Fear Feeds the City—Nightwing Battles Shadows in Blüdhaven
A nightmare circus comes to Blüdhaven…and Nightwing may be its final act. As the city continues to suffer through bloodshed, Nightwing and his new protégé, Nightwing Prime, must do everything it takes to save their city, but the fifth dimension may be too much for them both. The city’s children are scared, unsafe…and disappearing. And with the city turning against him, Nightwing must face a nightmare that could cost him everything. Bludhaven’s darkest show is about to begin.
Dan Watters is a UK based comic book writer. His first book, LIMBO, was released through Image Comics in 2016. He has since written THE SHADOW at Dynamite Comics, and ASSASSIN’S CREED and WOLFENSTEIN for Titan Comics.
Currently he is writing the relaunch of LUCIFER for Vertigo’s Sandman Universe, as well as DEEP ROOTS for Vault Comics. Deeply rooted in London Town, and firmly of the Devil's party.
I wouldn't normally race through three volumes of a series in a week like this, were it not demanded by a whole situation with library availability, due dates &c. Still, as the third volume begins, a dozen or so issues into the run, Watters clarifies that the story so far has all happened within a month, which certainly makes for a contrast with the month-per-issue pace of the Ultimate Ultimate Universe. The political backsliding after the determined civic improvements of the Taylor run is depressing, but unsurprising, whether considered in terms of our world or Dick's; this reversion to the established narrative norm is one of the many things that unoriginal idiots fail to consider during the regular 'but why doesn't Bruce Wayne use his fortune to improve Gotham instead of punching people, aaaaaah' discourse (I may dislike Batman a great deal, but not half so much as I dislike people who engage in utterly clueless Batman gotchas). I'm still not wholly convinced that Nightwing as this flavour of horror book works, but having seen the Francavilla contributions in Volume 2, I think part of that is the art choice; Dexter Soy makes sense with the protagonist, but can't quite convince me of the wave of eerie extradimensional circus nightmarishness engulfing him – and V Ken Marion's Wildstorm stylings just feel out of place all round. Still, this wraps up the Cirque arc, albeit without really fulfilling its promise, and positions the book for what looks to be more of a trad Nightwing set-up which, if Sisyphean, might nevertheless work out better for all concerned. Well, except for anyone unfortunate enough to live in Blüdhaven, obviously. Just move to Metropolis or Opal, you fools!
The ending to Dan Watters’ first Nightwing arc is… fine. There’s nothing too spectacular or special about it, there are some cool ideas that come about from Nightwing being in the fifth dimension, and I liked Martian Manhunter’s appearance in the book - but it all felt a bit rushed, a bit quick. The real challenge was told to us and not shown. An arc that’s taken 12 issues to build was finished in essentially two, and although I have no doubt further repercussions to the future of Blüdhaven and Nightwing’# status in the city are being felt in the ongoing series it felt that the menace that was building in the last two volumes fell flat. And maybe there is something in avoiding some sort of deus ex machina Nightwing to (despite being for all intents and purposes, just a guy) defeat a literal god (or maybe not literal?) as that would have been a tad trite - and instead use a deus ex machina faux Kryptonian. It’s better. As usual, Dan Watters still writes a compelling and tonally strong narrative that keeps me interested. The whole run felt rooted in the style of Doctor Who sci-fi fantasy I loved growing up (did I mention in a previous review the Cirque du Sin are giving Night Travellers vibes from Torchwood?) which is a style I think works wonderfully with the grounded character of Nightwing who accepts all kinds of weirdness and quirk into his life. And you did get a satisfying payoff to understanding the characters introduced way back in Volume 1, such as Olivia Pearce. It felt thought through and logically structured which is important if you want to add a new arm to the lore of a character. Ahh, I enjoyed it so what if it didn’t blow my socks off? At least my feet are still warm.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
While the Dan Watters run of this series has taken Nightwing from being groundbreaking and amazing to being another superhero comic book, it is still a damn good superhero comic book. Nice cameos and 5th dimension too.
That was enjoyable; much more so than Volumes 1 & 2. I prefer Dexter Soy’s art, but V Ken Marion did a fine job between issues. I’m not sure if I’ll continue reading Nightwing much longer, but I’ve had a good time visiting Blüdhaven. Until next time…
Writer: Dan Watters Artists: Dexter Soy, V Ken Marion Originally published: September 17, 2025 – February 18, 2026 Collects: Nightwing #130–135 Collected edition published: July 21, 2026
★★★★★ (5/5)
I really enjoyed this one. The whole Cirque du Sin storyline got way crazier than I expected, especially with Olivia, Zanni, and the missing kids. I also liked seeing Dick actually take Bryce under his wing instead of just trying to get rid of his powers. Prime ended up being one of my favorite parts of the volume, and that ending genuinely got me.
The art was great too, and I liked how much of the story tied back to the previous volumes.
5 stars.
Future Me Notes
Dick leaves a warning for Bernard Bisogni, who is secretly connected to the Blockbuster gang.
The Clean Cut Gang inject themselves with Man-Bat venom, transforming into monsters.
The monsters clash with the police.
Nightwing Prime shows up and helps stop them.
Diana, Clark, J'onn, and Bruce cameo.
The JLA is concerned about this mysterious new Nightwing Prime.
Bruce and Dick have another Batman/Nightwing moment.
It has been about a month since Bryce's brother was killed by a cop.
Bryce is mostly returning to his original personality.
Instead of taking away Bryce's powers, Dick decides to train him.
Meanwhile, children are being lured toward the Cirque du Sin.
Olivia learns about Prime.
Drury Walker / Killer Moth is supplying the Clean Cut Gang with Man-Bat venom.
Dick tracks down Killer Moth's submarine and stops the smuggling operation with Oracle's help.
Killer Moth escapes.
Dick leaves Bryce homework before meeting with Sawyer.
There are now five missing children, and each left behind a drawing of the Cirque du Sin.
Bryce hears gunshots and immediately goes to investigate.
The Clean Cut Gang is attacking Killer Moth over the Man-Bat venom.
Bryce thinks his powers make him invincible.
He doesn't realize that kryptonite has become much less rare after Superman's actions in Superman Unlimited.
Bryce gets shot with kryptonite ammunition.
Dick arrives too late.
Bryce begins hearing circus music.
More children disappear.
Dick infiltrates Olivia's office.
He discovers that the suit Olivia previously lent him during the Nite-Mite storyline recorded everything he did while wearing it.
Olivia has been studying the recordings, allowing her to copy and counter Dick's fighting style.
Olivia finally reveals herself.
She explains that she once created a death trap for herself, expecting Robin to come save her.
Robin never came.
The guillotine cut off part of her face.
Her obsession with Robin/Nightwing grew from that trauma.
The confrontation is broadcast live.
Zanni appears, but nobody watching can see him because he exists outside normal reality.
Olivia's head suddenly falls off while Dick is approaching her.
On the broadcast, it looks like Dick killed Olivia.
Nightwing becomes a public enemy.
Sawyer comes to Titans Tower to meet with Dick.
There are now nine missing children.
Melinda visits and tells Dick she's leaving Blüdhaven.
Dick gives Melinda the money Pennyworth left him, which makes her realize her brother has other plans in mind
While Dick waits for Barbara and Haley to return from their walk, Martian Manhunter finally reveals himself.
J'onn uses his powers to transport Dick to the Cirque du Sin.
Dick has to go alone.
Inside, he encounters a Fifth-Dimensional manifestation of Olivia with her head detached.
Olivia tells him he has to play a game to win back the souls of the missing children.
Bryce continues reacting to the circus music.
The game is tin-can alley.
Every time Zanni knocks down the cans, another part of Blüdhaven is destroyed.
If Dick wins, he saves the children—but the destruction of the city continues.
The children's souls are trapped inside puppets.
The puppets begin grabbing Dick.
Martian Manhunter and Barbara work to protect civilians outside.
Dick throws Nite-Mite soup at Zanni.
Because the soup originates from the Fifth Dimension, it is capable of hurting Zanni.
It blows a hole through Zanni.
Zanni becomes enraged.
Olivia's manifested body throws her severed head toward Titans Tower, where Bryce is recovering.
Prime wakes up.
Zanni is injured.
The children begin waking up.
Dick figures out a way to escape and creates a ridiculously long ladder. 💀
The children climb out one by one, with Dick following behind them.
Zanni starts catching up.
Prime arrives and distracts Zanni so everyone else can escape.
Prime realizes he needs to sever the connection between the Cirque and reality.
He sacrifices himself by cutting off the Cirque du Sin's connection to reality.
Bryce is trapped inside with Zanni.
Dick gets emotional and wants to find a way to bring Prime back.
The Justice League helps save civilians.
The Teddies and Flyboiz also help with the rescue.
The children are successfully recovered.
Claire, Katie's daughter, steals Sawyer's communicator and contacts Nightwing.
She becomes Prime's messenger.
Claire explains that Zanni still tries to scare the children through their dreams, but Prime is always there too.
Bryce is happy where he is and has accepted his role as a hero.
Night-Hare is given to Claire.
Bernard Bisogni becomes the new mayor of Blüdhaven, setting him up as the next villain.
Notable Appearances / Cameos
Nightwing / Dick Grayson
Nightwing Prime / Bryce
Barbara Gordon / Oracle
Maggie Sawyer
Melinda Grayson-Lin
Batman / Bruce Wayne
Superman / Clark Kent
Wonder Woman / Diana
Martian Manhunter / J'onn J'onzz
Alfred Pennyworth / Pennyworth Foundation
Haley
Claire
Katie
Olivia Pearce / Olivia Hillman / Colombina
Zanni
Drury Walker / Killer Moth
Bernard Bisogni
Clean Cut Gang
Blockbuster Gang
Teddies
Flyboiz
Night-Hare
Justice League
Cirque du Sin
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Pues qué quieren que les diga, yo no he notado ningún bajón de calidad, ni nada de eso, al menos en lo que a guion se refiere, desde los tiempos del gran Tom Taylor. Esta historia está pero que muy bien, mezclando de manera ejemplar el género superheroico y el terror (e incluso la tragedia... ¡pobre Nightmito!). Y el final es maravilloso, el colofón perfecto para la saga. El apartado gráfico, eso sí, me parece francamente mejorable. Los dibujantes son reguleros, por decirlo de manera suave. Dexter Soy tiene pase, pero Ken Marion parece un J. Scott Campbell (¿se acuerdan de aquel tipo que dejó los cómics por la Nintendo? Pues ese) de saldo. Y J. Scott Campbell ya era bastante de saldo...
En fin, dicen que para el siguiente tomo llega Denys Cowan, y me dan ganas de llorar. Este señor nunca fue bueno, por mucho que se empeñen. Como mucho, era adecuado para el Question de O'Neill, y paren de contar. En fin, yo qué sé, supongo que el hombre tiene derecho a comer, como todo el mundo, pero a costa del pobre Nightwing... no, hombre, no. Que vuelva Redondo, por Dios, o Dan Mora, o alguien que haga justicia a los excelentes guiones que desde hace tiempo tiene esta colección...
I’m happy to report that Watters indeed stuck the landing with this story. Last volume I was a bit hesitant on where this all was headed, but man is Watters such a talented writer. I’ve been vocal about my dislike for the 5th dimension shenanigans in this run. However, Watters handles it perfectly, and actually made me sort of like it.
The core thing happening in this story is that the Zanni and Olivia are luring children into the 5th dimension—much like what happened to Olivia back in the day. We also got Nightwing Prime, and Dick trying to help him be a Superhero.
Yes, there’s A LOT going on, but it all balances out really well. I love how sinister Zanni is, and that reveal about Olivia was shocking. The themes of childhood innocence, children folk tales, facing fears, and so on are all well handled in this story. The climax was great, and Watters’ voice for Nightwing is just so good.
So yeah this was really great, and I’m happy that Watters made everything come full circle. This dude made me love Nightwing Prime.
I've been keeping up with this run since I found out the first volume came out and HOLY SHIT it might just be my favorite Nightwing run so far. The stakes are immediately set and only get crazier each issue, the characterization of everyone is really well done (especially our star Nightwing), the art is wonderful, and this particular volume is exactly what the last two were leading up to and it delivers pretty damn well. I love how much this is about Dick Grayson and not so much an extention of the Batman mythos with him as a protagonist; it truly feels like he's his own person and this is his own journey. The Zanni and Olivia Pearce and the Cirque Du Sin are some of the best new addition to this hero's rogues gallery since probably fucking Blockbuster honestly This is just going really well and I can't wait to get to the next arc
Dan Watters' first big Nightwing arc comes to a conclusion as Dick takes the fight to the Zanni and the Cirque Du Sin at last.
Nightwing's not usually one for punching ghosts and monsters, nor is he one for the big superhero moments that Nightwing Prime brings to the proceedings, and yet somehow, Watters has made it work really well over the past two volumes, and brings it home for these last six issues as well.
Even when Dick's winning, he's losing, but he never gives up hope - because that's just who he is, and Watters understands that to a tee. The villains are awesome, the supporting cast continue to fit in nicely (who doesn't love Bitewing, honestly?), and the conclusion is bittersweet, but a nice springboard for what comes next.
3.5 stars The Zanni arc comes to an apparent close, continuing a run that’s considerably more weirdly fantastical/supernatural than other mainline bat books the last few years (complimentary). This run hasn’t been particularly emotionally compelling so far, but I appreciate how much it’s been informed by esoteric historical circus culture (e.g. the Zanni itself).
Visually, I’m still not a fan of Soy’s art for the series; it’s done in a style that’s very 2000s comic art and feels dated but not classically cool. It’s not enough to put me off the series, and a page here or there actually ends up looking great, but I still wish any number of other artists were drawing it (a shame DaNi isn’t drawing this in addition to Batwoman).
This was an okay ending to the Cirque du Sin storyline. The concepts aren't brand new, but I liked seeing Dick take on an evil circus. Again, Columbina/Olivia was just a "meh" baddie to me. It felt like a jumbled rehashing of different villain concepts.
No idea what's going on in the rest of the DC comics and completely forgot "All In" was a thing. How many times have they re-invented themselves now? Anyway, Cass' book is part of this and I really liked volume 1 of that series.
I will be continuing to get to Damian's appearance because I miss my son. Hopefully it continues the work Kennedy did with his Batman & Robin series I liked so much.
Olivia/Colombina, The Zanni and the Cirque Du Sin story was amazing and had just the right amount of spook for me. I loved this Volume (Except for that moth guy in that one issue. The lamest villain ever, no wonder people dislike ‘Batgirl: Year One’)
I am wondering though, what is the point of raising the stakes to the point where you are going to need a SUPERhero to save the day..? regardless i still enjoyed it and shed a tear in the end ngl.
Very unfortunate that the artist keeps changing but I am glad that this guy fit the vibe at least and had a similar style to Dexter Soy.
Will not be getting the next volume as I don’t care about the new villain.
The first Nightwing collection that made me GET Nightwing. Really great stuff. I read all 3 trades and highly recommend this. Not perfect but considering I had been largely not a fan of Nightwing I’d say this portrayal of his character and the overall villain was quite good. Borderline surreal without actually tipping into any type of avant garde space, i was thoroughly entertained. Vol 2 I think was weakest but I’m nitpicking, the 3 volume arc was wonderful! (I don’t care that it’s a bit of a cliche, I loved Nightwing Prime and I hope him and his bunny live forever)
And we've come to the end of Dan Watters' first Nightwing story arch. What a ride, and honestly really dark and creepy at times. I really enjoyed this and couldn't put the comics down, so that's a great sign. Nightwing has to beat the main villain the Zanni and Olivia Pearce's backstory gets revealed (quite gruelly so) and even the Martian Manhunter has an appearance! I'm looking forward to what Watters has Nightwing go through next.
Satisfactory conclusion to the cirque de sin arc. I thought Nightwing prime was an excellent addition, not only to the story and the Nightwing mythos, but the DC universe as a hole, so I was downright shocked when they took him off the chessboard as quickly as they put him on there. Seems shortsighted, but I suppose they could retcon parts of this if they wanna bring him back.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I thought this was too much too fast. It builds up to a crescendo about halfway through, then, somehow, the heroes know exactly what to do. Also Nightwing Prime almost dies, then completely recovers in time to be there for the denouement. And it really doesn't show Dick being a good detective, most of that is done offscreen. He just says what he's figured out. That's lazy storytelling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I don’t seem to care for Watters’ Nightwing as much as others do. And frankly, I really don’t enjoy Soy’s art here either. The backgrounds are nice, but the way he draws characters I’m not a fan of.
Generally satisfying end to the Cirque du Sin arc. It does feel like the big bad has been fully written into irrelevance, and I'm not sure yet if that's a good or bad thing. Definitely going to be lasting effects, which is generally a good thing.
another review on here puts it a little better - it's well-written and tonally consistent, just the pacing is strange and the subject matter is a little weird for nightwing. but overall i am still hooked for keeping up with this past this arc