continues his strong, character-driven run on Nightwing, and Time of the Titans adds a fresh dynamic by bringing in the Teen Titans for support—not just in the action, but emotionally too. There’s real warmth in the way Dick connects with his found family, and the story balances superhero stakes with heart and humor.

Bruno Redondo’s layouts remain some of the best in modern comics—fluid, inventive, and deeply expressive. Travis Moore’s fill-in art holds its own too, keeping the tone consistent. Adriano Lucas’s colors give Blüdhaven its trademark vibrancy.

Smart writing, gorgeous visuals, and a true love for the characters make this another excellent chapter in one of DC’s most consistently rewarding series.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This volume wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t as good as they’ve been before. I feel like I’ve got high expectations for this book and this time they just weren’t exactly met. The art was still incredible and the last issue was really enjoyable. This one was much more a Titans book than a Nightwing book.

[Jesse A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly filler-y and inconsequential but still a fairly pleasant way to spend some time.

[Spens (Sphynx Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5

My love for the Titans is growing and I am interested in reading more stories about them as a group. Another great installment for Nightwing!

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Nightwing: Time of the Titans " is a fun fast paced romp that features the Titans trying to rescue an adorable superpowered moppet from her demonic abductor. This is the first book after the "Dark Crisis" event and the volume definitely feels a bit transitional but the story holds up well. Also included is an engaging single issue story told entirely from Nightwing's POV. This last part is a bit gimmicky, but very well done.

Expect, the above mentioned adorable superpowered moppet, strong supporting roles from the Titans, a quick appearance by Bitewing, a mediocre demon bad guy, three athletic Redheads and Dick and Barbara discussing their cosplay fantasies.

4.5 stars rounded to 4.

[Billy Jepma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is much in the lane I think the series thrives in—light, breezy superheroing. Taylor’s script uses a straightforward story—Nightwing and the Titans have to protect a little girl from her father’s mistakes—that, despite involving a literal demon from hell, acts as a comfortable backdrop for the perfect blend of charming, well-meaning heroism that Taylor has perfected in Nightwing. The character beats are sincere, the resolution has just enough dramatic oomph to trigger the desired endorphins, and I had a great time with it all.

Even the first artists subbing for Redondo—who shows up at the end with an entire issue told from a first-person perspective—are great and fit the more fantastical edges of this story nicely. And Redondo’s return with another “gimmick” is a welcome one, too. Drawing from a first-person perspective is a novel idea, and the execution is as impressive as you expect. Gorgeously vibrant colors from Adriano Lucas, stellar momentum, and a ton of personality in every panel—this art team is really something special.

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable book, the first 4 issues/chapters are guests staring the Titans. The final is a first-person adventure (from Nightwings point of view) guest staring Bstgirl. I do like that they are trying things like this in the book, and for me, it worked.

Saving little girls' lives from the lord of hell is great. What is one less soul to such an entity? It is the point that the lord of hell was defeated by a mortal and could not claim the soul of a 9 year old girl. How far will this Devil go to remove this stain or weakness? Then Nightwing and Batgirl on a mission impossible inspired mission glasses and all.

Good story, lots of action and and good artwork. I like how Nightwing leads the Titans, not just strings them along, I also like the book is doing things a bit differently. The book finishes with a varient covers gallery.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

It feels we somehow got off the point here....great to see the Titans...but still felt a little derailed

[kesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

felt more like a titans book than a nightwing book - the stories in this were interesting and didn’t really progress the main blüdhaven social justice arc. explored raven and nightwing’s characters quite well w blockbuster selling his daughter’s soul to neron and raven being in the feels ab it + neron giving nightwing powers and tempting him

i still really enjoy taylor’s writing - this was a little bit better than the last volume for sure. guilty pleasure easy reading, a dick (not grayson) joke or 2, some babs-dick flirting and i didn’t mind travis moore’s art. still wanna read more of this and read taylor’s titans run bcs he does a great job of balancing character dialogue time and mission responsibilities based on their powers

i also fw the issue w nightwing’s pov cause i’ve never seen anything drawn like that before 🙂‍↕️

3.5/5.

[Green Megs &Ham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn't the best Dick I've seen...

[Emma Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was coooool. Shapeshifter geezer creeped me out. The POV being from Nightwing’s own eyes was wicked.

[sam riella · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Ali Haji · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least favorite volume so far, but it still had the Nightwing wholesomeness and charm.

I loved the part when he got powers from Neron, and yet was not tempted by it. Also that handshake with Supe was cool.

That Nightwing POV chapter was visually awesome, this comic really tends to do amazing shenanigans with the art and paneling.

Babs and Grayson 4 Eva🛳️🌊

[Ignacio · Rating 3 out of 5]

El tomito apenas incluye una historia dibujada por Redondo, con el célebre número contado en plano subjetivo por Nightwing. Es una pasada cómo se encadenan los paneles, en secuencia panorámica (3 por página) apenas rota por un par de splashes a doble página donde Redondo agudiza su ingenio para acentuar la espectacularidad del ejercicio de estilo. El resto del tomo cuenta un enfrentamiento de los Titanes con Nerón que adolecen un poco de lo que mola de este grupo (la interacción). Todos están muy planitos (Garth incluido), cediéndole el protagonismo al personaje central de la serie. Como debe de ser (supongo). Hubiera estado bien verles con más de peso, más allá de la categoría de figurantes invitados. A Batgirl se lo dan (y mola por ello).

[olive ⭒˚.⋆ ⚔ .ᐟ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A more cohesive volume than our previous minor sins: there's consistency in the art style as well as a more centralized plot that, which still side-quest in nature, had very clear motivation and narrative lines as it pulled a wider cast of characters into the story. Filler, sure, but thematically relevant filler with a more intentional use of it's space, making for a more coherent vision.

...and I'm a Titans apologist, reach out to my lawyers before you consider suing me.

All in all, a fun story that I enjoyed! By no means best of the best (crème de la crème, gods among men), but a fun romp with gorgeous illustrations and an easy to digest and entertain story.

3.5 stars, we don't begrudge a book when it's middling so long as it's fun and quick and lasts a single sauna session.

[Chase B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a solid number of graphic novels and usually only leave reviews for non-series/standalones and major arcs.

I love a good Nightwing comic and this definitely delivers as Nightwing can go from serious to an almost lighthearted and fun adventure. I really wanted to leave a review for there being an issue which is all first-person perspective (like visually, imagine an FPS or VR Nightwing Game) which I had never seen done for an entire issue. I imagine some other comic has done it but I hadn't seen it and thought it was really well done and cool. So here we are.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

More silly fun for Nightwing and the Titans, who are an increasingly important part of this solo (?) book. Realistically, the plot in Time of the Titans is a wheel-spinner before the next big event, but Tom Taylor does such a nice job with each character that you truly care about the adventure, even as the stakes never feel too high.

In Time of the Titans, Lord Neron (demon lord from Hell) seeks to redeem a contract on Blockbuster's daughter's soul. There's a whole lot of "remember them?" in that sentence, which is part of why the stakes here are pretty low. The Titans keep the daughter safe while others take on Neron. Raven especially plays a big role since she's the daughter of Hell big-gun, Trigon. All fun, but nothing too special.

Taylor and Bruno Redondo also aim for that single-issue Eisner again with a standalone first-person POV issue that's exciting and well done, but it doesn't exactly match their previous artistic highs.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

This takes place after the events of DC’s Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, where Nightwing was crucial in saving the world, and he’s been asked to really step up as a leader. He has also brought the Titans in to help protect Blüdhaven. The first part of this book is essentially a decent Titans arc as they rush to protect young Olivia from demons from Hell claiming her soul. It’s only until the final issue where we return to the ongoing conflict with Heartless in a cool first-person POV story.

[Jessica Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what I wanted Taylor's Titans comics to be!! So many excellent character and team moments. Starfire and Donna had more characterization and dialogue in this volume than they did for all of the Titans (so far). The Titans really shined in the smaller Olivia storyline (which still involved some big names and an epic fight). The storylines in Titans feel big for the sake of being big which has made them meh to me.

Rant about Titans aside, I adored this. The last volume was weaker but Taylor's humor and characterizations were on point throughout. Also loved the Superman cameo. And the decision to have the last issue be in the POV of Nightwing was so cool! Always love Bruno's art ❤️

[José Manuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

¿El gran defecto de Tom Taylor? Que parece que le cobran por palabra. Si hay motivo por el que no me está llenando esta etapa es ese, junto al hecho de que caracteriza a Nightwing y a su entorno como personajes incorruptibles y perfectos, que nunca caen en la tentación

Después de desahogarme diré que me ha gustado el arco a pesar de lo anterior expuesto. En ningún momento hay hueco para la sorpresa o la expectación. El número dibujado por Redondo es de lo mejorcito de la serie, pero, como digo, no me vale con un dibujo bonito. Echo en falta un texto que me haga volver a leer esta etapa y que no sea solo mirar lo bien que Redondo es capaz de reflejar a Nightwing en todos sus aspectos

[may 💌 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Donna Troy my beloved 🫶🏼

Not as high stakes/intense or story progressing as previous volumes but it has all the charm still. I enjoy the slice of life (as much slice of life as you can get fighting demons and rulers of hell for the soul of a child) we get from this volume. I love seeing Raven and Gar, all the Titans, Babs!!

The first POV issue was also AMAZING! I love the art and the change of pace was refreshing, I enjoyed the new perspective!

I really adore this run. Nightwing is such a special character.

[Bene Vogt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taylor may be running out of steam here.
80% of this volume are, amazingly, a sequel to one of the more forgotten 90s DC crossovers, and contain one very good joke but mainly just very standard superhero fights, not at all helped by a downgrade in art, while the last issue is a gimmick first person issue that's decent but not in any way earthshaking.

[Pruett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The POV issue is one of the coolest comics I’ve read in forever and elevates the otherwise totally fine, very sweet storyline about Hell that precedes it. (what do you mean, “oxymoron”?)

You can feel the series revving up to the finale in a big way. I think there are only, like, 12 issues left? Two volumes, either way. I can’t wait.

[Micah Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess Taylor was trying to keep things fresh, but in a run that has so brilliantly thrived by creating a grounded, personal story about its title character and the city he loves… it felt kind of silly to have a storyline where he gets Superman powers and battles the forces of hell (the actual plot of this book).